Issue 2008-17 -- April 29, 2008

This newsletter is for members of the Canadian Insurance Industry, and those who serve it. The newsletter is published weekly, and notes information mostly about the use of the Internet and related technologies in the industry. Some is international, where we feel it is relevant to Canada.




Claims

Symbility Solutions Partners With Innovation Group to Expand Globally.
TORONTO, ONTARIO - April 24, 2008 - Symbility Solutions Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Automated Benefits Corp., is pleased to announce its strategic partnership with Innovation Group for the expansion of the Symbility mobile claims(TM) platform. Initial implementation will occur this summer in the United Kingdom with additional European countries to follow shortly thereafter. Product demonstrations to Innovation Group operations in South Africa and Australia have initiated plans for further global expansion in 2009.

Crawford & Company Announce Claims-Management Integration with Xactware.
April 13, 2008 -Atlanta, Georgia- Phil Porter, Senior Vice President of Crawford & Company's U.S. Property & Casualty segment, has announced that Crawford has integrated CMS2, its proprietary claims management system, with Xactware's industry-leading property estimation solutions.

Business of Insurance

Unity Life of Canada adds universal life insurance.
MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 21, 2008 - Unity Life of Canada, a Foresters Company, expands its product portfolio with the addition of Forester Passport Universal Life (UL). This universal life product complements Unity Life's competitive term and solid permanent products and is available to Canadians nationwide through its extensive brokerage distribution network.

Liberty Mutual Group to Acquire Safeco Corporation For $6.2 Billion.
April 23, 2008 - Boston, Mass. & Seattle, Wash. - Liberty Mutual Group and Safeco Corporation today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Liberty Mutual will acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Safeco for $68.25 per share in cash.

Consumer Information

Ontario kicks off annual spring seatbelt campaign.
Ontario recently kicked off its annual spring seatbelt campaign, aimed at reminding drivers to buckle up and make sure child safety seats are properly installed.

FSCO: Auto Insurance Rates for the First Quarter of 2008.
Rate applications approved during the first quarter of 2008 (January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2008) averaged +1.05%, based on the entire market.

IIHS: New crash tests of midsize cars: protection in side impacts improves, but most cars tested still afford marginal or poor protection in rear crashes.
ARLINGTON, VA - Occupant protection in side impacts of midsize cars is improving as automakers introduce safer designs and add side airbags as standard equipment. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently completed front, side, and rear tests of seven 2008 model midsize cars, both moderately priced and luxury.

RBC Insurance - A Secure Financial Product for an Uncertain Time.
With an uncertain economic outlook clouding the future and causing anxiety among investors, many Canadians are looking for simple and stable investment options as part of their financial plan. While some people may consider mutual funds or savings products as an alternative, many may not be aware of insurance options, such as segregated funds, that provide investors with a way of directly participating in the market.

Distribution

The Vertical Growth Network® Merges With The Sitkins 100™.
Rick Bauman, Founder and President of The Vertical Growth Network®, announced today that effective June 1, 2008, his organization will merge with The Sitkins 100™, to form Sitkins International. Sitkins International is a membership organization advising high performance insurance brokers and agents located in Canada, United States, and Latin America.

Dalbar Canada - Voice of Your Customer.
Thursday, 27 March 2008 -- The Voice Of Your Customer (VOYC) is a highly reliable and documented method for understanding what is in and on the mind of customers. VOYC measures the effectiveness of telephone communications and its influence on the customer relationships, satisfaction levels, retention and ability to up-sell.

Marketing and the Market Place

Search-Referred Auto Insurance Quotes Increased by 36 Percent in 2007: comScore Study.
RESTON, VA, April 7, 2008 - comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released results of a study into the role search plays in the online auto insurance market. The study, based on findings from the comScore Marketer service, analyzed the productivity of search-generated leads, the efficacy of different search marketing techniques, and the actions consumers take after seeing an advertisement.

Conning Research: Long Term Care Insurance Industry Continues to Search for Broader Market.
(Hartford, CT) April 2, 2008 - The long term care insurance industry may need to re-examine its value proposition to break out of the small subset of current clients and serve the broader market, according to a new study by Conning Research and Consulting.

New Eastbridge Report Examines Voluntary Marketing Practices.
AVON, CONNECTICUT, USA (April 10, 2008) - Marketing plays a key role in a company's success. In general, it involves all those activities associated with identifying the particular wants and needs of a target market of customers, and then going about satisfying those customers better than the competitors.

Our People

The Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness (CCEP) in partnership with Diversified Business Communications Canada is proud to present the 18th World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM) in Toronto, Canada from June 15-18, 2008 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
WCDM is the pre-eminent conference of its kind. WCDM provides you with a unique venue to network with Senior Level Professionals from around the world with areas of interest covering Emergency Management, Business Continuity, Emergency Response, Security and Risk Management.

eBusiness and Technology

Gartner Identifies Seven Grand Challenges Facing IT.
STAMFORD, Conn., April 9, 2008 - Many of the emerging technologies that will be entering the market in 2033 are already known in some form in 2008, according to Gartner, Inc. Many of the innovations that will unfold during the next 25 years can be found today in research papers, patents, or are in a prototype in production.

IBM Launches Mobile Web Initiative to Transform Consumer and Business Experiences.
DELHI, INDIA and BANGALORE, INDIA - 21 Apr 2008: At the 10th anniversary commemoration of IBM's India Research Lab, the company today unveiled a new initiative to bring even more features and functions to mobile devices as they continue to rival the PC as the primary tool for Web-based business, education, communication, entertainment and more.

from Doug:

The Spring renewal season is in full swing and that would not be complete without a birthday celebration or two. We took my Mum and Dad to a wonderful reception honouring Dad's next older brother's 90th. So many relatives and friends, a few of whom I had not seen since we left the farm forty-six yars ago. The lady who lived then, and now, across the road from our farm was among the visitors - she had celebrated her 90th the week prior. I guess not just Spring, but every season, is about renewing friendships.


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