Issue 2009-35 -- September 1, 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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Claims
SPECS Limited Opens New Branch Office in Kelowna BC.
Edmonton, AB - August 27, 2009 - SPECS Limited, the country’s leading provider of independent property damage valuations and cost control services has opened a new office in Kelowna, BC. The strategic location and the placement of Edward Gagne, Branch Manager, whose extensive knowledge of the construction and restoration markets will allow the company to better serve its insurance clients in the BC market.
Xactware to Host First User Conference.
OREM, Utah, Aug. 24, 2009 - Xactware users will have a unique opportunity to interact with colleagues and Xactware experts at Xactware's first ever user conference in February. Slated for Feb. 4 and 5, Xactware User Conference 2010 will bring Xactware users and company representatives together to talk about current and future software developments, learn time-saving product features and discuss industry trends.
Ellipta Signs Innovation Symbility Solution in the UK.
TORONTO, ONTARIO --(August 17, 2009) - Symbility Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Automated Benefits Corp. (TSX-V:AUT), and its UK partner the Innovation Group (LSE: TIG.L) are pleased to announce the adoption of Innovation Symbility, a collaborative claims management software and mobile scoping tool, by Ellipta Ltd, one of the UK's leading suppliers of technical claims management to the insurance industry.
Policy and Product Management
Camilion Solutions and Pitney Bowes Business Insight to Combine Best-in-Class Location Intelligence with Industry-Leading Modern Policy Administration for Superior Underwriting Functionality.
TORONTO, Aug. 26 2009 - Camilion Solutions(TM), a leading provider of insurance product development solutions and modern P&C policy administration systems that create product agility, and Pitney Bowes Business Insight, the leading global provider of location and communication intelligence solutions, today announced that they are collaborating to provide Pitney Bowes Business Insight's best-in-class location intelligence functionality with Camilion's industry-leading policy administration system Authority Suite(R).
Webinar
WEBCAST: Gaining Clarity by Integrating Business Intelligence With Planning and Consolidation for Insurance
Hosted by SAP - sponsored by Deloitte. Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 1:00 EDT
Delivering insight and clarity through business intelligence (BI), planning, and consolidation is critical for insurance companies to both survive and grow in today’s environment.
Webinar details.
Register today online.
Business of Insurance
Despite Impact of Economic Downturn on Companies' Pension Plans And Financials - Canadian Organizations Cautiously Optimistic: Towers Perrin Study.
Toronto, July 29, 2009 - Despite reeling from the financial impact of the economic downturn on company pension plans and their businesses, Canadian organizations remain cautiously optimistic on the financial viability of their defined benefit* plans (DB) plans, with 71% of finance executives committed to maintaining the long-term viability of plans and 86% who feel confident they have adequate cash to fund their plans for the next two years, according to the third CFO Research Services study conducted in conjunction with professional services firm Towers Perrin.
RIMS Canada Conference Convenes September 13-16.
NEW YORK (August 14, 2009) - Climate change, enterprise risk management and insurer insolvency are three key topics to be explored at the 35th Annual RIMS Canada Conference on September 13-16, in St. John's, Newfoundland. Dubbed "Charting the Course-Navigating Your Risk," the conference is hosted by RIMS Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter. Online registration closes August 28.
New forms of public-private partnership, and stronger co-ordination of risk management by government, will help tackle the cost of natural catastrophes, Swiss Re tells Nordic conference.
25 Aug 2009 - At a press briefing this morning, Swiss Re's Chief Risk Officer, Raj Singh will say: "Our risk landscape is constantly evolving, and risks are highly inter-connected. As the financial crisis has shown, the risks we face can change suddenly and unpredictably. But while economic risks are high on the radar in 2009, we must not ignore the long-term horizon."
Improved predictions for 2009 hurricanes: Vaisala.
(Tucson, AZ, August 17, 2009) - With impending storms Bill, Ana, and Claudette, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) team is utilizing technology from Vaisala and is prepared to meet their important mission: to save lives, mitigate property loss, and improve economic efficiency by issuing the best watches, warnings, forecasts and analyses of hazardous tropical weather, and by increasing understanding. A primary weather measurement tool for NHC’s hurricane prediction is Vaisala’s dropsonde. The dropsonde is a critical meteorological instrument released by “Hurricane Hunters” from an aircraft flying above a hurricane, which then descends through the hurricane by a special parachute and transmits meteorological data.
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!
Consumer Information
Insurers urge Ontario residents to check insurance coverage following August 20 tornadoes: IBC.
Toronto, ON - August 21, 2009 - Canada's home, car and business insurers urge residents affected by tornadoes that touched down yesterday in southern Ontario to check their homeowner's policy and contact their insurance representative as soon as possible.
Helping Canadians understand life and health insurance: CLHIA.
TORONTO, Aug. 25 2009 - Today, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) released on its website a new version of its popular brochure on disability insurance. This is the sixth in a series of brochures focused on helping consumers understand life and health insurance products and services.
Marketing and the Market Place
Empowering Canadians earns Sun Life Financial top honours.
TORONTO, Aug. 26 2009 - A plan member newsletter based on call centre feedback; a website and financial blog focused on today's economy; and a tool to help advisors communicate the value of retirement planning are just some of the Sun Life initiatives recognized at the Insurance and Financial Communicators Association (I.F.C.A.) 2009 Annual Awards Competition.
CMO Sentiment Looking Up: eMarketer.
AUGUST 26, 2009 - According to the July 2009 "CMO Survey" by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the American Marketing Association, marketers are looking up after a gloomy recession. Fully 59% of marketers responding to the survey reported being more optimistic about the economy than three months before.
SURVEY
Survey of 2010 IT Planning for Insurance Companies in Canada
Will IT spending by Insurance Companies in Canada increase, decrease or remain the same?
Insurer IT and business executives are invited to complete the very brief (5 question) survey and receive a free copy of the results. For others, a special price of $500.
Take the survey today at 2010 Insurer IT Planning.
Insurance companies only, please - closes Sept 18.
Survey by Novarica and Insurance-Canada.ca.
eBusiness and Technology
SAS fights fraud, builds customer relationships via social network, social media analysis.
SINGAPORE (Aug. 05, 2009) - To prevent 2009 from becoming the "Year of the Phish" in Asia Pacific (as opposed to the Year of the Ox), SAS, the leader in business analytics, has launched innovative new software to fight fraud, but also to better understand customer sentiment. SAS® Social Network Analysis and SAS' social media analysis solution help organizations uncover hidden relationships between individuals and data; detect patterns and trends; and mine text and other unstructured data.
Distribution
What's Wrong with This Picture? Half of USA Independent Insurance Agents Don't Have Web Sites But Three-fourths of Consumers Look Online for Car Insurance: Progressive Insurance.
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio - August 13, 2009 - These days, having a Web site can be as important for a business as having a sign or a phone number, but Progressive found that more than half of its independentinsurance agentsdon't have Web sites. In addition, a recent survey* found that while three-fourths (73 percent) of consumers look online forcar insurance, about two-thirds (67 percent) eventually buy from an agent.
Our People
LIMRA and LOMA's Virtual Worker System Gives Companies Insight Into Who Will Be Effective Teleworkers.
WINDSOR, Conn., Aug. 10, 2009 - Almost 34 million Americans, or one-fifth of the workforce work outside of the traditional office setting at least once a month* and with the proliferation of high-speed Internet, technological advances, as well as increasing gas prices and other costs, experts estimate that number will continue to grow in the coming years.
from Doug:
In spite of an overnight heavy rain and early morning mist, our bus trip on Saturday went very well. Westfield Village, where scenes from Anne of Green Gables were shot, turned out to be a real gem. Don Zver's Pottery turns out wonderful pottery and serves great food in the cafe. We explored post War of 1812 time period at Dundurn Castle and learned that now landlocked Dundas was once one of the busiest freshwater ports, before the canal was filled in. Wherever you turn, there is a hidden gem of a story, if you look. Oh, and by early afternoon the sun was shining.
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