Issue 2009-13 -- March 31, 2009

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

Foresters And CGI Announce A 10 Year, $182 Million, Full IT Outsourcing Agreement.
Toronto, Ontario, March 25, 2009 - CGI Group Inc. (TSX: GIB.A; NYSE: GIB), a leading provider of information technology and business process services and ForestersTM, a mission-based life insurance organization, today announced a 10 year, $182 million, infrastructure, application maintenance and development outsourcing services agreement.

IBM Appointed to Run Lloyd's Exchange.
LONDON - 20 Mar 2009: IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announces it has signed an agreement with Lloyd's, the world's leading specialist insurance market, to trial the new Lloyd's Exchange messaging service. The new service will trial the electronic distribution of data between London Insurance Market insurers and brokers, replacing traditional paper based operations.

Managing Relationships and Customer Service

NFU Mutual UK Selects Guidewire BillingCenter.
STRATFORD UPON AVON and LONDON, U.K., March 23, 2009 - The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited, (NFU Mutual), and Guidewire Software®, a leading global provider of solutions to general insurers, today announced that NFU Mutual has selected Guidewire BillingCenter® as its new billing system.

Russell's LifePoints Portfolios client statement earns 2009 DALBAR Communications Seal.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009 - TORONTO - Russell Investments Canada Limited has been recognized by DALBAR for its Russell LifePoints Portfolios quarterly client statements. The DALBAR Communications Seal is awarded to financial service communications that display excellence in meeting the needs of customers, and recognizes the importance of communicating in a manner that is calculated to be understood by the average investor.

Claims

IBM and FINEOS Host Briefing on Insurance Fraud.
Dublin, Ireland, March 20, 2009 - FINEOS Corporation, a global provider of innovative enterprise software solutions for insurance and bancassurance, in conjunction with its global partner, IBM, has concluded a briefing entitled "Tackling Insurance Fraud in South Africa". The briefing, which took place in Johannesburg, was attended by representatives from the South African insurance industry. Sunjay Ramessuer, CIO of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) was also in attendance.

Chubb Insurance Reviews Benefits of GeckoSystems' Mobile Robot Solutions.
ATLANTA, March 23 2009 -- GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. announced today that they demonstrated their latest CareBot(tm) MSR to a management team from Chubb Insurance. GeckoSystems is a dynamic leader in the emerging Mobile Service Robot (MSR) industry revolutionizing their development and usage with mobile robot solutions for safety, security, and service.(TM)

Distribution

Nomination Deadline Approaching for CSIO's 2nd Annual Achievement Awards.
March 3rd, 2009, Toronto - April 3, 2009 is the nomination deadline for the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) 2nd Annual Achievement Awards which recognize the most useful improvement of the independent broker distribution channel. Nominees can be either an insurer or vendor who has developed an innovative solution using CSIO XML standards.

Insurance Illustration Systems in Europe: Report Published by Celent.
In a new report, Insurance Illustration Systems in Europe, Celent profiles various insurance illustration solutions available in Europe today. Six full illustration systems are profiled in the report, which also features a limited profile of one solution.

Latest Eastbridge report looks at voluntary vision products.
AVON, CONNECTICUT, USA (March 4, 2009) - Voluntary vision product sales have been growing at a significant rate over the past two or three years as more employers move to employee-pay-all plans and those not offering employer-funded vision coverage see that voluntary vision is a desired and reasonably priced benefit. In 2007, the product line grew at over 500% and accounted for almost three percent of all voluntary sales-more than critical illness or long-term care.

Policy and Product Management

Aon Acquires IAO Actuarial Consulting Services.
TORONTO, March 2, 2009: Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc. today announced its acquisition of IAO Actuarial Consulting Services, the leading actuarial advisor to the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry. The terms of the deal were not announced.

Business of Insurance

Gartner Highlights Seven Great Concerns for CEOs in 2009.
STAMFORD, Conn., March 19, 2009 - With CEOs facing unprecedented challenges ahead as businesses struggle with the realities of dealing with the economic downturn, Gartner, Inc. has identified the seven greatest concerns for CEOs in 2009.

Consumer Information

Insurance Bureau of Canada reminds Manitoba residents to protect their belongings: Overland flooding not covered by insurance.
VANCOUVER, March 25 2009 -- With recent forecasts calling for above average spring run-off Insurance Bureau of Canada is reminding Manitoba's homeowners to protect their belongings against overland flooding.

Small business in the pink over announcement: Ottawa slashes red-tape by 20 per cent in one year - CFIB.
March 20, 2009 - Vancouver - Minister of State Diane Ablonczy's announcement today that the federal government met its target to reduce paper burden by 20 per cent is being hailed as a big step forward by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). "The federal government set the most aggressive timeline in the country for reducing red-tape," said CFIB president Catherine Swift.

Marketing and the Market Place

Trends and Best Practices in E-Mail Marketing: eMarketer.
MARCH 13, 2009 - What is e-mail marketing's greatest strength? What makes e-mail marketing unique is the ability to both broadcast and target individual personalized content at the same time. It's also relatively inexpensive compared with other media.

Desjardins Group Now in GPS Mode.
Lévis (Québec), March 18, 2009 - Starting tomorrow, anyone with an iPhone or BlackBerry will be able to locate the closest Desjardins caisse or ATM with only a few clicks on their phone. Already very accessible with some 2,764 ATMs, 1,396 caisses and service centres in more than 645 Quebec municipalities, Desjardins' presence will now be even stronger thanks to the Site Finder application.

from Doug:

After two or three weeks of dry weather, some weekend rain finally brought more garden plants out from hiding. The snowdrops are fading fast but our first crocus blossoms made their appearance. A warmer day on Sunday enticed me to dust off the bike and ride down by the lakefront - there the air still carried a bite, but it was good to see the changes since last Fall. Indoors, the house seems brighter too with painting moving along well. One more room to do in the next week and then a hiatus for a while. Spring is definitely here - feels good.


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