The Chronicle: Issue 2011-48, November 29, 2011
Distribution
Policy Works and SGI CANADA announce Real-time Rating for Small Package Commercial-lines Business.
November, 2011 - SGI CANADA and Policy Works Inc. are ecstatic to announce the release of a real-time rating solution that begins and ends within the Policy Works Commercial Management System desktop environment. SGI CANADA brokers using the new Policy Works Commercial Management System, available this December, will be able to receive a real-time rate on small business packages such as Energy Pak, Toolbox Pak, Trades Pak, and Value Pak from directly within the Policy Works system.
Brovada's NexCenter Delivers New Business Upload to Lombard Canada.
Toronto, ON - November 25, 2011 ? Lombard Canada Ltd. is pleased to announce the successful production launch of their personal lines new business upload on Dec. 5th, 2011. This functionality gives Lombard's brokers the ability to submit new business applications to Lombard Online directly from within their BMS without requiring any re-keying of data.
iter8 is proud to announce Aviva Canada's decision to broaden their broker automation platform.
November 2011: iter8, an insurance solutions software developer, is pleased to announce that Aviva Canada Inc., one of the leading Property and Casualty insurance groups in Canada, has chosen to use communic8 as their broker integration hub that will handle uploads from multiple broker management and bridge systems, ensuring a once and done broker workflow.
iClarify Live to Insurance Brokers throughout Quebec.
Montreal, Qc - November 24, 2011 - SCM Risk Management Services Inc. (RMS) is pleased to announce that iClarify services are now running live throughout the Province of Quebec. Today, more than 500 Quebec based brokerages have real-time access to the iClarify residential property validation service, significantly improving accuracy and driving efficiencies through the replacement cost quoting process.
Policy and Product Management
Guidewire InsuranceSuite™ provides the core systems which will enable CAA Insurance to enhance level of service to its clients.
ONTARIO, Canada and SAN MATEO, Calif., USA, November 21, 2011: The Canadian Automobile Association Insurance Company ("CAA Insurance"), a provider of auto and property insurance to clients in Ontario and the Maritimes, and Guidewire Software®, today announced that CAA Insurance has selected Guidewire InsuranceSuite as its new platform for rating, underwriting and policy administration, claims management and billing.
Celent provides a detailed look at 18 policy administration systems for life, health, and annuities.
In a new report, North American Policy Administration Systems 2011: Life, Health, and Annuities ABCD Vendor View, Celent looks at policy administration systems available to insurers in North America. The report is part of a series on policy administration systems (PAS) in North America, EMEA, and Asia.
What's Going Through The Intersection of Insurance and Technology, an Insurance-Canada.ca Blog.
- 50,000th Insured Saves 'Crate-Loads' of Money with Telematics Policy in UK
Pay-As-You-Drive pioneer, UK motor insurer insurethebox, hit a milestone recently, selling its 50,000th telematics based policy in just 16 months. The insurer has plans to double this total during 2012. - DIY Claims: Tools and Analytics Support Innovation
From home improvements to financial transactions, 'Do-It-Yourself' has become a trend for consumers. A recent article by a noted industry consultant suggests the DIY philosophy might well be carried forward to claims handling, with benefits to all concerned.
Claims
CARSTAR's free "Unhappen My Accident" iPhone App provides step-by-step expertise, available at drivers' fingertips.
HAMILTON, ON, Nov. 17, 2011 - Drivers involved in an auto collision find themselves in an extremely stressful situation, one for which many feel unprepared and unsure about what to do. Today, CARSTAR Automotive Canada, Canada's leading automotive collision network, launched the Unhappen My Accident iPhone Application. The app is a convenient and innovative solution to ensure Canadian drivers are equipped with all the information, tips and tools they need in the event of a collision.
Consumer Information
Government of Canada Introduces the Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act.
Toronto, November 17, 2011 - The Honourable Ted Menzies, Minister of State (Finance), and the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry, today announced that the Government of Canada is introducing changes to Canada's pension landscape that will make saving for retirement easier for millions of Canadians.
CAA applies cutting edge technology to new online property insurance quotation tool.
TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2011 - The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) announced today the launch of its new online property insurance quote tool. CAA members and non-members can now get online CAA property insurance quotes for homeowner's insurance, condominium or, tenant insurance for renters.
RBC Poll Finds Majority of Canadians Hope to Pay Off Their Homes by Retirement.
TORONTO, November 17, 2011 - Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of Canadians with a mortgage hope to be mortgage-free by the time they reach age 65, but one-third (33 per cent) of older Canadians, those over the age of 55, have 16 or more years left on their mortgage term, according to the latest RBC Housing Snapshot poll.
Aviva: Auto Insurance Claims Almost Double During Winter Months.
November 23, 2011 - (Toronto, ON) - As parts of the country prepare for their first big blast of winter, Aviva Canada, one of the country's leading insurance providers, is reminding drivers to exercise caution on the roadways. Aviva Canada's annual statistics show a 49 per cent increase in customer auto claims between December and February in comparison to the rest of year.
Kanetix.ca survey reveals eight out of 10 Canadian Kanetix.ca survey reveals eight out of 10 Canadian drivers confess to a bad driving habit.
TORONTO, Nov. 22, 2011 - Eight in 10 Canadian motorists openly admit to having at least one bad driving habit according to a new poll released by Kanetix.ca - an online quote comparison website for a variety of insurance and financial products. While talking or texting behind the wheel is the most recent habit to be banned Canada-wide, surprisingly, the number one habit Canadians openly confess to doing is consuming food or beverages while driving.
TIRF: The Facts about Impaired Driving in Canada.
Impaired driving has consistently ranked as the leading road safety concern among more than 80% of Canadians for the past decade and was only surpassed for the first time by concern about texting and driving in 2010. And the public's concern about impaired driving is certainly warranted.
Alberta strengthens consequences for impaired driving.
November 21, 2011 - Edmonton - With 96 deaths and 1,384 injuries caused by impaired driving on Alberta roads last year, Alberta has introduced new legislation aimed at improving safety on the province's roads. Bill 26, the Alberta Traffic Safety Amendment Act 2011, introduced in the Alberta Legislature by Transportation Minister Ray Danyluk, imposes tougher sanctions on impaired drivers, especially repeat offenders.
IIHS: Hybrid models have lower injury odds than their conventional counterparts.
November 17, 2011 - ARLINGTON, VA - Hybrids have a safety edge over their conventional twins when it comes to shielding their occupants from injuries in crashes, new research by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, shows. On average, the odds of being injured in a crash are 25 percent lower for people in hybrids than people traveling in nonhybrid models.
Social Business
eMarketer: Facebook Users Are Slow to 'Like' Brands and Retailers.
NOVEMBER 18, 2011 - Brands and individuals have shared space on Facebook for some time, blurring the line between social networking and marketing. Both types of users rely on "likes" as a yardstick for popularity, even if their intentions for being on the social networking site differ.
Marketing and the Market Place
eMarketer: Canada Trails US in Online Ad Spending per Internet User.
NOVEMBER 22, 2011 - With a population highly engaged in living digitally and an economy less troubled than many others, Canada will see strong growth in online ad spending in the next few years. Spending, though, will still not rival US levels - even on a per-person basis.
from Doug:
The Insurance Canada Technology Awards nomination period ended on Nov 11. It took us another week to sort, catalogue, seek revisions etc. The following ten days until now were spent vetting and evaluating. On Monday a note went out to our jurors with the complete list of nominations and a suggested short list for potential finalists in each category. An on-line meeting later this week and a subsequent voting procedure will get us to the three finalists in each category. These will be announced in the next while.
Through this process, as we have been doing for an increasing portion of our internal teamwork, we have been using cloud-based document sharing facilities. The two juror meetings will be online. Although we are not experts, and are certainly not doing all that we could be, these tools are helping us enormously.
Technology in P&C insurance - that's what our March conference is all about. Perhaps we will see you there.