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Issue 2004-13:   March 30, 2004

This newsletter is for members of the Canadian Insurance Industry, and those who serve it. The newsletter is published weekly, and notes information mostly about the use of the Internet and related technologies in the industry. Some is international, where we feel it is relevant to Canada.

Please forward this newsletter to a fellow employee, or someone else involved in the insurance industry, if you think they would have some interest in the information. For subscribe/unsubscribe details, see the bottom of this note.

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Statistics and Reference

North American Life Insurance Recovers From January Decline: MIB.

February applications for life insurance in North America dipped slightly year-over-year (0.8%). February results mask a 20.5% jump in U.S. applications over January 2004 and were 2.1% above December 2003, overcoming the worst January on record since 1999. Year-over-year, U.S. applications were off slightly at 0.7%, with Canadian activity decreasing 2.0%.

CSIO Insurance Portal Status Update

CSIO Portal status and project information at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/csioip/csioip.php

Week ending March 26: Gore is live on the Portal with Ontario Auto.
The alpha/beta test brokers continue with the pilot.

Distribution

CSA Course coming to Toronto and Ottawa: CASA.

To-day, because of the rapid growth of Canada's Senior population, there is a need for a specialized training and designation program that prepares our financial and insurance professionals and seniors sector providers to understand the needs (Social, Health & Financial) of their Senior and Boomer clients.

Applied Systems and Utica National Insurance Group Partner to Enable Agencies to Perform Real-Time Web Bridge Inquiries.

Applied Systems, Inc. announced today that Utica National Insurance Group is now using Applied's Web Bridge technology to offer real-time billing, policy and claim inquiries to agencies using The Agency Manager®. In addition, Web Bridge functionality will soon be available to agencies using The Agency Manager® Vision Series" software.

Banking Multichannel Integration: A Global Survey Report Published by Celent.

As bank systems become inexorably more complex, the costin monetary, resource and organizational termsof developing and maintaining multiple delivery systems becomes ever more prohibitive. At the same time, banks are trying to construct cohesive strategies for focused customer service and sales out of the jumble of technology and business silos typical of modern banking.

Claims

Expert Assessor Network: Proposed Model to Replace The DAC System for Ontario Auto BI Claims: FSCO.

The Financial Service Commission of Ontario has released a consultation paper (16 pages) asking for feedback. Submissions are due by April 14.

Marketing and the Market Place

Canadians Cool with Voting Online: eMarketer.

A recent Delvinia Interactive study on online voting in Canada provides detailed insights into who is voting online and why they do so. Among over 3,600 online voters surveyed, the overwhelming majority cited convenience as the reason they chose to vote online.

Contributors to Workplace Absenteeism and Healthcare Benefits Costs: Ipsos-Reid survey.

According to the latest Ipsos-Reid survey conducted with WarrenShepell, Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario (HRPAO) conference participants indicate that the top two contributors to absenteeism and/or health costs in the workplace are depression/anxiety/other mental health disorders(66%) and stress(60%).

Eastbridge Studies Impact of Rising Benefit Costs on Employees.

We hear about it every day - the rising cost of employee benefits, especially medical coverage. And employers are trying all kinds of means for controlling these costs: increasing employee contributions, changing plan designs, moving to voluntary (employee-pay-all) plans, and others. But where do employees fit in this picture?

Community Involvement

The ING Foundation teams up with Youth in Motion to launch Top 20 Under 20, new mentoring program.

Innovative Canadian charity Youth in Motion launched today a national call for nominations to Canada's newest award and mentoring program for Canadian youth. Young leaders and innovators under the age of 20 are encouraged to participate in this new, national awards program - Top 20 Under 20". Nominations close on April 30, 2004.

Policy Management and Product Development

Four Insurers License CSC'S Visual Product/Modeling System.

Computer Sciences Corporation today announced that four leading insurers, inclduing Jefferson Pilot Financial, Manulife USA, Ohio National Financial Services, have licensed its calculation and business rules modeling system, Visual Product/Modeling System (VP/MS).

e-Business and Technology

SAS Commits $30 Million to Develop its New Canadian Corporate Headquarters in Toronto's South East Downtown Neighbourhood.

SAS Canada, the worlds largest privately held software company, today announced that it is committing $30 million to the development of its new Canadian corporate headquarters at 280 King Street East. The project includes the construction of a new 110,000 square foot facility and a further investment into the area for the development of neighbourhood betterment projects.

from Doug:

Web site development and management is never finished. We have had some positive comments about our new homepages. By presenting only a few subject headings, it is easier for the reader to hone in on the topic of interest. The pop-up menus then present the second level of topics within a topic, thus keeping the navigation path reasonably short.
While we are completing the homepages, work has started on simplifying the top and side navigation within the site. As many people arrive at an internal page, having come there directly from a search engine or other link, it is important to give them a perspective of our whole site, while presenting enough detail to support their task at hand.
I guess no one ever said it would be simple.

Advertising

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