The Chronicle: Issue 2011-30, July 26, 2011
Distribution
illustrate inc. introduces "Opus Mobile" Insurance Solutions.
(Toronto, July 2011) Increasingly, life insurance agents and their customers, are using smartphone technology to getthe information they want immediately at their fingertips. Insurance companies are looking for ways to increase their agents' sales with mobile applications.
Applied Systems Client Network gears up for annual insurance education conference.
UNIVERSITY PARK, IL. - July 20, 2011 - Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet) is accepting registration for its annual Technology, Education and Networking Conference (TENCon), this year featuring brand-new education and training for principals, accountants, CSRs and IT staff in businesses that use Applied Systems insurance agency and broker management solutions.
Celent: From Financial Education to Financial Capability.
July 12, 2011 - The recent financial crisis has made it clear that Americans from all income levels have a hard time managing their finances and are generally ill-prepared to handle unforeseen financial stress. In the National Foundation for Credit Counseling's 2009 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey, the need to plot a new course for financial education has never been more pressing.
eBusiness and Technology
Manulife Signs Seven-Year Services Agreement with IBM.
TORONTO, ON, Canada - 21 Jul 2011: IBM today announced that it has entered into a seven-year services agreement with The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife) valued at close to $90M CAD annually to support Manulife Financial's ongoing business growth, as well as continued evolution of its information technology operations.
Policy and Product Management
Accenture to Expand Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Software Capabilities with Acquisition of Duck Creek Technologies.
NEW YORK; July 14, 2011 - Accenture has entered into an agreement to acquire Duck Creek Technologies, a privately held company that specializes in software solutions for the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry. Upon closing, the acquisition will strengthen
Duck Creek Policy Administration™ Into Production with Gateway Insurance Company.
BOLIVAR MO - July 12, 2011 -- Duck Creek Technologies, Inc., a provider of innovative software and services for the insurance industry, announced today that Gateway Insurance Company is in production and processing General Liability, Commercial Property, Commercial Automobile, and Workers Compensation policies on the Duck Creek Policy Administration™ system. Gateway is headquartered in St. Louis, MO and has been providing insurance coverage since 1946.
Exigen Insurance Solutions Announces New Version of PolicyCore™.
San Francisco, CA July 20, 2011 - Exigen Insurance Solutions, a leading provider of insurance core systems, today announced the release of Exigen PolicyCore™ 3.6, the latest version of its Product Factory™, underwriting, and policy administration system.
Sapiens, IDIT and FIS Sign Definitive Agreement to Merge; Merged Company to Become a Major Global Insurance Solutions Provide.
Rehovot, Israel - July 21, 2011 - Sapiens International Corporation N.V., a global provider of innovative software solutions for the insurance industry, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire FIS Software Ltd. and IDIT I.D.I. Technologies Ltd., both providers of software solutions for the insurance industry.
Social Business
Esurance Brings Car Repair Monitoring Service to Facebook.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 12, 2011 -- Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal car insurance company, today announced that its RepairView™ online repair monitoring service is available for consumers using Facebook. Using RepairView, customers who have filed a claim with Esurance and have their car repaired at one of the 1,000+ Esurance-approved E-star repair facilities nationwide can monitor the entire car repair process from any computer or smartphone and share the photos on Facebook.
eMarketer: Executives Fail to Focus on Social Media Marketing Strategy.
JULY 20, 2011 - Social media marketing has gained its place at the table. eMarketer estimates 80% of companies with at least 100 employees will use social networks for marketing this year, up from nearly three in four last year. By 2012, usage will be even greater, and, in turn, efforts are becoming more sophisticated.
IDC's New Social Business Maturity Model Outlines Stages and Strategies for Adopting and Integrating Social Business Software in the Enterprise.
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., July 14, 2011 - The business world has entered a new realm where consumer social networking dynamics have met enterprise reality. A recent social business survey by International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that 41% of respondents have some sort of social business initiative underway. However, these projects vary greatly - from grassroots bottom-up employee initiatives to sophisticated and strategic social customer engagement programs.
Product Announcements
Economical Group's Western General Revamps Products for Large Scale Farm Operations and Expands Distribution.
July 15, 2011 - WATERLOO, ON - Western General®, a division of The Economical Insurance Group®, one of Canada's largest property and casualty insurance companies, has announced the revamp of their Premier Poultry and Premier Dairy farm product for distribution coast-to-coast, effective July 1, 2011. Until now, the Premier brand has only been available in Ontario.
Business of Insurance
Manulife Financial Corporation sells Life Retrocession business to Pacific Life.
TORONTO, July 18, 2011 - Manulife Financial Corporation (Manulife) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to sell its Life Retrocession business to Pacific Life Insurance Company (Pacific Life), based in the United States. The transaction is subject to standard closing conditions including receipt of regulatory approvals and is expected to close during the third quarter 2011.
Consumer Information
IIHS: High-tech system on Volvos is preventing crashes.
ARLINGTON, VA, July 19, 2011 - Vehicles are doing a better job of protecting people in crashes, but a new crop of advanced technology aims to prevent many crashes from happening altogether. A new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) finds that one kind of advanced forward collision avoidance system is working to prevent about a quarter of the common low-speed crashes that happen in everyday commuter traffic.
World Nomads ' iPad App, 'Ask a Nomad,' Opens Doors to New Experiences.
SYDNEY, July 12, 2011 -- WorldNomads.com, a global travel services company, announces an ingenious iPad app, Ask a Nomad, that allows you to tap into a global knowledge network to provide travel answers, inspiration and local assistance from other like-minded travelers around the world.
from Doug:
We went to Stratford for the weekend, to celebrate a birthday, catch a couple of plays (we really enjoyed) and to visit a number of my relatives, as I grew up not far from there, fifth generation on the family farm. One of my Uncles is 93, living in a senior's residence. We, and he, thoroughly enjoyed a couple of hours of discussion about a few of the events from his youth.
I actually left my laptop at home. It was a good break, but so painful now trying to catch up on those things I didn't get done on the weekend. I think I need a life coach.