Austin firm to offer insurance via new site

Monday, April 10th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Austin-based Trilogy Software Inc., which has created e-commerce ventures for selling personal computers, cars and home appliances, is expected to unveil a new business Monday to help consumers shop for insurance.

Using insuranceOrder.com's Web site, consumers will be able to compare product offerings from various carriers, receive a binding quote and make purchases electronically.

The company will seek to differentiate itself from other insurance Web sites because it will act as an independent agent, a neutral party that can offer a wide range of insurance services, said Andy Weitz, president and co-founder.

In general, other sites either offer referrals to traditional agents or sell insurance products exclusively under their own brand, he said.

"We saw strengths in creating an e-agency model," Mr. Weitz said.

Initially, insuranceOrder.com will offer quotes from Reliance Personal Insurance and Atlanta Casualty Insurance.

The wholly owned subsidiary of Trilogy said it expects to offer health, life, home and renter coverage from multiple carriers later this year.

Trilogy seeks to draw from the experiences of its affiliate companies to add features and capabilities to its e-commerce software.

Trilogy has already developed programs used in the insurance industry, Mr. Weitz said.

Trilogy's other affiliated companies are called pcOrder.com, carOrder.com, applianceOrder.com, CollegeHire.com, an employment site, and IveBeenGood.com, a gift registry.

In February, the software maker created an as yet unnamed joint venture with Ford Motor Co. to develop and operate all of the automaker's Internet sites for consumers.

Eventually, Mr. Weitz said, the Trilogy affiliates may act in concert so that, for example, information from an automobile purchase made on carOrder.com became instantly available on the insurance site.