Pioneer InsWeb Brings One-Stop Insurance Shopping to the Internet

The Internet's ability to offer one-stop price shopping from a variety of sources has transformed the buying experience for such products as cars and computers. Can it do the same for insurance policies?

A number of companies, including the newly public InsWeb (INSW:Nasdaq), are betting that it can.

Though there are still some practical barriers to selling policies directly over the Internet, there's nothing to stop consumers from comparing prices online and doing the actual purchasing face to face or over the phone. ...