The Payment Promise: Modernizing Insurance Payments for the People Who Need Them Most

New Research from Datos Insights reports on the forces reshaping insurance payment infrastructure — and a practical guide for the carriers, mutuals, and MGAs leading the response.

Why This Resource Matters

Customer expectations have shifted. Payment infrastructure is catching up.

Real-time payments, instant fund transfers, and same-day delivery have reset what policyholders consider normal. At the same time, the household financial picture has tightened — and the operational complexity behind a single claims payment has grown.

These shifts are reshaping the strategic case for payment modernization across the industry:

67% of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck, meaning payment timing is felt as financial reality, not a service detail (PNC, 2025)

Up to $170B in global insurance premiums are at stake over the next five years as claims experience becomes the loyalty differentiator (Accenture)

Claims experience now drives retention decisions for 80% of auto insurance customers (J.D. Power)

For the displaced homeowner, the injured worker, and the agent whose book depends on policies staying in force, the payment experience is where institutional intent meets customer reality.

What's Inside

A strategic guide for carriers building the business case for payment modernization covering:

Why now, and why it’s hard. Claims have become the “moment of truth” and payment delays are fragmented across Claims, Finance, Operations, and Compliance.
The economics and the execution gap. Digital payments can cost up to 90% less per transaction than checks, and most internal models still undercount the full picture.
The path forward. A future-ready foundation paired with concrete recommendations for champions building the case, executives evaluating investment, and implementation leaders driving adoption.