The Chronicle: Issue 2012-04, January 24, 2012


The Intersection: Insurance-Canada.ca BlogWhat's Going Through The Intersection of Insurance and Technology, an Insurance-Canada.ca Blog.


Distribution

Policy Works and SGI CANADA launch portfolio download.
January, 2011 - SGI CANADA and Policy Works Inc. are pleased to announce the launch of portfolio download. SGI CANADA brokers using the Policy Works Commercial Management System are now able to download all current business, such as new applications and renewals, through a batch process directly into their Policy Works system.

ACORD User Groups Information Exchange (AUGIE) Sets 2012 Priorities.
Published: 1/18/2012 - Author: Michael Carroll - AUGIE released its 2012 priorities this week outlining plans and goals for the year. Several of the items were pulled directly from the Real Time Survey. Each priority is linked to a specific group that will focus on that area and is chaired by a member of the AUGIE Leadership.

Policy and Product Management

Risk Control Technologies Selected by Wright Risk Management for RC Inspection.
(January 17, 2011 - Toronto) Risk Control Technologies Inc., the industry-leading provider of loss control software solutions for insurers, today announced that Uniondale, New York-based Wright Risk Management ("WRM") has selected the RC Inspection software solution to streamline its loss control operations.

Social Business

Aviva Canada Establishes New Corporate Presence - Building on Social Media Success.
January 19, 2012 - (Toronto, ON) - Building on the strength of a vibrant social media presence for the Aviva Community Fund, Aviva Canada, one of the country's leading providers of home, auto, leisure and lifestyle, group and business insurance, today announced the launch of a corporate social media presence. With over 34,000 Facebook likes and 3,600 Twitter followers on the Aviva Community Fund pages, the company has engaged social media users since 2009 with messages about the community improvement competition.

eMarketer: Social Media Accounts and Conversations on the Rise.
JANUARY 18, 2012 - Companies often have several different accounts or pages on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. As these accounts and the interactions with customers on social media increase, program managers must learn to balance the influx and continue to interact with fans.

Technology

CSIO 5th Annual Award Nominations.
January 16, 2012 - March 30, 2012 is the nomination period for the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations' 5th CSIO Annual Award. This award recognizes the most innovative use of CSIO Standards for the Benefit of the Broker Distribution Channel.


"The New Landscape: Social Business, Mobile, Analytics, Modern Technology"
2012 Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Conference
The premier insurance technology conference in Canada
Monday, March 5, 2012 - Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto

Communicating with Customers: Speakers will explore the new communications demands - touch customers and prospects on their terms, one to one. Based on the data you have in your modern "core systems", married with analytical tools, use traditional correspondence and today's digital email and social to converse with them at home, at work or mobile to build the relationship.

This is part of the new landscape you and your peers will explore at the 10th Annual Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Conference (ICTC).

Review the conference topics and speakers for all the topics. Join your peers - don't miss this opportunity!


Reference and Statistics

FSCO: Auto Insurance Rates for the Fourth Quarter of 2011.
The Government passed regulations to enact auto insurance reforms effective September 1, 2010. These reforms are designed to reduce excess assessment costs in the auto insurance system and ensure more accident benefit dollars go to treating people injured in auto accidents.

Business of Insurance

CLHIA: Pooled Registered Pension Plans receive majority support in poll of small and medium business employers.
MONTREAL, Jan. 17, 2012 - Small and medium business enterprise (SMEs) owners and executives are enthusiastic to adopt the new Pooled Registered Pension Plans (PRPPs) - known in Quebec as Voluntary Retirement Savings Plans (RVERs) - according to a recent poll conducted by Leger Marketing on behalf of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA).

Swiss Re: Economic and social turmoil risk reversing the gains of globalization, report warns.
January 2012 - London - The world's vulnerability to further economic shocks and social upheaval risk undermining the progress that globalization has brought, warns the World Economic Forum in its Global Risks 2012 report, the seventh edition, published today. Chronic fiscal imbalances and severe income disparity are the risks seen as most prevalent over the next 10 years.

Towers Watson Survey of Economic Expectations predicts more trouble for pension plan funding as economic uncertainty and low interest rates continue.
TORONTO, January 10, 2012 - Canada's top economists, strategists, and portfolio managers forecast modest growth for 2012, along with continuing low interest rates, moderate inflation and lackluster capital market returns in Towers Watson's 31st Annual Canadian Survey of Economic Expectations. These conditions will likely lead to further trouble for the financing of traditional defined benefit (DB) pension plans in Canada.

Claims

Swiss Re report reveals low earthquake insurance penetration globally, even in countries with high seismic risk.
17 January 2012 - Zurich - According to Swiss Re's latest expertise publication "Lessons from recent major earthquakes", several big earthquakes resulted in a devastating number of fatalities and injuries and have caused widespread property damage over the past two years. The cumulative catastrophic impact of earthquakes on society is overwhelming. Seismic events caused economic losses of over USD 276 billion in 2010 - 2011, yet highly earthquake-prone countries remain underinsured.

Consumer Information

Accenture Study Shows Consumers Want Cars Equipped With More Safety Devices and Technology That Offers Driver Assistance and Advanced Communications.
NEW YORK; Jan. 9, 2012 - While most consumers continue to place great importance on automotive safety systems, there is also growing demand for automated driver-assistance and traffic-avoidance technologies, according to a new global study by Accenture.

TIRF: A Continuum of Strategies Needed to Reduce Impaired Driving.
In the past several weeks there has been much discussion and debate around the use of administrative penalties as a strategy to reduce impaired driving. As such, it is important to provide some clarity regarding the research on this topic and the use of these penalties in a broader continuum of strategies to reduce impaired driving.

Transport Canada: Updated child car seat safety regulations come into force.
December 29, 2011 - OTTAWA - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced that updated child car seat safety regulations come into force on January 1, 2012.

SGI - Operation Crossroads targets intersection safety.
Jan 16, 2012 - Police agencies across the province will be enforcing intersection safety during this month's coordinated traffic safety blitz, taking place Jan. 18 and 19. Traffic enforcement officers will be on the lookout for drivers and pedestrians violating traffic laws at intersections. Violations include failing to yield to pedestrians or oncoming traffic, running red lights, jaywalking or failing to stop at stop signs, among others.

CAMH Study finds that treatment of depression can increase work productivity .
January 11, 2012 - (Toronto) - A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found that employees with depression who receive treatment while still working are significantly more likely to be highly productive than those who do not. This is the first study of its kind to look into a possible correlation between treatment and productivity.

WorldNomads.com joined by Tripping.com in the Travel Knowledge Network!
SYDNEY, Australia, Oct 11, 2011 - WorldNomads.com is excited to announce that social travel site Tripping.com has come on board as a new partner within the Travel Knowledge Network. The Travel Knowledge Network is a group of like-minded travel sites leveraging a global travel question and answers platform.

from Doug:

As many of you who have been involved in conferences know quite well, there are many balls in the air at once and being a good juggler is a definite asset. While we go through the voting process with our jury for the winners of the Insurance Canada Technology Awards, firms have been signing up in good numbers to sponsor the Technology Conference. Thankfully an 11th hour decision by another company who had contracted for hotel space agreed to let us use some of it for part of our day - this is making the organization of exhibit space and the agenda much easier than it would have been otherwise. Both of those are now progressing well and will be rolled out soon. But why did they have to wait until the 11th hour!


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