Issue 2010-40 -- October 5, 2010

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




Claims

The AXA MobileTM iPhoneTM app: a first in Quebec!
MONTREAL, Sept. 29, 2010 - AXA redefines online insurance and innovates yet again by introducing AXA Mobile, a user-friendly tool designed for clients who have iPhones. With the launch of this new app, AXA once more leads the way in Quebec! The AXA Mobile app is a truly useful companion for drivers: in the event of an accident, it lets AXA insureds report their claim immediately. They can even record spoken comments and document the event by, among other things, providing details and photographs.

DisasterPhone: Exclusive Telecommunication Disaster Recovery service launched to Public Sector: Emergency Measures legislation compliance made easy!
Waterloo, ON, September 17, 2010 - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada the nation's premier provider of Insurance and Risk Management services to the Canadian Public Sector has entered into an exclusive arrangement with MMI of Waterloo, Ontario, to provide a private labeled, customized version of CatastroPhone Telecommunication Disaster Recovery Service to the Canadian public entity market. The private labeled service is DisasterPhone

Large number of weather extremes a strong indication of climate change: Munich Re.
Munich, 27 September 2010 - Floods in central Europe, wildfires in Russia, widespread flooding in Pakistan. The number and scale of weather-related natural catastrophe losses in the first nine months of 2010 was exceptionally high. Two months ahead of the World Climate Summit scheduled for 29 November to 10 December in Canc�n, Mexico, Munich Re emphasises the probability of a link between the increasing number of weather extremes and climate change. In the run-up to the summit, Munich Re will focus attention on this issue with

More than Half of U.S. Consumers Say Poor Service Leads to Fraudulent Insurance Claims, Accenture Survey Finds.
NEW YORK; Sept. 22, 2010 - More than half (55 percent) of U.S. consumers say poor service from an insurance company is more likely to cause an individual to commit fraud against that company, according to a survey released today by Accenture.

Distribution

Compu-Quote Announces Release of Enhanced iClarify Validation Services to Ontario Brokers.
Toronto, ON - September 27, 2010 - Compu-Quote announced today the second release of iClarify validation services for Ontario Brokers. The new release contains a number of user interface developments including a significant enhancement in risk address selection and searching which in effect, has improved the service for rural brokers.

Policy and Product Management

ISO Announces Development of Driving Behavior Database.
JERSEY CITY, N.J., September 23, 2010 - ISO's Applied Informatix unit announces a program to develop a Driving Behavior Database for Modelers (DBDM). The DBDM will be a unique data source for insurers that want to develop state-of-the-art underwriting and rating plans involving driving behavior or use analytics to differentiate their driving behavior programs.

eBusiness and Technology

Gartner Outlines the Top 10 Forces to Impact Outsourcing and IT Services Industry.
STAMFORD, Conn., September 8, 2010 - Gartner, Inc. has identified 10 major forces that are actively reshaping the future of IT services and the outsourcing market. Buyers, providers and investors in the IT services market confront the same confluence of market and technological forces, even though their approaches and core concerns may differ.

Marketing and the Market Place

Email Marketers On Board with Best Practices: eMarketer.
Sept. 28, 2010 - US marketers are no slouches when it comes to integrating new technologies and tactics with their email marketing efforts, according to data from summer 2010. An August survey by email marketing service JangoMail of email marketers that were not customers of the firm found that the vast majority of respondents used advanced features like integration with Google Analytics or geo-tracking analysis to increase campaign effectiveness. Just 11.8% of email marketers reported never or seldom using such techniques.

About a quarter of small businesses now marketing via social media: eMarketer.
Sept. 29, 2010 - After climbing steeply, according to research from Network Solutions and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland?s Robert H. Smith School of Business, small-business adoption of social media marketing has plateaued at 24%. The study of US small business found that those that do market via social media primarily use Facebook (82%), and that the most common activities are maintaining a company page on a social network and posting status updates or links to interesting content. About half of businesses that used social media also monitored brand chatter on social networks.

Employer Health Care Costs Expected to Rise 8.2% in 2011, Towers Watson Survey Finds.
NEW YORK, N.Y., September 15, 2010 - Against a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty, employer health care costs for active employees are projected to rise 8.2% (after plan changes), to an average annual cost of $10,730 in 2011, according to a recent survey of 466 large and midsize employers conducted by Towers Watson, a global professional services company.

Managing Relationships and Customer Service

Manulife Financial confirms exclusive arrangement with distinguished personal finance writer Gail Vaz-Oxlade.
WATERLOO, ON, Sept. 30, 2010 - An exclusive alliance with respected financial writer and TV personality Gail Vaz-Oxlade will provide Manulife's Canadian group retirement plan members with insights and suggestions designed to help them manage their personal finances and build an effective retirement plan.

Business of Insurance

RIMS Broadens Focus with Formation of Strategic and Enterprise Risk Practice.
NEW YORK (September 21, 2010) - The Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS) announced today that it is increasing its focus on the evolving role of risk management with the creation of a Strategic and Enterprise Risk Practice, to be led by risk industry veteran Carol Fox, ARM. The development of the new department follows a comprehensive analysis by the RIMS Strategic Planning Task Force and board of directors, and will better equip RIMS member companies in tying their risk management programs to strategic goals.

Insurance in the Community

Aviva Community Fund "Insures" New Season of Positive Change with $1,000,000 Pledge.
Starting today, Canadians can submit ideas on AvivaCommunityFund.org that will have a positive effect on their local community. After rallying support from friends, family, neighbours and co-workers, the most popular ideas will have a chance to be funded with the $1,000,000 Aviva Community Fund.

Consumer Information

A sound sleep makes a safer driver: SGI.
Al Hattie kept falling asleep at the wheel, and he couldn't figure out why. "The first time it happened, over twenty years ago, I was driving to Cold Lake, Alberta with some family, pulling our boat, when I fell asleep at the wheel. I drove, luckily, into the right ditch. Nobody was injured, we were just shaken up." Years later, it happened again.

IBAO Brokers provide Ontarians with useful tips to limit water damage during rainy season.
Sept. 30 2010 - (Toronto, Ontario) - Today, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) is providing Ontarians with helpful information in regards to safeguarding their homes from water damage during this lengthening rainy season. Climate change has caused an influx of precipitation over the past weeks and it is scheduled to continue in the upcoming weeks.

from Doug:

The hospice is a wonderful place where there is quiet and privacy, but great support by the staff for those in need, both the person who is ill and the family. My father-in-law's time there proved to be short; he died on Saturday. After a painful illness, he has peace.
He had a wonderful life of 85 years; made many contributions both in the larger community and in the medical field. Now we turn from grieving, to celebrating his life at the funeral. Already we are hearing stories and anecdotes that we had never heard before. It was a pleasure to know him.

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