Issue 2009-34 -- August 25, 2009
This newsletter is for members of the Canadian Insurance Industry, and those who serve it. The newsletter is published weekly, and notes information about the use of the Internet and related technologies in the industry, insurance products and the marketplace. Some is international, where we feel it is relevant to Canada.
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Policy and Product Management
The Dominion Licenses OneShield Dragon® for Modern Policy Management.
Westborough, MA - July 29, 2009 - OneShield, Inc., the developer of OneShield Dragon®, an innovatively modern, rules- and tools-based, data-driven policy management solution, is pleased to announce The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (The Dominion), one of Canada's oldest insurance companies, has licensed OneShield Dragon to handle the company's growing policy management needs.
Pioneering wind observing system to be installed in the USA: Vaisala.
The world leader in environmental measurement, Vaisala, together with electricity and natural gas energy company, Xcel Energy, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have joined forces on a pioneering pilot project in the USA that will take observing and forecasting for wind energy production to the next level.
Claims
P&C Claim Officers Say to Expect Technology Investments Over the Next Two Years; Customer Experience Seen As Key Driver, According to Towers Perrin Survey.
STAMFORD, CT, July 28, 2009 - The vast majority of claim officers (92%) for U.S. property & casualty insurers said they plan on making investments in technology over the next two years, and indicated the primary driver of these capital expenditures is ensuring their customers' satisfaction, according to a survey conducted by global professional services firm Towers Perrin.
Distribution
Who cares about travel insurance? Trek Escapes does! TIC Travel Insurance.
Toronto, ON - Aug 18, 2009 - TIC Travel Insurance (TIC) is pleased to announce its continued collaboration with high-end adventure travel provider Trek Escapes, a partnership that has now stemmed over a decade. Dallyce Macas, President and CEO of Trek Escapes cites travel insurance as a necessary component of her customers' needs.
Cornerstone Insurance Brokers Ltd. purchases Pottruff & Smith Insurance Brokers Inc.
Mississauga & Woodbridge ON 19 August 2009 -- Wendy DaSilva, President of Cornerstone Insurance Brokers Ltd. and Gary Pottruff, CEO of Pottruff & Smith Insurance Brokers Inc., are pleased to announce that Cornerstone Insurance Brokers has acquired the Property and Casualty, Life and Group Benefits brokerage business of Pottruff & Smith Insurance Brokers Inc.
Interactions 2009 - Customer Experience Management Virtual Conference
Sponsored by TELUS
Join customer experience management experts who will share insights and best practices for creating high performance customer interactions. Engage with fellow attendees in the networking lounge, visit the online exhibit hall, see demos, and download the most relevant tools and research to assist you in developing your customer experience strategy.
Registration is free and you don't need to
travel!
Register today!
Business of Insurance
ScotiaLife Financial Expands Insurance Product Offering, Including Home and Auto.
TORONTO, Aug. 17 2009 - Scotiabank Group today launched an enhanced, comprehensive suite of insurance products and services, with new convenient online capabilities and the Group's first retail storefront, a ScotiaLife Financial insurance centre. The suite includes a new home and auto insurance program as well as additional life and health products - now with access to online quotes.
TIRF releases Best Practices for Truck Safety report on trucking in British Columbia.
TIRF is pleased to release the report Best Practices for Truck Safety. The report is an evidence-based research report developed by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) with the support of WorkSafeBC, the B.C. Trucking Association, and the Trucking Safety Council of B.C.
eBusiness and Technology
US Insurers To Increase IT Spending for 2010, In Quest to Achieve Growth and Operational Efficiency: Novarica.
August 18 (New York) - US Insurer CIOs are focusing more on supporting growth and improving operational efficiency as they begin their 2010 planning, according to a new report from research and advisory firm Novarica based on a survey of 50 insurer CIOs and senior executives.
SURVEY
Insurance Companies in Canada: Survey of 2010 IT Planning
Novarica and Insurance-Canada.ca are partnering on a Canadian version of this survey. All insurer IT and business executives are invited to complete the very brief (5 question) survey. All insurer respondents will receive a free copy of the completed survey, and all other Insurance Canada members will be able to purchase a copy of the results at a discounted price of CN$500. Agents/Brokers and Technology providers are not eligible to participate.
Take the survey today at 2010 Insurer IT Planning - closes Sept 18.
Consumer Information
HealthQuotes.ca announces the launch of a new Visitors to Canada Site.
Toronto ON 17 August 2009 - HealthQuotes.ca Inc. is happy to announce a new Visitors to Canada sub-site. Get free, instant quotes for single-trip plans from leading Canadian insurance companies, and get as many quotes as you want!
H1N1: Is Your Business Prepared for the Fall? - Cowan Insurance Group.
Public health officials are busy preparing for what could be a new wave of H1N1 flu cases as students return to school, and the regular flu season begins in the fall. But it seems that many companies don’t feel the same urgency to prepare. Up to 87 per cent of Canadian companies still don't have a contingency plan to deal with a situation like a pandemic, according to a recent survey by the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.
Don't Be Afraid to Get a Second Opinion: DMC Solutions.
Facing a serious illness can be nothing short of overwhelming. Imagine being told by your doctor that you have been diagnosed with a critical medical illness. But how do you know you are getting the most effective treatment for your illness? How can you even be sure your illness has been diagnosed correctly?
Don't Let Your Gadget-geared Student Leave the Nest Unprotected: BCAA.
August 20, 2009 - While easy-to-carry laptops, wallet-sized mp3 players and paper-thin cell phones top a student's back-to-school list, so should an insurance policy that covers these belongings, reminds BCAA Insurance. A recent poll from the National Retail Federation indicates that electronic purchases for back-to-school have increased 11 per cent over the past year.
Prepare before Hurricane Bill arrives: IBC.
Halifax, NS - August 21, 2009 - As Hurricane Bill approaches Atlantic Canada, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reminds people to prepare themselves, their homes and their property for severe weather. "The time to prepare is before the storm hits," said Bill Adams, Vice-President, Atlantic, IBC.
WSIB Announces Preliminary Premium Rates for 2010.
TORONTO, July 27, 2009 - Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) announced today that it will freeze premium rates for employers in rate groups with good health and safety records. For 2010, the WSIB intends to use the same method for setting premium rates as has been used in previous years – but with one important change. Premium rates will be frozen for rate groups with good health-and-safety performance, while rate increases will be calculated for poor-performing rate groups in the usual way.
Reference and Statistics
J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Lower Premiums at the Onset of the Current Recession Drive Significant Increase in Overall Satisfaction With Auto Insurance Companies.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 17 August 2009 - Overall customer satisfaction with auto insurance companies is up significantly in 2009, driven primarily by low premiums, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 National Auto Insurance StudySM released today.
from Doug:
Last Saturday I drove a dry run of a day bus trip I organize for our heritage group each August. We visit a number of heritage sites - our furthest site will be Westfield Village northwest of Hamilton. Then we work our way back into the Hamilton and Dundas area. My dry run was rather wet - it rained a good part of the early afternoon - I hope that the real deal this Saturday will bring yellow sun rather than liquid sunshine. I detoured on the return trip to Guelph and had a great visit with my parents and my brother who was also visiting them.
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