Issue 2009-31 -- August 4, 2009
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.
Distribution
Is Travel Insurance one of your specialties? Why and why not? Tour+Med.
Have you ever asked yourself; is it worth it for me to sell travel insurance? Are my clients ok without it, or am I doing my clients and injustice by not offering them travel insurance protection? Travel Insurance is one of those products that agents love or hate to sell; but why the discrepancies? Most likely because those who do not sell Travel Insurance, haven't got access to the right companies; who make selling these products, quick , easy, and rewarding!
L'Unique General Insurance and Policy Works to exchange commercial-lines data electronically.
Montreal, QC - July 29, 2009 - L'Unique General Insurance is pleased to announce that it has joined Policy Works Inc.'s Certified Data Exchange Partner (CDEP) program to exchange commercial-lines data electronically with its brokers. The first phase, to be completed this August, will be the upload of commercial insurance risk information from the Policy Works Commercial Management System (CMS) to a L'Unique web quoting site.
Policy and Product Management
Marshall & Swift/Boeckh to Add "Green" Building Section to Historic Building Cost Manual.
Los Angeles - July 1, 2009 - Marshall & Swift announces a significant addition to its flagship Marshall Valuation Service (MVS) cost manual. In September, 2009 the MVS is "going Green" with all new green building costs for real estate, insurance and appraisal users.
Business of Insurance
Sun Life repositions for long-term growth and expansion in China.
TORONTO, July 29 2009 - Sun Life Financial Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the China Everbright Group to reposition Sun Life Everbright Life Insurance Company Limited to capture a larger share of China's growing financial services sector. The restructuring, which is subject to regulatory approval, is anticipated to take effect by the end of this year.
CSC Study Shows Life Insurers Business Value of Security Initiatives.
FALLS CHURCH, Va., July 27, 2009 -- CSC today announced findings of a study, entitled "Digital Trust for Life Project Report," that conclude life insurance companies have the potential for significant enterprise value creation through more strategic emphasis on security initiatives.
Consumer Information
Take minor precautions to maximize protection against wildfires: BCAA.
July 22, 2009 - With the provincial fire danger rated as "High" or "Extreme" in many parts of BC, BCAA Insurance is urging homeowners to take a few precautions to reduce their fire exposure and safeguard their homes. As one of the largest providers of home insurance in the province, BCAA says while insurance is crucial, a little prevention can go a long way in avoiding being inconvenienced or suffering a fire loss. BCAA advises the following smart, simple ways to prevent damage from fires:
Top five myths about drinking and driving: ICBC.
July 2009 - Too many people - especially young men - still drink and drive and make excuses for why it's OK. But if you drive while impaired this summer, chances are you'll get caught at a roadcheck, as part of a province-wide campaign by the Province, ICBC and police.
IIHS - Crash tests of 2-door cars: Volvo & Ford Coupes earn Top Safety Pick; all 5 cars tested are rated good or acceptable in demanding side test.
July 21, 2009 - ARLINGTON, VA - Crash tests demonstrate that occupant protection in all kinds of vehicles is improving. However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety doesn't routinely test vehicles in every size/type category. Emphasizing vehicles for family use, the Institute usually crash tests 4-door models. To evaluate the extent to which automakers are extending crashworthiness improvements to 2-door cars, the Institute recently conducted front, side, and rear tests of 2009 coupes including the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Scion tC, all small models, plus the midsize Volvo C30.
Marketing and the Market Place
Why People Use Twitter: eMarketer.
JULY 28, 2009 - What drives people to tweet? According to the "Consumer Internet Barometer" from TNS and The Conference Board, 41.6% percent of Internet users who used Twitter did so to keep in touch with their friends.
eBusiness and Technology
Gartner Says Cloud Consumers Need Brokerages to Unlock the Potential of Cloud Services.
STAMFORD, Conn., July 9, 2009 - As cloud computing evolves, combinations of cloud services will be too complex and untrustworthy for end consumers to handle their integration, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner predicts that as cloud services are adopted, the ability to govern their use, performance and delivery will be provided by cloud service brokerages. These brokerages will use several types of brokers and platforms to enhance service delivery, and, ultimately, service value.
IBM Widgets for LinkedIn, TripIt Simplify Professional Networking and On-Line Travel Planning.
ARMONK, N.Y. - 15 Jul 2009: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the first two in a new initiative to develop software widgets for a wide variety of business needs. New Lotus Notes software widgets for travel management and professional social networking are now available. TripIt and LinkedIn applications can each now be opened via single sign-on right from the familiar Lotus Notes desktop screen, enabling and simplifying the management of travel and business networking for millions of workers worldwide.
Open Source Enterprise Applications on the Rise, IDC Study Shows.
Copenhagen, June 19, 2009 - An IDC survey of 515 Western European IT decision makers in organizations with more than 50 employees showed surprisingly high usage of open source enterprise applications. 9% of respondents reported current use of an open-source back-office application, while 7% of respondents used an open source CRM application.
from Doug:
Usually I would spend Civic Holiday, yesterday (first Monday in August), participating in a heritage event. In Toronto, many of these events are held in City historical sites, in our case at Fort York. The strike by city workers ended late last week; hence this year nothing was ready for such events. The down-side, we didn't get to tell interested poeple about our piece of history; the upside, I felt as if I had a holiday. Although I may not have been favourably disposed to the strikers, I will thank them for the break.