Issue 2010-35 -- August 31, 2010
This newsletter is for members of the Canadian Insurance Industry and those who serve it. The newsletter is published weekly, and notes information about the use of the Internet and related technologies in the industry, insurance products and the marketplace. Some is international, where we feel it is relevant to Canada.
eBusiness and Technology
The Emerging Semantic Web: Ideas for Insurers - Report Published by Celent.
London, UK - August 03, 2010 - The Web is evolving at an extraordinary rate, and each evolution has brought new possibilities to insurers. The semantic web is no different. The semantic web and surrounding technologies offer insurers not only a new tool to cut costs but also the opportunity to bring real additional value to their customers.
FCCI Insurance Group improves pricing, profitability with SAS® Analytics.
CARY, NC (Aug. 16, 2010) - Technology is helping insurers improve profitability and operational efficiency by better understanding and servicing customers. Using SAS, the leader in business analytics, FCCI Insurance Group harvests valuable information from its data, helping underwriters select accounts and price insurance products.
Sun Life Financial Awards Accenture Multi-Year Application Development and Management Services Contract.
TORONTO; July 27, 2010 - Accenture has signed a multi-year application services agreement with Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, a member of the Sun Life Financial group of companies, to develop, implement and manage a variety of applications that support the insurer?s operations in Canada.
Manulife Financial and CGI Renew IT Managed Services Agreement.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 29, 2010 - Manulife Financial and CGI Group Inc. announced today that CGI will continue to provide IT services to Manulife into 2013 under a multi-million dollar contract renewal. As part of CGI's commitment to the Atlantic region, CGI will continue to deliver IT services to Manulife through its global delivery center in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Marketing and the Market Place
J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Despite Widespread Premium Increases, Customer Satisfaction with Auto Insurance Providers in Canada Improves from 2009.
TORONTO: 26 August 2010 - Customer satisfaction with auto insurance providers has improved notably from 2009, despite a considerable increase in the proportion of customers whose premiums were raised, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Canadian Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction StudySM released today.
Client education and creative marketing top of mind for Sun Life Financial.
TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2010 - Skating with the Montreal Canadiens and secrets from World War II are not topics that normally come to mind when you think about financial services. However, these were two of Sun Life Financial's creative marketing and communications initiatives recognized at the 2010 Insurance and Financial Communications Association (I.F.C.A.) Annual Awards Competition.
CFIB Business Barometer® National small business confidence continues downward drift.
Toronto, August 4, 2010 - Optimism among Canada's small- and medium-sized business owners has experienced its third decline in the past four months. According to the latest business confidence survey findings from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), the Business Barometer® index fell modestly to 65.7 in July, compared to 66.4 in June.
43% of US companies will be blogging by 2012: eMarketer.
AUGUST 17, 2010 - The personal blogosphere, while it still boasts million of online journals and participants, has largely stalled in recent years. Consumer use of social media has moved more toward social networking and microblogging, which seem to have eroded the perceived usefulness of full-fledged blogs. But in the corporate world, a different picture emerges.
Claims
Insurance Australia Group (IAG) Selects Guidewire for Claims Management.
SAN MATEO, Calif. and SYDNEY, August 18, 2010 - Guidewire Software, a leading provider of flexible core systems to general insurers today announced that Guidewire ClaimCenter had been selected by Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG) as its technology platform for claims management.
Xactware Releases Xactimate Version 27.1.
OREM, Utah - Aug. 12, 2010 - The latest version of Xactware?s industry-leading estimating software contains many new and enhanced features that make estimating renovation and repair costs faster, easier, and more effective.
Policy and Product Management
New ABConnect Web Portal Brings Any-Time Access to Aon Benfield Clients.
Aon Benfield, the world's premier reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor, today announces the launch of ABConnect, a new online portal that offers clients any-time access to their account data and improved transparency.
Distribution
USA Real Time/Download Campaign Mascot Eddie Launches Blog.
Pearl River, New York, August 24, 2010 - Eddie, the industry-wide Real Time mascot whose name comes from "Ease of Doing business," is tapping current Web technology to drive "ease of doing communication." As part of the Campaign's awareness-building activities, Eddie is launching a new blog.
Consumer Information
Allstate Back to School Safety 101: 10 Tips to Make Your Return to School Stress Free.
With fall just around the corner, thousands of post-secondary students across Canada are packing up their belongings to move across the province or even the country to pursue their studies. Whether you're moving a hundred kilometres away from home or a thousand, it's important to keep yourself and your possessions safe.
Young Drivers of Canada: Back to School Driver's Checklist to Help Keep Kids Safe.
TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2010 - It's back to school time and our roads will be busy again with school buses, a higher volume of children walking on the road and parents picking up and dropping off in school zones. Drivers need to be cautious and take extra care on the road. As drivers, we can affect pedestrian safety and reduce child pedestrian injury by how we act and react behind the wheel.
ICBC's top five tips for teens behind the wheel.
The weather is hot, school is out and now your teenager wants to hit the road ? in your car! In 2009, more than 50,000 teens got their first B.C. driver's licence.Once your teen has passed a knowledge exam and vision test, they're permitted to get behind the wheel - with some restrictions. However, driving is especially risky when you lack experience as a new driver.
from Doug:
We are progressing with the condo organization. Yesterday we hung drapes in the living room, rearranged more furniture there and moved another load of items to the locker. Those things made a big difference, which is a good thing as our niece will be here for dinner today. It is slow, sometimes painful, but we will get there. We spent one day on the weekend visiting parents, one of whom reentered hospital a week ago, but is once again making good progress.