Transforming Insurance Finance: Treasury, Claims, and the Future of Payments with Curt Hess

The insurance industry faces mounting challenges to simplify financial operations and deliver fast, seamless claim payments. In this episode of the Insurtech Leadership Podcast, host Joshua Hollander talks with Curt Hess, U.S. Executive Vice President of Vitesse, about how the company’s treasury and payment platform helps insurers, managing general agents, and third-party administrators gain real-time visibility over funds and streamline claims payments.

They explore how Vitesse’s technology addresses long-standing pain points, such as managing complex cash flows and reconciling accounts among multiple stakeholders. Curt explains how real-time insights, trusted fund management, and digitized settlements can enhance both operational efficiency and the policyholder experience. He also shares his perspective on leading cross-border teams, navigating market differences, and partnering with private equity.

Whether you’re an industry veteran or simply curious about the evolving landscape of insurance finance, this conversation provides an inside look at technology solutions reshaping treasury and claims processes.

 

In This Episode:

• [00:10] Introduction to Curt Hess - Meet the U.S. Executive Vice President of Vitesse and learn why his banking and treasury background fuels the company’s expansion strategy.
• [02:38] Real-Time Fund Visibility - Curt explains how Vitesse’s unified technology platform offers insurers real-time insights on fund flows, improving operational efficiency.
• [06:51] The “Last Mile” of Claims Payments - How Vitesse enables policyholders to choose their preferred payment method and reduces claim settlement times from weeks to hours.
• [10:40] Addressing Long-Standing Pain Points - A look at how historic inefficiencies—like scattered funds and time-consuming reconciliations—are being tackled with new solutions.
• [14:40] Navigating U.S. Market Differences - Key learnings from adapting a UK-born platform for the American insurance landscape, including regulatory nuances and client feedback.
• [25:34] Collaboration with KKR - Curt highlights Vitesse’s partnership with private equity firm KKR and how it supports the company’s strategic initiatives and growth.
• [28:24] The Industry’s Future - Curt’s perspective on how insurers are modernizing financial workflows in response to factors like inflation, natural disasters, and rising customer expectations.

 

Notable Quotes

• [00:07:31] "The last thing that a policyholder wants at the time of need is to worry about where their claim is and how they are going to get paid." – Curt Hess
• [00:20:06] "Bringing people over is super important because unless they come over and experience it, they really may not quite understand some of those differences that need to be addressed." – Curt Hess
• [00:23:31] "It's really important that the culture in Vitesse across the pond is the culture we want to build here in the U.S., around having humility, driving to succeed, and ultimately having a real client focus." – Curt Hess
• [00:28:24] "The industry is having to adapt with a number of headwinds, whether it's natural disasters, inflation, or social inflation driving things up with legal and court verdicts." – Curt Hess

 

Our Guest

Curt Hess is the U.S. executive President of Vitesse, a global treasury and payment solutions provider specializing in the insurance industry. With a background in banking, he brings extensive experience in financial services. At Vitesse, Curt focuses on expanding operations, particularly in the U.S., and enhancing client-centric solutions for efficient claims processing and treasury management.

 

Resources and Links

 

Curt Hess

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/curt-hess-81425251
• https://www.vitesse.io/

 

Josh Hollander

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuarhollander/
• https://www.horton-usa.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insurtech-leadership-show/?viewAsMember=true