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MARCH 22, 2022

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INSURANCE INDUSTRY NEWS

Disruption Accelerating Property/Casualty Innovation: CCC Crash Course Report
CCC Intelligent Solutions, a leading SaaS platform for the P&C insurance economy, is pleased to announce the release of its Crash Course 2022 report covering the business, consumer, and technology trends shaping the automotive, claims, repair and collision industries. The report offers insights on today's economic, social and technology trends impacting and reshaping the P&C insurance economy, including shifts in driving behavior, advances in vehicle technology and the record pace of growth in digitization across the insurance economy. Read more.

InsurTech Disruptor Revolutionizes Employee Benefits With Bar Score Technology
CloudAdvisors, Canada's Employee Benefits Marketplace, is pleased to unveil a new revolutionary innovation in employee benefits evaluation and insurance transparency. The automated Bar Score uses a ranking system powered by artificial intelligence to simplify the complexity of benefit programs by summarizing thousands of data variables instantly. Read more.

Relay Selects Relativity6 For Prediction Technology
Relay, an innovative provider of solutions which enable the digital transformation of commercial insurance and reinsurance submissions, and Relativity6, a real-time search and classification API that provides accurate 6-digit NAICS predictions and company existence checks and flags, are pleased to announce that Relay has selected Relativity6's API to provide predictions related to industry classifications. Read more.

Duuo Announces Launch Of Small Business Insurance
Duuo Insurance Services, in partnership with Slice Labs, has launched its latest on-demand product, Small Business Insurance. This new subscription-style Commercial General Liability policy provides Canadian business owners with coverage for their business operations. Available to a range of self-employed Canadian workers, small business owners can now purchase a Duuo policy to enjoy coverage on-demand. Read more.

NHTSA Eliminates Human Control Requirement For Fully Automated Vehicles
U.S. regulators in the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have issued final rules eliminating the need for automated vehicle manufacturers to equip fully autonomous vehicles with manual human driving controls to meet crash standards. The revision paves the way for vehicles with no driver's seat, steering wheel or pedals, while emphasizing that automated vehicles must provide the same level of safety and occupant protection as human-driven vehicles. Read more.

Empire Life Creates New MGA TruStone Financial
The Empire Life Insurance Company is pleased to announce it has purchased 100% of the shares of six financial services firms and amalgamated them into one wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Life under the name TruStone Financial Inc. Read more.

Betterview Property Intelligence Platform Selected By The Redwoods Group
Betterview is pleased to announce that its Property Intelligence Platform has been selected by The Redwoods Group to strengthen and accelerate critical property underwriting capabilities for new business and renewals. Read more.

Buyers Not Using Life Insurance Mobile Apps For Policy Questions: Aite-Novarica Group
The life insurance industry has seen significant progress in digitalization and process automation in the last few years, but very few companies have moved beyond e-app, e-signature, and e-delivery capabilities to create a holistic experience. In a new report, Aite-Novarica Group examines consumers' recent experience in buying life insurance, their preferences for communication, and areas where they expect to see improvements. Read more.

Samos Launches World-First Surgical Accidental Death Insurance
The world's first surgical accidental death insurance is now available in Canada. Samos Insurance offers a first-of-its-kind accidental death insurance product that covers planned surgical procedures — such as scheduled caesarean sections, joint replacement, heart surgery and common cancer diagnostic procedures. Read more.

Navacord Grows In BC With Arbutus Financial
Navacord Corp., a leader in risk management services and the fastest growing multi-line broker in Canada, is pleased to announce the addition of Arbutus Financial Services, effective March 1st. Read more.

Hub Financial Acquires the Assets of The President's Group
Hub Financial Inc., one of Canada's largest distributors of life insurance and investment solutions, is pleased to announce that it has acquired the assets of The President's Group Insurance Agency Inc., headquartered in Toronto. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Read more.

Definity Acquires Minority Interest In Apollo
Definity Financial Corporation is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Apollo Insurance Solutions Ltd., a leading Canadian digital insurance broker and MGA specializing in commercial insurance. This strategic partnership includes a distribution relationship between Definity's affiliate Definity Insurance Company and Apollo, and an agreement by Definity to complete an initial minority equity investment in Apollo. Read more.

ASSI Opens First Cyclist/Pedestrian Collision Reporting Centre in Toronto
Accident Support Services International, in partnership with the Toronto Police Service, is pleased to announce the grand opening of a pedestrian and cyclist collision reporting centre in downtown Toronto, supported by a web application allowing pedestrians and cyclists to begin their report from the convenience of their home. Read more.

CBN Announces Chairman’s Circle Recipients
Canadian Broker Network, Canada's leading network of independent insurance brokers, is pleased to announce its 2021 Chairman's Circle award recipients. The annual recognition program acknowledges top sales performance in Commercial, Life and Benefits. Read more.


The Intersection: Insurance-Canada.ca Blog

What's going through the Intersection
of insurance and technology?

P&C Personal Lines Insurers: Viewing Key Strategic Initiatives Through A New Lens
By Mark Breading, Strategy Meets Action
Personal lines insurers have been at the forefront of digital transformation and innovation for the past decade, and they responded in different ways when the pandemic hit. Some stayed the course with their existing digital strategies, whereas others began reshaping and even accelerating their plans to meet the shifting needs and expectations of policyholders, agents, and employees. According to a new study from SMA, personal lines insurers will continue to advance their digital transformation strategies in 2022 with a new lens and several shifts in priorities. Read more.


Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Awards (ICTAs) – start your nomination today!

Nominations are open! Highlight your accomplishments; reward your team; thank your business partners.

Start your ICTA nomination today!

The deadline is Thursday, April 7.

Start Your Nomination!

Complete details at insurance-canada.ca/icta.

Limited sponsorship opportunities are available now (capped at three). Put your brand front and centre as a 2022 ICTA sponsor!
→ Contact [email protected] to get started or with any questions.


InsurTech Spotlight

In the InsurTech Spotlight this week:

PolicyMe
PolicyMe is a new kind of life insurance company – one that is smart, honest & personalized. We provide a platform for customers to get life insurance advice in 5 minutes under a convenient and “pressure-free” environment. Once users get a recommendation, we help them compare policies & apply online, saving them money and hassle along the way. Learn more.

Calling all InsurTechs! Click here to participate.


Insurance Works

Featured job opportunities:

Commercial Lines CSR
Bill Blaney Insurance Brokers
Dorchester, ON

Claims Adjuster
Kernaghan Adjusters Ltd.
Calgary, AB


From Doug

Employee and Group Benefits

The pandemic has changed much, including employer-employee relationships, especially employee expectations.

One outcome, perhaps exaggerated, is the Great Resignation. In response, employers are adjusting practices to retain and attract staff.

One area of focus is benefits, both standard and voluntary.

Responsibility has shifted from employer to employee for many non-medical, health-related insurance products. As plan sponsors want to drive out costs, those administering the plan (whether insurance participants or not) must execute the basics (benefit and policy administration, enrollment, case installation, marketing, and product design) while driving greater efficiency.

A recent Aite-Novarica Group release noted that “Being able to exchange data among the parties, leveraging AI-related technologies, is a potential source of competitive differentiation.”

With digital self-service, connected communities and the Internet of Things continuing to grow and improve, one can predict:

• A growing catalogue of voluntary benefits;
• More and better data being shared;
• Improved understanding of value and performance by all parties.

The benefits world is changing, just like everything else.

Doug Grant, CIP
Partner
Insurance-Canada.ca

Doug Grant

The Chronicle weekly newsletter features news, events, and general information relating to technology and innovation in the Canadian insurance industry and marketplace. Subscribe here or view past issues.

If you would like to recommend an item for inclusion – with a focus on technology in insurance relevant to the Canadian Property & Casualty insurance industry – please contact [email protected].

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