Issue 2010-11 -- March 16, 2010

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

Policy Works Inc. and SGI CANADA to Exchange Commercial Lines Data Electronically with Straight-Through Processing.
March 15, 2010 - Policy Works is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement with SGI CANADA to deliver a commercial lines data exchange solution integrating Policy Works' Commercial Management System (CMS) and SGI's underwriting system. SGI CANADA offers property and casualty insurance in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as SGI CANADA, in Ontario as Coachman Insurance Company, and in Atlantic Canada as Insurance Company of Prince Edward Island (ICPEI).

IBAO, RMS and Compu-Quote announce iClarify Data Validation Pilot will begin across Ontario.
Toronto, ON - March 10, 2010, After three months of testing, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO), SCM Risk Management Services (RMS) and Compu-Quote are pleased to announce they are conducting a pilot study of the iClarify data validation services to 30 Ontario brokers across the province within the Compu-Quotes comparative rating application.

Ontario Broker Association Launches Free Roadshow Education Events for Members.
Toronto, Ontario, March 8, 2010 - Today, The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) announced that they will be hosting over 50 roadshow education events in 26 locations across Ontario to educate brokers on the newly amended automobile insurance regulations. There will be no cost for association members.

Advocis provides advice on CCIR's strategic plan.
Toronto - March 5, 2010 - Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada, has offered the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR) some timely input into its strategic plan.

Manulife Investments renews product allocation approach in partnership with The QWeMA Group.
TORONTO, March 9, 2010 - Manulife Investments has renewed its licensing agreement for a "product allocation" software system, developed and offered by The QWeMA Group, to support Manulife's product allocation approach to retirement income.

Claims

Xactware Releases First-Ever Property Report for Canada.
March 08, 2010 - OREM, Utah - The current recession had far-reaching effects on most costs associated with construction in 2009, according to Xactware?s first-ever, year-end Property Report for Canada.

Policy and Product Management

Price Optimization in Insurance: A Revolution in Progress: Report Published by Celent.
Zurich, Switzerland - March 01, 2010 - In a new report, Price Optimization in Insurance: A Revolution in Progress, Celent defines price optimization and explains how the insurance industry is currently changing the way product prices are determined.

Managing Relationships and Customer Service

Guidewire Software Announces Guidewire BillingCenter 3.0.
SAN MATEO, CA, March 10, 2010 - Guidewire Software®, a leading provider of flexible core systems to property/casualty insurers, today announced the availability of Guidewire BillingCenter® 3.0, the latest version of its comprehensive billing system for all lines of property/casualty insurance. BillingCenter is currently in production or in implementation at 22 insurers in several countries.

eBusiness and Technology

Compuware Gomez Publishes New White Paper: "Why Web Performance Matters".
DETROIT March 1, 2010 - Today, Gomez, the Web performance division of Compuware Corporation published a new white paper designed to educate businesses on the tight correlation between Web performance and business outcomes. The white paper is titled "Why Performance Matters: Is Your Site Driving Customers Away?"

Business of Insurance

Hagerty Insurance Agency and Aviva Canada now offer collector vehicle insurance to Ontario consumers.
March 8, 2010 (Traverse City, Michigan and Toronto, Ontario) Aviva Canada Inc., one of Canada's leading providers of home, auto and business insurance, and Hagerty Insurance Agency, the world's leading provider of collector vehicle insurance, today announced that Hagerty collector vehicle insurance is now available in Ontario. The news follows the companies' partnership announcement in June of 2009.

Consumer Information

A spring break could be costly on your family vacation: RBC Insurance.
MISSISSAUGA, ON, March 9 2010 - March ushers in the start of a busy travel season with one-in-10 (10 per cent) Canadians planning to travel outside of Canada this month for Spring Break, according to a recent RBC Poll.

Our People

Social Media Complicates Work-Life Balance: eMarketer.
MARCH 9, 2010 - Social media usage has soared not just among the general population but also among at-work Internet users, who are heading to the sites for both personal and professional reasons in greater numbers.

Marketing and the Market Place

Gartner Reveals Key Customer Relationship Management Predictions for 2010 and Beyond.
Egham, UK, February 22, 2010 - Facebook will be the No. 1 social network in all but 25 countries, according to Gartner, Inc. In countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and Japan it will not be No. 1. The prediction is one in a series Gartner analysts have made on customer relationship management (CRM) in areas including CRM marketing and social CRM.

The importance of integrating accessibility into statement design: DALBAR.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010 - Canadians with disabilities have a combined disposable income of about $20-25 billion per year. In light of this fact, organizations should consider the answer to the following question..."Given a choice, would you intentionally cut this financially affluent potential client base out of your market simply because they didn?t have access to your products and services?"

Reference and Statistics

MIB Life Index Reports U.S. Life Insurance Activity Flat in February.
Braintree, MA. - (March 9, 2010) - After six consecutive months of year-over-year increases, U.S. application activity for individually underwritten life insurance flattened in February, off -0.2% year-over-year all ages combined, according to the MIB Life Indextm. Consistent with seasonal norms, February's activity was up +9.3% as compared to this past January.

from Doug:

The snow is gone, the snowdrops have been out for some while, the crocuses are up and it would appear here that Spring has sprung. Today's forecast is 14C and sunny, tomorrow 15C and sunny. Tough to do better than that in Toronto in mid-March.


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