Issue 2008-18 -- May 6, 2008

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.




Marketing and the Market Place

"Exploding the Myths of International Benefits" By Glenn Maykish, Sales Director: CIGNA.
CIEB recommends carving out expatriate employees from domestic plans and simplifying the benefits design. Domestic plans are simply inadequate to handle the challenges of administering international benefits.

Keeping Older Workers In The Workplace: Ipsos Reid Survey for RBC.
April 15, 2008, Toronto, ON - It appears that health assurances are the best thing an employer can offer older workers to keep them in the workplace. According to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of RBC, six in ten (60%) Canadians over the age of 55 say that extended health care benefits are the most important factor ( top three mentions) in deciding to stay in the workforce. Other popular options include flexible work hours (47%), having a guaranteed salary (34%), and phasing in the retirement process (24%).

eMarketer : Canada E-Commerce Growing Quickly.
APRIL 30, 2008 - Online sales increased at a double-digit pace for the sixth consecutive year in 2007, according to Statistics Canada. Total private and public sector Internet sales hit an estimated C$62.7 billion ($58.6 billion), up 26% from 2006.

eBusiness and Technology

Business Intelligence Leader Information Builders Releases WebFOCUS for Google Maps.
New York, NY - March 31, 2008 - Information Builders, the independent leader in production business intelligence (BI) systems, today announced the release of WebFOCUS for Google Maps, the first rapid mashup application in the business intelligence market. WebFOCUS for Google Maps provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) for rapid development of geographically aware composite applications and does not require any training or coding by developers.

Gartner Says Unified Communications Projects Should Focus on Increasing Business Agility, Not Reducing IT Costs.
Egham, UK, April 23, 2008 - Organisations seeking to implement unified communications (UC) should do so to increase business agility, not to reduce costs, said Gartner, Inc. A recent Gartner survey of 300

Business of Insurance

Marsh: Global Corporations Increase Self-Insurance Despite Falling Commercial Insurance Rates.
TORONTO, April 10, 2008 -- Marsh, the world's leading insurance broker and risk adviser, today released the first ever global benchmarking report examining the use of captive insurance companies by today's global firms. Although annual captive premium income is estimated at $55 billion - $60 billion, Marsh's report, Next Generation Captives - Optimizing Opportunities, is the first detailed look at how their use compares by region, by domicile, and by industry.

IBHS : New Research Center Targets USA Natural Disaster Property Losses.
Tampa/April 21, 2008 - A new state-of-the-art applied research facility will use science and technology to expand capabilities to create more durable homes and businesses. The facility will be dedicated to reducing the human, financial and societal costs of natural disasters and other threats to property from coast to coast.

Claims

ISO's PCS Unit Estimates Insurers to Pay $3.35 Billion in First-Quarter Catastrophe Claims in USA.
JERSEY CITY, N.J., April 29, 2008 U.S. property/casualty insurers are expected to pay homeowners and businesses an estimated $3.35 billion for first-quarter property losses resulting from nine catastrophes.

Consumer Information

ING Insurance launches improved ID Theft product and consumer education campaign in Ontario.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008 - Toronto - ING Insurance announced today that it is launching a new and improved my name™ Identity Theft Assistance Plus product in Ontario, making it one of the most comprehensive in the marketplace. In addition to providing reimbursement of basic expenses related to identity fraud, ING Insurance coverage goes even further and covers the cost of replacing any stolen Government issued identification, legal fees incurred to recover any assets that were fraudulently acquired by someone else, and up to four credit reports and 12 months of credit monitoring.

Distribution

New kasina study shows: Firms must optimize the web as a virtual sales force.
New York, (April 7, 2008) – Firms should take full advantage of the Web's impact on annual sales, according to a new study by kasina, a leading asset management consultancy. The study, "Your Site Can Sell, Too," examines ways firms can prime their Web sites to fill sales gaps left by wholesaler teams.

New Advisen-RIMS Study Finds Shifting Relationship between Insurance Buyers and Brokers.
April 28, 2008 - SAN DIEGO, CALIF.-The Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and Advisen, Ltd. announce the release of the Broker Services and Remuneration Study as part of the 2008 RIMS Benchmark SurveyT book. The study-based on data gathered in February from 1,519 participants-has found that insurance buyers are driving brokers to change their service offerings and the way brokers are compensated.

Willis Launches Groundbreaking Carrier Benchmarking Tool for Clients --The Willis Quality Index - Changing the Way Clients Choose Carriers--.
London, UK, April 22, 2008 - Clients of Willis Group Holdings, the global insurance broker, will now have access to the world's first carrier benchmarking tool, the Willis Quality Index®. Aimed at helping clients make more informed insurance decisions, the new tool will rate and compare carriers on their performance in underwriting, policy administration, claims performance and service activities.

OneMove(TM) Announces Integration Agreement with Chicago Title.
VANCOUVER, May 1,2008 - OneMove Technologies Inc. which offers a leading web-based real estate transaction platform, today announced the execution of an agreement to integrate econveyance(TM), its online conveyancing software application, with Chicago Title Insurance Company's web-based Canadian title insurance customer application, CTIC Express.

Policy and Product Management

Innovation Group and Western Computer Services Announce Agreement to Deliver Personal Lines Technology Solution and Services to Mountain West Farm Bureau.
April 1, 2008-Newton, MA-Innovation Group (LSE:TIG) announces they have signed a perpetual license agreement with Western Computer Services, Inc. (WCS) of Sandy, Utah, to deliver a personal lines insurance technology solution to the Mountain West Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company. The solution will drive business processes for personal lines policy administration and management that will enhance customer service, increase retention rates, reduce overhead costs per policy, and provide for continual revenue growth.

Reference and Statistics

StatsCan Study: Retiring together, or not - 1986 to 2001.
Rather than retiring together, men and women in dual-earner couples appeared to have approached retirement in a more independent fashion during the 1990s, a new study has found. The study, published today in Perspectives on Labour and Income, examined the extent to which spouses in dual-earner couples synchronized the timing of their retirements over the last two decades. It also looked at factors associated with taking different paths into retirement.

from Doug:

In spite of our boys having grown up and essentially no longer living here, we still seem to house years of their and our history. So we decided earlier this year that it was time for a clean up, or better word, clean out. What an interesting exercise it has been. Although bags of garbage and bins of recyclables have departed, we sometimes wonder if there has been any change. Amazing what has collected over the years. One son is visiting for a couple of days - he has a six foot pile of books he no longer "needs". Parkinson's Law - stuff will expand to fill the space available - is so true.


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