Issue 2006-47: November 21, 2006

Distribution

Novinsoft inc. adds Annuity products to AIG Life of Canada's WAVE 15.0 Illustration System.
Novinsoft announced today that the AIG Life of Canada WAVE 15.0 version of the Novinsoft Illustration System Framework now includes Single Premium Immediate Annuities (SPIA). AIG Life now illustrates single and joint-life SPIAs, as well as term certain annuities on both a registered and non-registered basis. These annuity quotations are now available using one simple, easy to use input screen. Advisors can now solve for income based on the single premium, or the single premium required for a desired income. Rate tables are easily and automatically updated daily via the internet.

CoVirt providing basic PlanPlus service free to all users of VirtGate.
MONTREAL, Nov. 16, 2006 - PlanPlus Inc. and CoVirt Inc. (Canada) announced an agreement today to integrate the popular VirtGate distribution management system with the PlanPlus Web Advisor financial planning tool. Both firms are exhibiting together at the 2006 Insurance and Investments Convention in Montreal where they will be demonstrating the integrated solution.

The New Eastbridge Voluntary Distributors Report is Now Available!
AVON, CONNECTICUT, USA (October 26, 2006)—Many years ago, most of the voluntary sales were made by either producers who were agents for a worksite company or brokers who specialized in worksite. But that's not the case today.

Claims

Allegient Systems Partners with Fiserv Insurance Solutions.
Wilton, CT, Nov. 14, 2006 – Fiserv Insurance Solutions, a unit of Fiserv Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV), and Allegient Systems today announced a strategic alliance to offer Allegient's legal bill auditing and business analysis services to Fiserv customers. With access to Allegient's system and services, Fiserv Insurance clients will be able to better control and manage their legal expenses and integrate workflow management in their legal departments.

Guidewire Software Announces ClaimCenter 4.0.
ORLANDO, Florida, November 13, 2006 - At the 2006 ISOTech Conference, Guidewire Software®, Inc., a leading provider of solutions for property and casualty and workers' compensation insurers, today announced the release of Guidewire ClaimCenter® 4.0 – the latest version of the market-leading claims system for property and casualty (P&C) insurance carriers. Guidewire ClaimCenter is a complete, 100% web-based claims system used by insurers in all lines of business to improve the end to end claims adjusting process, reduce claims costs, and enhance customer service.

Crawford & Company Acquires e-Triage®.
November 10, 2006 - ATLANTA - Crawford & Company has purchased e-Triage, an international technology company whose products Crawford has been using in Claims Advantage, its workers' compensation claimshandling program. E-Triage's Web-based services apply evidence-based international research to identify specific risk factors and recommend interventions to positively impact return-to-work (RTW).

eBusiness and Technology

Information to Decisions Inc. licenses NewLink's Vista™ insurance and wealth management models to deliver data warehouse solutions.
November 16, 2006 - NewLink Group Inc., a management consulting firm servicing the financial services industry, has licensed its Vista™ Insurance and Wealth Management models to Information to Decisions Inc. (I2D). Using Vista™, i2D will provide accelerated rapid deployment of its data warehouse and business intelligence solutions to the Insurance and Wealth Management industry.

Whitehill Technologies and Mobius expand presence in Insurance sector with new partnership.
ISOTech 2006, Kissimmee, FL - Nov. 13, 2006 - Whitehill Technologies, Inc. and Mobius Management Systems, Inc. are pleased to announce a new partnership that will benefit insurance carriers looking for an end-to-end solution that manages the complete document lifecycle, from creation through archiving, presentation and disposition.

Gomez surveys reveal gap between expected and actual performance of online shopping sites.
LEXINGTON, Mass., Nov. 1, 2006 - Retailers will leave millions of dollars on the table this holiday season unless they dramatically improve their customers' online experiences, according to results of two new surveys commissioned by web application performance management leader Gomez, Inc. And poor online performance leads consumers to not only abandon purchases but to abandon the retailer, both in its online and physical forms, the surveys found.

Marketing and the Market Place

Insurance Executives at CSC Conference Showcase Innovative Approaches to Pricing and Underwriting.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 16 2006 - To stay competitive in the property and casualty (P&C) market, insurers must pursue innovative approaches to pricing and underwriting, according to panelists at CSC's Future Focus 2006, a two-day conference hosted by Computer Sciences Corporation.

Consumer Information

ICLR: Canada's first safer-living home completed: Landmark project designed to weather storms.
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I., Nov. 14 - An ambitious program designed to confront the challenge presented by increasing weather-related catastrophes celebrated an important milestone today, with the completion of Canada's first safer-living home.

Desjardins launches the Desjardins Affordability Index - a new tool for evaluating household ability to buy a home.
Lévis, November 8, 2006 - Future homeowners now have a new tool, the Desjardins Affordability Index (DAI), to help them better assess housing market risks and anticipate large fluctuations in home prices. Developed by the economists at Desjardins Group, Canada's largest integrated financial cooperative, the DAI evaluates household ability to purchase a home and assume the related costs.

Gartner Says Number of Phishing E-Mails Sent to U.S. Adults Nearly Doubles in Just Two Years.
STAMFORD, Conn., November 9, 2006 — The number of U.S. adults that are sure or think that they have received phishing e-mails has nearly doubled since 2004, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. Financial losses stemming from phishing attacks have risen to more than $2.8 billion in 2006.

FMCSA: Product Guides for Safety and Security Systems Technology.
Safety is at the heart of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) mission. Working together with the trucking industry, FMCSA envisions a future of smart technologies that support the expanding role of the trucking industry to safely, securely, and efficiently transport the nation's goods and products.

Business of Insurance

HUNTERS completes second annual study of D&O Insurance Limits for the TSX/S&P 300.
TORONTO, Nov. 14, 2006 - HUNTERS International Insurance announced today the completion of its second annual study of the Directors & Officers Liability (D&O) Insurance Limits disclosed by the TSX/S&P 300 members included in the recently released Report on Business (ROB) 2006 Governance Ranking published by The Globe and Mail.

Policy and Product Management

TD Waterhouse Insurance Services Inc., has contracted EDS SOLCORP (EDS) WealthServ Insurance as its insurance Book of Record.
NOVEMBER 15, 2006 TORONTO, Ontario - EDS SOLCORP announced that TD Waterhouse Insurance Services Inc., an insurance agency and member of TD Bank Financial Group, has contracted WealthServ Insurance as its insurance Book of Record. With WealthServ Insurance, EDS SOLCORP's web-based enterprise system, organizations can complete and send applications and forms, track business in real-time, and view and administrate in-force business through a single interface. WealthServ is fully compliant with legislation protecting personal information and regulating electronic documents in the United States and Canada.

Study of Industry Executives by TowerGroup Examines Business, Technology Initiatives Relative to Life Insurance Underwriting.
NEEDHAM, MA, November 1, 2006 - Many US life insurance industry executives believe their respective companies are late adopters in regard to the automation of the life insurance underwriting process, according to a 2006 survey conducted by TowerGroup in partnership with industry publication Insurance Networking News.

from Doug:

Nature has this way of reminding us that we don't completely control our own destiny. Trivia: a heavy rain, winds and a cold night or two removed the big ugly yellow ivy leaves from the wall of our house - no more outdoor leaves until Spring. Serious: Vancouver and environs dealing with the aftermath of extraordinary rains and high winds. I guess ICLR - Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction - is about anticipating, managing and reducing the damage from those things we don't normally think about.


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