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.




eBusiness and Technology

Lunch Seminar: "Analytic Dashboards: Helping Business Users Visualize Information Quickly" by Information Builders.
Fast, Easy Business Analysis: This is not another seminar about the wonders of business intelligence tools. Business users don't want tools – they want to find the right information, analyze it on their own terms, and intuitively discover what they need to know about their business. Learning to use a new tool makes that harder.

"Momentum" - CLIEDIS' Ninth Annual Seminar.
CLIEDIS is hosting its ninth annual seminar on the data standards in the Canadian life insurance industry. They theme for this year's seminar is Momentum. CLIEDIS will be presenting the results of a follow up survey that CLIEDIS commissioned to investigate the use of data standards, and specifically the ACORD XML for Life standard, in the Canadian life insurance industry.

Policy and Product Management

Tritech Offers Integrated Real-Time Access to Third Party Data Using SOA.
Tritech Financial Systems Inc. has enhanced it's product offering to integrate with third party providers of MVRs, auto & property claims histories, and property replacement cost calculators, using real time technology based on SOA to transfer data between Tritech's General Insurance Management System (GIMS) and a third party supplier without having to leave GIMS and sign into each tool.

Distribution

CAMIC & iter8 Partner Offering Broker-Insurer Connectivity Solution for CAMIC Member Companies.
Toronto, April 2007 -- iter8 Inc., an insurance solutions software developer, and the Canadian Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (CAMIC) are pleased to announce a partnership agreement whereby iter8 will offer software solutions to the 95 members of the CAMIC organization by providing specific incentives, terms and conditions. iter8 will provide the module communic8, which handles Broker - Insurer connectivity and automation functionality.

Aviva Joins ENCON's Pool of Insurers to Expand its Product Offering.
Ottawa, ON, March 27, 2007 - ENCON Group Inc. today announced that Aviva Canada Inc. will join the pool of insurers that underwrite its professional liability and construction insurance programs on April 1, 2007. Aviva will expand ENCON's product offering with property and crime coverages to complement its core professional liability and commercial general liability (CGL) business. Aviva's participation will also serve to increase ENCON's capacity for construction risks.

Lloyd's launches electronic trading in China.
London, 9 April, 2007 -- Lloyd's is bringing state-of-the-art technology to China to ensure that business placed in its new reinsurance operation there is handled as quickly and efficiently as possible. The world's leading specialist insurance market is using Xchanging's processing software Genius as its core reinsurance system in China.

Claims

MSB Boosts ICX Web Property Claim Estimating Solution.
LOS ANGELES - APRIL 19, 2007 -MSB, an MDA company and the leading worldwide provider of building cost data and estimating technology to the property insurance industry, announces a new software upgrade for its IntegriClaim Express(TM) (ICX) Web-based property estimating application. The upgrade, ICX 2.4, improves performance time by 20% and provides new features that speed structure and contents estimating processes while calculating more accurate, consistent, and defendable partial loss property claims estimates.

Product Announcements

The Co-operators extends Identity Theft coverage to clients at no charge.
The Co-operators has extended Identity Theft coverage to clients with home or farm insurance. The coverage is effective immediately on all Co-operators Home-Guard and Farm-Guard policies -- at no extra cost to clients.

Our People

LOMA Canada Annual Conference Focuses on Winning through Change.
TORONTO, Ontario – April 17, 2007�Chief Learning Officer of L(earn)2, Douglas Bolger, and industry expert, Ross Morton, will offer advice and insight on how to win in today's fast changing business environment at the LOMA Canada Annual Conference, Thursday, June 14, 2007 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Inside The Minds of CEOs: Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
London & New York, 3rd April 2007 - Today's chief executives shoulder a heavy burden, as they are expected to take on the roles of guide, interpreter and visionary in order to lead their companies to the promised land of business success. But life at the top can be lonely and many CEOs seek the counsel of trusted outsiders to help shape their vision and validate their strategic course.

Business of Insurance

Sun Life Financial and CI Investments launch SunWise Elite Plus guaranteed retirement income product.
TORONTO, April 16, 2007 - Sun Life Financial and CI Investments Inc. today announced the launch of SunWise Elite Plus, an innovative new product that redefines retirement planning. SunWise Elite Plus offers a Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit, providing investors with guaranteed, sustainable income during retirement, along with the potential for the guaranteed income to grow.

Insurance in the Community

Manulife Financial donates $500,000 to IWK Health Centre in Halifax.
HALIFAX, April 18, 2007 - Manulife Financial announced today it will donate $500,000 to provide digital echocardiographic imaging equipment for children requiring cardiac care at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The contribution, announced this morning at the Health Centre, will help the IWK broaden its care offered across the Maritimes to children with heart problems.

Consumer Information

New I.I.I. Web Site Helps Small and Mid-Sized USA Businesses Understand Their Insurance Needs.
NEW YORK, April 4, 2007-Tips to help small and medium-sized businesses understand their insurance needs and prevent losses are provided in the Insurance Information Institute's (I.I.I.) new Web site Insuring Your Business: A Small Business Owners' Guide To Insurance. With over seven million small businesses in the U.S., ranging from construction firms to grocery stores to home-based businesses, all have one thing in common: Without the right insurance coverage, each could be wiped out by a disaster or a lawsuit.

Marketing and the Market Place

Manulife Investor Sentiment Index eases slightly.
WATERLOO, ON, April 19, 2007 - Canadians' interest in investments fell back slightly in late March, after recording its largest leap in more than six years the previous quarter based on national polls for Manulife Financial, Canada's leading insurance and wealth management company.

LIMRA Partners With Voluntary.com to Help Companies Succeed in the Voluntary Benefits Market.
Windsor, Conn., April 16, 2007 - LIMRA International announced today a strategic partnership with Voluntary.com, a new and comprehensive online resource providing valuable information about the voluntary benefits marketplace. For years, LIMRA has helped its members capture this growing segment of the industry by providing important data and analysis about the trends and opportunities in the voluntary benefits industry.

Canadians Say Roads and Highways Are In Worst Condition; Hospitals and Schools Viewed As Higher Priorities: Ipsos Reid for Municipal World.
April 11, 2007 Ottawa, ON – Although Canadians say roads and highways are in the worst condition, hospitals are seen as the higher priority for government attention according to a poll conducted by Ipsos Reid for Canadian publication Municipal World.

Reference and Statistics

ISO and PCI Reports Sharp Decline in Volatile Catastrophe Losses Drove Improvement in USA Property/Casualty Insurers' Full-Year 2006 Results.
JERSEY CITY, N.J., April 18, 2007 — Driven by a sharp decline in catastrophe losses from hurricanes and other natural disasters in 2006, the U.S. property/casualty industry posted a $31.2 billion net gain on underwriting for the year. The net gain on underwriting in 2006 stands in stark contrast to the $5.6 billion net loss on underwriting in 2005.

from Doug:

Our earlier false Spring didn't last long and the cool weather lingered. Perhaps this made this past weekend's return of Spring all that more enjoyable. Clear blue skies, no clouds, low twenties (my preferred temperatures) - how close to perfect can you look for. Lots of outdoor activity, the first flowers planted joining the myriad of early spring perennials. In Cabbagetown we celebrate the forsythia festival in early May – our first yellow managed to peak through on Monday, but others in the full sun are out already. Enjoy!


Subscribe here or view past issues.