Issue 2006-11: March 14, 2006

Claims

Ontario's WSIB Adds Crawford Canada to Vendor List of Labour Market Re-Entry Service Providers.
February 23, 2006 TORONTO - Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has added Crawford Healthcare Management, Inc. to its vendor list of Labour Market Re-Entry (LMR) service providers in eight Ontario cities.

Education and Training

ISB Claim Information Training School Tuesday, April 4th, 2006: Street Racing and Fraud.
This is your invitation to attend the ISB Claim Training School. This is the next in a series of regularly scheduled seminars designed to provide claim professionals with the knowledge and tools they need in conducting claim investigations. The seminar will be held at the ISB Corporate Head Office in Milton Ont.

Distribution

CoVirt to be a Participating Sponsor of Second Annual MGA Conference.
TORONTO, March 3, 2006 - CoVirt Inc. (Canada), the Canadian specialist in Internet-based life insurance administration services for Managing General Agents (MGAs) announced today that it will be a Participating Sponsor of the MGA conference entitled "Changing Channel: Managing General Agencies at the Crossroads" to be held June 7 - 9, 2006, at The Westin Trillium House, Collingwood, Ontario.

New Eastbridge Consulting Group Study on Voluntary Dental Plans Reveals the Future Looks Bright for Continued Growth.
AVON, CONNECTICUT, USA (February 15, 2006)-While sales of voluntary dental plans over the last 3 or 4 years have not increased as dramatically as was predicted in 2001, most carriers remain optimistic. This was one of the findings in a new study, Voluntary Dental Products, recently released by Eastbridge Consulting.

Hub International Buys Employee Benefits Insurance Brokerage; eBenefits Group, LLC Joins Hub International Northeast.
CHICAGO - March 7, 2006--Hub International Limited, announced today the purchase of eBenefits Group, LLC, an employee benefits insurance brokerage which specializes in streamlining the purchasing of insurance, administration process and client employee benefit communication.

Business of Insurance

Standard Life and Desjardins Financial Security Conclude Agreement to Transfer Ownership of Performa Financial Group Limited.
MONTREAL, March 9, 2006 - Standard Life Financial Inc. and Desjardins Financial Security announced today that they have entered into an agreement for the sale of the distribution network of Performa Financial Group Limited, a mutual fund dealership, to Optifund Investments Inc., a subsidiary of Desjardins Financial Security. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Consumer Information

ICBC launches new youth-focused road safety campaign.
Going to the movies isn't fun when your date is dead. This is the bold approach behind It's no fun if you're dead - ICBC's new road safety campaign targeting youth aged 18 to 21.

No-fault insurance: an oxymoron.
No-fault insurance is an oxymoron. Fault is determined in every accident, using the Fault Determination Guide as set out in the Insurance Act.

CIHI Report: MRI scanners in Canada used more intensively than those in the United States and England.
February 8, 2006-A new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows steady investment in MRI and CT scanners in Canada. The number of MRI scanners in 2005 was up more than 35% from five years earlier, while the number of CT scanners increased 19% in the same period. However, Canada continued to rank below the median among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in MRI and CT scanners per million population

CAA-Quebec welcomes SAAQ decision to review automobile insurance contributions.
CAA-Quebec is pleased with the decision by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) to proceed with a public consultation on Quebec's public automobile insurance plan.

Allstate sponsors George Chuvalo in bringing anti-drug message to Markham teens.
MARKHAM, ON, Feb. 24 2006 - Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is proud to bring former heavyweight boxing champion George Chuvalo and his life-changing Fight against Drugs presentation to the students of Milliken Mills High School in Markham on February 24 at 10 a.m.

Marketing and the Market Place

Internet Advertising Revenues Soar to a New Record in 2005: eMarketer.
MARCH 3, 2006 - Internet advertising revenues for 2005 are estimated to exceed $12.5 billion, according to just-released data by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. This amounts to a 30% annual increase over the previous revenue record of $9.6 billion in 2004.

Policy and Product Management

eReinsure Reports Growth in 2005: Leading placing platform provides distribution effectiveness and productivity.
Salt Lake City, Utah, January 30th, 2006 - eReinsure.com, Inc., a provider of e-commerce technology to the insurance and reinsurance industries, today reported various statistics demonstrating the growth in use of its web based placing platform.

Product Announcements

RBC Insurance launches enhanced Term Life insurance product.
Mississauga, March 8, 2006 - RBC Insurance® is pleased to announce the launch of a simpler underwriting and application process for its Term 10 and Term 20 products. The new process makes it easier for insurance representatives and their clients to complete the application process.

Managing Relationships and Customer Service

Industrial Alliance launches its online retirement planning learning module for group pension plan members.
QUEBEC CITY, March 10, 2006 - Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. has just launched its new retirement planning tool, Your Virtual Guide, a learning module for group retirement plan members. In just a few simple steps, Your Virtual Guide allows plan members to evaluate their retirement needs, establish objectives, select the type of investments that correspond to their investor profile and, where applicable, enrol in the plan.

Billing: Business and IT Issues for P/C Insurers - Report Published by Celent.
New York, NY, USA - February 15, 2006 - Billing is breaking out of the back office and being recognized as the key service issue that it is. North American insurers are poised to spend over $500 million on billing IT initiatives this year.

CSC Surveys Find Cost Savings Opportunity in Electronic Insurance Payments.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 28 - Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC) today announced the results of two U.S. surveys of property and casualty (P&C) insurance customers that show a large, untapped opportunity for cost control through electronic billing.

eBusiness and Technology

IDC's FutureScan: Buyer Expectations for IT Spending Growth Hit Double Digits.
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., March 3, 2006 - Even though the economic picture is not any better this month than last, IDC's FutureScan for March found that IT buyers and executives have raised their expectations for IT spending over the next twelve months by more than 3% for the second month in a row.

from Doug:

The weekend here was so spring-like that I had to contain my enthusiasm for spring outdoor yardwork. That said minor winter seems to be back now for a few days, but after the extraordinarily warm winter, who can complain. My pseudo-presbyterian background would now say that we will pay for our warm winter with either a cold and wet or blistering hot summer - time will tell.
With that on our mind, what about all those climate change and insurance conferences that are springing up - maybe we missed the boat!


Subscribe here or view past issues.