Insurance-Canada.ca Chronicle Newsletter Archive

Issue 2001-21:   October 18, 2001

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.




Product, Customer, & Customer Facing Activity

Clarica announces that Canadian customers can now purchase Basic Critical Illness Term Insurance online at clarica.com, as well as through Clarica's agents. A unique feature of Clarica's online offering is that the entire sales process can be completed electronically and includes immediate online approval, providing choice and convenience for customers. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/Clarica200110.php

RBC Insurance announces the launch of a new comprehensive online home and auto insurance quoting tool. This latest service, accessed through the RBC Insurance Web site (www.rbcinsurance.com), gives customers across Canada the ability to get immediate insurance quotes on a variety of home and auto insurance products at their convenience. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/RBCIns200110.php

BELAIRdirect has diversified its coverage for travel insurance with respect to pre-existing medical conditions and now provides more possibilities as to periods of stability. BELAIRdirect is now providing access to various plans according to travellers' age, medical condition and duration of trip, thus enabling them to purchase a truly customized policy adapted to their situation and needs. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/Belair200110.php

A regularly scheduled quarterly Gallup poll taken between Sept. 17 and 24 suggests the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States contributed to a downturn in investor confidence across Canada. The attacks triggered the sharpest decline in more than two years among investment categories gauged by a quarterly Gallup poll commissioned by Manulife Financial, a leading provider of insurance and investment services. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/ManulifeIS200110.php

SEMINAR: This advertisement is for seminar about Life Underwriting, which looks interesting.
* * * * * * * * *
CGI's Life Insurance Underwriter Breakfast Seminar
T+40 to T+1, The Need for Speed!
Speakers: Ross Morton, RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada, Byron
Innes, NewLink Group, and Richard Neale, CGI
Date: Thursday, November 8, 2001
Registration and Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Seminar: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Location: The Board of Trade, 1 First Canadian Place, 4th Floor, Toronto

The seminar will focus on challenges, trends, and innovative sales & underwriting solutions for Life underwriters.
* * * * * * * *

Supporting Distribution

Canada's largest association of professional financial advisors is calling for a single organization to oversee financial planners and advisors in Canada. The Canadian Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CAIFA) believes that the creation of a single Canadian organization responsible for the standards of its professional members will best meet the needs of both advisors and the consumers of financial products and services. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/CAIFA200110.php

CSIO announces that iter8 has become its newest vendor member. "iter8, a provider of business and technological solutions to the insurance industry, is a welcome addition to CSIO's membership" said Klaas Westera, President of CSIO. "... the CSIO Insurance Portal is an important distribution channel that will allow brokers and carriers to reduce the time, effort and cost associated with the distribution of insurance products." said Glen Piller, CEO of iter8. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/CSIOiter8200110.php

As part of its on-going commitment to standards development, CSIO released its Farm Standard for Personal Lines. Howard Bender, CSIO Manager, EDI Standards, stated that "this is a major new piece being added to the CSIO personal lines standards and shows CSIO's commitment to the various broker distribution channel members who are involved in insuring farms across our country." More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/CSIOFarm200110.php

Electronic Delivery

Electronic Delivery: The Communication Method for the 21st Century By Kim King, NewRiver, Inc. Customer service communication methods have exploded over the history of the financial services industry. Customers are now comfortable conducting 30% of their business without human intervention. During each evolutionary phase of customer contact, financial service companies worried that prior communication methods would become obsolete or diminish in value. Interestingly, all communication options are alive and well. Giving customers choices simply increased retention, brand loyalty and the number of times they communicated with their financial service providers. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/ebusiness/other/NewRiver200110.php

Conference:

Relationships among Consumers, Distributors, and Insurers, not to mention a wide variety of services providers, are changing as the use of technology evolves. Attend Insurance-Canada.ca's fall Conference : Leveraging Relationships: New Technologies....New Opportunities one-day conference by Insurance-Canada.ca in Toronto, details at www.insurance-canada.ca/seminars/seminar20011101.php and explore these changes. New Information: Cam Shapansky, representing Symcor, will focus on the Consumer's thoughts of the Internet and Financial Services. James Barber from Information Builders will address some critical success factors in leveraging your data.

Infrastructure and Support

The Enterprise Information Base: A Foundation for the Real-Time Enterprise, by Delos Technology. This paper discusses the missing link in current enterprise data integrators' offerings: solutions that ensure cross-enterprise data consistency and reliability. We present a case for a re-evaluation of the traditional definition of data integration, which provides an infrastructure to maintain data consistency. We propose the addition of a data integration layer, which features an "Enterprise Information Base." More at www.insurance-canada.ca/ebusiness/canada/Delos200110.php

Following the successful convergence of its standards activities, WISe is transferring its e-commerce enabling services to the commercial sector to ensure their future growth and development. WISe was formed in June 1999 with a clear and simple mission: to develop 'standards, strategies and solutions for insurance e-commerce'. Since then WISe has played a significant role assisting the industry with the evolution of various e-commerce strategies. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/ebusiness/other/WISe200110.php

Prior newsletters: If you have missed previous newsletters, those since Issue 2001-16 August 27 are posted at The Newsletter Page

from Doug:

Putting aside, for the moment, but not forgetting the current conflicts and tragedies, is it a trick of fate, or just incongruous that as we enter the season for "Trick or Treat" we on the one hand celebrate Thanksgiving while on the other have to deal with Budgets and Planning for next year? For a rare few that may indeed be a treat, but for many of us more like a jab by the finger of fate!!