The Chronicle: Issue 2011-45, November 8, 2011
What's Going Through The Intersection of Insurance and Technology, an Insurance-Canada.ca Blog.
- Insurance Circa 2020: ACORD Members Prepare
In addition to discussing current issues, participant at the ACORD Implementation Forum in Fort Lauderdale, including insurers, agents, suppliers, and ACORD staff, are preparing themselves, and the industry organization itself for the year 2020. - Get Naked and Prosper with Social Media, Insurance Implementaors Suggest
Social media marketing and service implementations are producing impressive results with modest investment for US insurance companies and independent insurance agents, a panel at the recent ACORD Implementation Forum reported.
Claims
CGI & SAS Launch Fraud Detection Service for the Insurance Industry.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Nov. 4, 2011) - CGI Group Inc., a leading provider of information technology and business process services, today announced a new, state-of-the-art, comprehensive service to assist Canadian property and casualty insurers in their fight against insurance fraud. CGI's fraud detection solution, powered by SAS, responds to this growing challenge.
SCM Insurance Services Enters Medical Evaluation Market through Acquisition of Riverfront Medical Services.
November 1, 2011 - Toronto - SCM Insurance Services is pleased to announce that it has acquired Riverfront Medical Services, an industry-leading provider of independent medical evaluations (IME). This acquisition aligns with SCM's long-term plan for strategic growth; more importantly, it signals SCM's entrance into a product and market segment that is complementary to the continuum of insurance and risk management services it currently offers its clients.
Policy and Product Management
LOGiQ3 Selected by MIB to Conduct its Underwriting Reviews in Canada.
1 November 2011: Insurance outsourcing company LOGiQ3 Corp has been selected by MIB to conduct all underwriting reviews of its Canadian member companies. As part of the value-added services that MIB provides to its membership, MIB conducts a review of each member's practices on a periodic basis. The review ensures that members are receiving the maximum benefit from MIB by correctly using MIB's services. These reviews can pro-actively improve the members' processes and identify training needs within organizations.
Accenture Unveils Comprehensive Integrated Property and Casualty Software Suite.
NEW YORK; Nov 3, 2011 - Accenture has unveiled its integrated Property and Casualty (P&C) software suite to create one of the most comprehensive platforms available in the industry. The integrated suite brings together Accenture Claim Components and Accenture Duck Creek's policy software, including the industry-leading rating and product configuration components.
Accenture Duck Creek Software Goes Live with American Safety with new Insurance Processing System.
NEW YORK; Oct. 31, 2011 - Accenture announced today that American Safety Administrative Services Inc. (American Safety) is now in production and processing casualty risk policies, using a newly deployed Accenture Duck Creek software platform. The policies are issued by American Safety's affiliated insurer, American Safety Indemnity Company, and employs Accenture Duck Creek Policy Administration and the Accenture Duck Creek Rating - part of Accenture's industry-leading Property & Casualty (P&C) software suite.
Distribution
Western Financial Group announces acquisition of leading insurance brokerage in Watrous, Saskatchewan.
HIGH RIVER, AB, Nov. 2, 2011 - As part of its ongoing commitment to become the strongest financial services company in western Canada, Western Financial Group ("Western") announced today that it has acquired Watrous Insurance Brokers Ltd. in Watrous, Saskatchewan. The Watrous brokerage, which has been serving the community since 1989, will now operate as a Western Financial Group office.
Technology
Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2012.
Orlando, Fla., October 18, 2011 - Gartner, Inc. today highlighted the top 10 technologies and trends that will be strategic for most organizations in 2012. The analysts presented their findings during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, being held here through October 20.
IBM Watson Heads to Harvard, MIT to Explore Future of Technology in Business.
BOSTON and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., - 31 Oct 2011: IBM today will conduct a Watson symposium with Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management. The event brings together some of the brightest academic minds to collaborate on the use of advanced analytics, like those powering Watson, to transform the way the world does business. .
Aon eSolutions launches RIScloud, the next-generation cloud solution designed and built for the risk, insurance and safety community.
CHICAGO (October 31, 2011) - Aon eSolutions, the technology solutions business of Aon Corporation, today announced the launch of RIScloud, the next-generation community cloud solution for the risk, insurance and safety management community. Aon eSolutions is the original cloud provider to the risk, insurance and safety community; the business took its hosted solutions clients online in 2001.
Social Business
eMarketer (IBM Study): Customer Data, Social Media Top Marketing Priorities for CMOs Worldwide.
NOVEMBER 1, 2011 - Keeping pace with the ever-changing dynamics of the online marketing space is no easy task. New technologies and tactics seem to crop up daily and evolve so rapidly that marketers often have difficulty deciding where to focus their efforts.
Marketing and the Market Place
eMarketer: Mobile Advertising Goes Mainstream.
OCTOBER 31, 2011 - US mobile ad spending will grow 47% in 2012, reaching $1.8 billion, as marketers seek to capitalize on rising smart device and mobile web adoption. As on the desktop, search and display (banners, rich media and video) are emerging as the dominant mobile ad formats. Mobile advertising is no longer a question of "if" but of "when".
Consumer Information
Allstate Canada advises owners how to winterize seasonal vehicles and save on insurance.
TORONTO, October 25, 2011 - Canadians spent an estimated $140 million on motorcycles, scooters and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in 2010, according to the Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council. With winter soon approaching, these vehicles - along with convertibles and other seasonal cars - will need to be stored. Allstate Insurance Company of Canada offers owners advice on storing a vehicle properly during the winter.
IIHS: Effort to make SUVs, pickups less deadly to car occupants in crashes is paying off.
ARLINGTON, VA - Today's SUVs and pickups pose far less risk to people in cars and minivans than previous generations, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows. Until recently, SUVs and pickups were more likely than cars or minivans of the same weight to be involved in crashes that killed occupants of other cars or minivans. That's no longer the case for SUVs, and for pickups the higher risk is much less pronounced than it had been.
Manulife Financial Small Business Research Report offers insight into the small business market for financial and benefits advisors.
WATERLOO, ON, Oct. 28, 2011 - Over three-quarters (76%) of small business owners and managers in Canada believe that taking care of employees makes them work harder for the company. In addition, more than half (55%) of owners and managers believe that offering competitive health benefits is a crucial element in attracting and retaining top talent, according to the results of Manulife Financial's first annual Small Business Research Report.
TD Insurance and stress expert Beverly Beuermann-King share how critical illness insurance can help families avoid financial & emotional duress.
TORONTO, Nov. 1, 2011 - Despite the prominence of cancer, stroke and heart disease in Canada, a new poll by TD Insurance found that 65% of Canadian parents with children still living at home don't have critical illness insurance. About one-in-two Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime, and 1.6 million Canadians currently have heart disease or are living with the effects of a stroke*.
from Doug:
The use of technology by those in insurance is ubiquitous. In our third year offering the Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Awards (ICTA), it is gratifying to see the interest mounting in these awards. Following the notice which went out just after the lunch hour on Monday, about a dozen more nominations arrived before dinner time. There have been several more expressions of intent to submit nominations - hopefully these will join many more yet to come forward before the weekend. The more the merrier - a good challenge for the panel of judges who have all agreed to participate and who will be named in the not-too distant future.