Issue 2009-15 -- April 14, 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.




Distribution

Were all your EDI Download Files transferred during the Telus Migration? - Bob Hornick, President CIM-Data Ltd..
Switching EDI Servers opens up what is usually a reliable transport mechanism for EDI upload and download files, to the possibility of file loss or duplication, or even worse, incorrect sequencing.

Using the Web for Cost-Effective Distribution: kasina.
New York, (March 19, 2009) -- Asset managers must find a way to distribute more cost-effectively. Due to a combination of market performance and outflows, assets under management at many firms have fallen 35% or more, and revenues have fallen in concert. The days of 30-40% margins are over, and the firms that find a way to sell by using inexpensive and scalable resources, such as the advisor Web site, to reduce their dependence on expensive wholesaling forces, will be better-positioned for profitability in coming years.

Policy and Product Management

CAMICO Mutual Insurance Drives 50% of Direct New Policy Submissions via Cost-effective Online Channel: Oracle Insurance.
CAMICO Mutual Insurance, the largest CPA-owned mutual insurance company in the United States, sought to facilitate growth in the face of a challenging economic environment. The company turned to Oracle WebCenter Suite and Oracle Business Process Management to expand its custom-built extranet application and automate the previously paper-based application process to improve cost efficiency and increase customer satisfaction.

Innovation Group Launches Next-Generation Insurance Platform-Innovation Insurer™.
Newton, MA – April 6, 2009 - www.us.innovation-group.com-Innovation Group (Innovation), the leading provider of enterprise software and Auto and Property network management solutions to the global Property & Casualty industry today is pleased to announce the release of the next generation insurance processing platform-Innovation Insurer (Insurer).

Managing Relationships and Customer Service

KANA and IBM to Bring Next-Generation Customer Service Solution to Market.
Menlo Park, Calif. - March 26, 2009 - KANA Software, Inc., a world leader in multi-channel customer service solutions, and IBM today announced a major milestone in the rollout of their Service Experience Management (SEM) strategy, first announced in 2008. Under an OEM agreement with IBM, KANA has completed the integration of IBM's Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Foundation and DB2 database software into its core Service Experience Management solution, KANA Service™.

New Mexico Mutual Deploys Guidewire BillingCenter.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM and SAN MATEO, CA, April 9, 2009 – New Mexico Mutual, the largest workers' compensation insurer in the state of New Mexico, and Guidewire Software®, a global provider of solutions to property and casualty and workers' compensation insurers, today announced that New Mexico Mutual has successfully deployed Guidewire BillingCenter® as its new billing system. BillingCenter is managing the end-to-end billing process including payments, collection agency management and agent commissioning.

Claims

Platinum Health Benefits Solutions Chooses Adjudicare: Automated Benefits.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 7, 2009)Automated Benefits Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Automated Benefits Corp. (TSX-V: AUT), is pleased to announce the formalization of a signed contract with Platinum Health Benefits Solutions Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, for the use of Adjudicare.

Promutuel Signs Multi-Year Contract with Symbility.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (April 1, 2009) Symbility Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Automated Benefits Corp., is pleased to announce the signing of a three year contract with Promutuel Lanaudière, an associated member of Saint-Alexis-de-Montcalm, Québec of Groupe Promutuel.

Consumer Information

MyHomePlanner.ca Makes The Homebuying Process Easier: Genworth Financial.
Toronto (April 8, 2009) - Homebuyers have a new resource to help guide them through the homebuying process, thanks to an online planner introduced today by Genworth Financial Canada.

Kanetix.ca study shows how drivers are saving money on their auto insurance.
TORONTO, April 8 2009 - Today, Kanetix(R), Canada's online marketplace for insurance quotes and mortgage rates, released the results of its quarterly car insurance premium study. The study, designed to spot and highlight the pricing trends of car insurance quotes in Ontario, identified a 1.9 per cent decrease in the average of the lowest rates quoted for auto insurance in Q1 2009 compared to Q1 2008.

Business of Insurance

Unity Life completes acquisition of business segment of Genisys.
Toronto, ON, April 1, 2009 - Unity Life of Canada, a Foresters company, today announced the completion of the agreement under which Unity Life has acquired the business segment of GeniSys Management Systems that performs business process outsourcing (BPO) for the company. GeniSys is an international provider of insurance administration services, headquartered in Canada.

Ontario's FSCO Five-Year-Review Report and Recommendations for Auto Insurance.
The Ontario Insurance Act as amended in 2003 includes a requirement that the Superintendent of Financial Services undertake a review of Part VI of the Act and any Regulations - Part VI of the Act and the Regulations includes statutory accident benefits, court proceedings and dispute resolution - at least once every five years. The Superintendent is to report back with recommendations to improve the effectiveness and administration of Part VI and the Regulations.

Marketing and the Market Place

Manulife Investor Sentiment Index finds Canadians keep investing amid economic, market turmoil.
WATERLOO, ON, April 8 2009 - Canadians are seeing an upside toinvestments generally, and for investment real estate in particular, according to a national poll for Manulife Financial, Canada's leading insurance and wealth management company.

LIMRA Survey Finds Most Employers Maintaining Benefits During Recession.
WINDSOR, Conn., March 25, 2009 - Most employers are retaining the benefits offered to their employees, according to a LIMRA survey of more than 1000 small, mid-size and large employers, which was conducted in December 2008 and January 2009.

Which Online Ads Get Attention? - eMarketer.
MARCH 31, 2009 - Certain ads always seem to get noticed. The UK Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK), based on polling data from Lightspeed Research, has released information on how the content of digital advertisements affects viewer interest-as well as on the effectiveness of different online ad formats.

Reference and Statistics

MIB Life Index Reports North American Life Insurance Activity Down 3.2% in March.
Braintree, MA. - (April 7, 2009) At the close of the first quarter, U.S. and Canadian application activity was off -2.1% compared to the same quarter 2008. March application activity was off -2.8% over the prior February. Hover, Canadian application activity increased +5.2% in March, all ages combined.

Full-Year 2008 Results Show P/C Industry Well Capitalized Despite Being Pummeled By Catastrophes, Recession, and The Financial Crisis: ISO.
JERSEY CITY, N.J., April 9, 2009 - Full-year 2008 financial results show that private U.S. property/casualty insurers had $455.6 billion in policyholders' surplus (or statutory net worth) at year-end 2008. Insurers also had $555.6 billion in loss and loss adjustment expense reserves to cover the cost of settling claims that had already occurred and another $200.8 billion in unearned premium reserves set aside to cover losses arising during the remaining term of policies in effect at year-end 2008, bringing the total funds available to cover losses and other contingencies to just over $1.2 trillion.

from Doug:

We enjoyed our family visits over Easter, and the sunshine. The lawns are starting to get a little greener; a neighbour has four daffodils in bud; the first forsythia blossoms are just coming out. It is Spring. But our lawn is covered in white (fake snow) and a moment ago the movie crew was spraying chipped ice (it really does look like snow) on the street in front as half our neighbourhood is being transformed - we just can't shake winter.


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