Administration of Group Life and Pensions Business by Computer

Extract

It is now some ten years since it was accepted, cautiously at first, that computers might be of some value in performing ordinary clerical procedures. Since that time, they have been gradually installed at an everincreasing rate in offices of all kinds, including insurance offices. Our own Institute was, I believe, the first body to publish tables—the a(55) tables—which had been prepared by means of a computer, In some respects it is a pity that the insurance world in this country has not been more to the fore in utilizing this new equipment although, from the number of insurance people who attend any meeting connected with computers, it is not due to any lack of interest in new methods but rather to a cautious attitude concerning making use of equipment until it has been fully proved by actual field service. This is in contrast to the position in U.S.A. where the insurance offices have been well to the front in development of office use of computers; indeed, an insurance office there was the first non-governmental business user and that office now has four very large machines in full-time use. As a result of this we were fortunate to have had the very instructive surveys published by our sister body, the Society of Actuaries.