Issue 2002-32:   August 13, 2002

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.

Claims

BCE Emergis Renews Agreement with Sun Life Financial.

BCE Emergis, leading North American provider of e-health solutions and health care cost management services, today announced a new and expanded agreement with Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada valued at $30 million over three years. The renewed contract strengthens and extends the relationship between the two organizations in which Emergis provides electronic pharmacy benefit management services, its cornerstone product in the Canadian market. In addition, Sun Life Financial has chosen to consolidate its dental claims switching activities with Emergis. More at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/claims/canada/SunLEmergis200208.php

CSIO Insurance Portal

Week ending August 9: Economical is making good progress with testing underway for both auto and hab quoting for Economical, Perth and Waterloo companies within the group. ISI continues to receive and load rates and rules, and with auto rates across the companies, CSIO is now focusing to get the hab rates moving along as well. CSIO is in testing now with French language support for Quick Quotes, to be followed by Full Quotes.

CSIO is keying on the progress of lines of business and rates from more companies, both directly to the portal and with the ISI rating function. Secondly there are some changes being implemented in the computing environment which will run through Labour Day. As a result the Broker implementations will start just after that.

Policy Management

MIB Group, Inc.Launches 1st Ever Advertising Campaign.

MIB Group, Inc., the premier source of market intelligence for companies involved with medically underwritten insurance, has entered the marketplace with its first ever advertising campaign set to launch August 1st. The campaign, entitled "Executive Angst," has been developed by Michael Meyers & Associates and will feature product ads that complement an evolved brand position. The campaign launches the "new MIB" and is intended to bring the insurance industry's perception of MIB in line with the current reality. More at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/poladmin/other/MIBadvert200208.php

ConsumerInfo

Transport Canada Announces Update of Road Safety Vision 2010; Fatalities and Serious Injuries Related to Road Travel Decrease.

Transport Canada released the 2001 update of Road Safety Vision 2010, which indicates that road fatalities have decreased by six per cent, and serious injuries related to road travel have decreased by 15 per cent, since 1996.
Road Safety Vision 2010, adopted by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), is a long-term plan aimed at reducing the number of road fatalities and serious injuries in Canada by 30 per cent compared to the 1996-2001 average figures. The update also shows that more than 2,900 road users were killed and more than 227,000 injured in crashes in 2000. More at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/consinfoauto/TransCan200208.php

With Children on Their Way Back to School, USA Survey Suggests That Adults May Need a Lesson in Driving Safety.

Progressive.com Back to School Survey Looks at Driving Behavior Around School Buses and Zones.
Once again it's the time of year when children gear up for the back-to-school season and ready themselves for another year of learning. However, a progressive.com survey suggests it may be adults that need a lesson - not in reading, writing and arithmetic, but in rules of the road, especially near school zones and school bus stops. More at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/consinfoauto/School200208.php

Statistics and Reference

HARD INSURANCE MARKET 101: The Belton Report.

A primer for those for whom a hard market is a new experience and a brushup for industry veterans whose memories have dimmed with the passage of time since the last hard market hit in the mid 90's.
What Causes Market Cycles? The p&c marketplace is notorious for its cyclicality. It is seldom in a state of equilibrium where satisfactory returns are sustained for an extended period of time. A glance at the return on equity chart proves the point. Only in 12 of the last 29 years was the return in the double digit range where it would be considered reasonably satisfactory.

Marketing

Transport Canada adds a link to the I Promise Program.

Transport Canada is pleased to provide hyperlinks on its Web site to other Web sites of transportation organizations such as yours that promote road safety. Your program will hopefully encourage parents and caregivers to discuss with young people the responsibilities of having a driver's licence, the rules of the road and the importance of safety. More at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/market/canada/TransCanIProm200208.php

Technology & e-business

Canada Continues to be a Global Leader on Connectedness: Conference Board of Canada.

More Canadians are browsing, interacting, learning, and buying over the Internet every year, according to the annual Connectedness Index from The Conference Board of Canada.
Canada is a global leader in the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) – second only to the U.S. Four sectors in particular benefit from Canada’s strength in connectedness – health, education and learning, business, and government. More at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/ebusiness/canada/CBoC200208.php

GartnerG2 Says Mergers and Acquisitions Are No Longer the Quick-Fix for Businesses; Relationships Provide More Flexibility and Agility.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are no longer the growth weapon they were before, so for companies to return to growth, executives must seize alternatives to M&A, according to GartnerG2, a research service of Gartner, Inc. GartnerG2 analysts said companies should look at building relationships with other companies to meet customer demands. More at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/ebusiness/other/Gartnerg2200208.php

from Doug:

Mid-August and summer continues, as it should. A sure sign that summer is moving on - the CNE "The Ex" opens Friday. A few days of gentle rain would certainly be a welcome event here.

Our seminar "Brokers: Driving Technology to Work" held yesterday (that is why this newsletter is a day later than scheduled) went well. A good, interested, and interesting audience and set of speakers. If it is at all applicable, think about our next one on the Life side - announcement to follow later this week, but posted on our Web site at http://www.insurance-canada.ca/seminars/seminar20020913.php — sponsored by GeniSystems.ca Services.