Issue 2006-02: January 10, 2006
Policy and Product Management
Wawanesa Purchases WebWriter Inspection from Insurance Systems Inc. for Loss Control Operations.
TORONTO and WINNIPEG - Jan, 2006 - Insurance Systems Inc. (ISI), a leading provider of web-based solutions to the global property and casualty insurance industry, today announced the sale of WebWriter Inspection to The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Claims
MS/B Improves Claims Estimating for Upscale Homes.
LOS ANGELES DECEMBER 27, 2005 - Marshall and Swift / Boeckh (MS/B), the leading worldwide provider of building cost data and estimating technology to the property insurance industry, announces an ongoing project to augment its IntegriClaim(TM) field estimating product with operations, features and finishes customarily found in high-value homes. The continual expansion of the IntegriClaim database gives insurance carriers and adjusters the ability to create more accurate and consistent loss estimates for upscale and custom-built homes.
Distribution
Cowan Insurance Brokers Leverage Microdea Inc's "Synergize" solution for Electronic Document Management.
With Synergize, Cowan Insurance Broker's commercial customer information is scanned and saved. Authorized employees have real-time 24 x 7 access to information and can easily and quickly retrieve, share and print information, without ever leaving their desks. Synergize ensures business continuity in the case of a disaster such as flood, fire etc. Since implementing Synergize, the company has noted improved employee efficiencies, outstanding levels of customer service, more satisfied customers, and cost savings.
Keal Brokers have New SEMCI Access to AXA using Nexisys.
January 6th, 2006 - Keal and Brovada today announced that Nexisys a SEMCI (single entry multiple company interface) solution is available for Keal and AXA brokers.
Eastbridge announces availability of new research report on voluntary universal and whole life products.
AVON, CONNECTICUT, USA (December 15, 2005)-Voluntary life insurance is historically the most offered voluntary product. And according to recent Eastbridge research, it's the most frequently owned product by employees today. Carriers that are serious about capturing distribution and worksite market share must have at least one life product in their portfolio since almost all producers sell life insurancemany times as their lead product.
Personal Auto & The Online Customer Report Published by Celent.
Boston, MA, December 28, 2005 - Consumers have been gravitating toward using the Web to get quotes and purchase insurance, particularly for commoditized products such as personal auto insurance. But carriers might be surprised at just how important their online offering has become.
Business of Insurance
Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators Discussion Paper on Privilege and Whistle Blower Protection.
DECEMBER 2005 - The Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR) is issuing this discussion paper on privilege and whistle-blower protection, two aspects of risk-based regulation. The privilege is for documents related to self-assessments. CCIR welcomes the comments, suggestions and ideas from stakeholders regarding the matters considered in this paper.
Manulife-Sinochem receives CIRC approval for Sichuan Provincial Branch License.
SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 5, 2006 - Manulife-Sinochem Life Insurance Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Canadian-based Manulife Financial, the world's fourth largest life insurance company, has received initial approval from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) for a Sichuan Provincial Branch license that permits a Branch operation to commence operation in the Provincial capital of Chengdu. Preparations are now underway to facilitate a second quarter opening.
Consumer Information
HealthQuotes.ca announces the launch of its Health and Travel Insurance Blog.
Toronto ON 5 January 2006 - HealthQuotes.ca Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of its Health and Travel Insurance Blog. We will be posting blog articles that are of use to Canadians, and encourage feedback via comments. We hope that this will establish a new dialogue between us as brokers and the Canadian public.
2005 Top 10 Insurance Crimes: New members inducted to the insurance crime hall of shame.
Canada's home, car and business insurers have released their annual Top 10 Insurance Crimes list, highlighting some of the strangest and most audacious insurance frauds and auto theft cases uncovered by insurance investigators in 2005.
Operation Red Nose brings 6,575 people home safely this holiday season: Insurance Bureau of Canada.
TORONTO, Jan. 6, 2006 - York Region Police Chief Armand La Barge, President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, today congratulated Canada's home, car and business insurers and Ontario Safety League for their sponsorship of Operation Red Nose.
Even one or two drinks can impair your judgement - ICBC.
Lists, lists and more lists. They seem to go hand in hand with the holiday season. Shopping to do, errands to run and parties to attend. But arranging a safe ride home should be at the top of the list for everybody attending holiday parties this month
Marketing and the Market Place
E-Mail, E-mail Everywhere! - eMarketer.
DECEMBER 30, 2005 - Ten years ago relatively few Americans had an e-mail address. Today very few do not. In its "Sixth Annual Consumer Email Study," DoubleClick posits that not only have consumers become increasingly reliant on e-mail, they have become more sophisticated in its use and more comfortable with marketers leveraging data to communicate with them.
Reference and Statistics
North American Life Insurance Activity Declines 1.4% in November: MIB.
(Westwood, Mass. - December 22, 2005) North American application activity for individually underwritten life insurance declined -1.4% in November, year-over-year, according to the MIB Life IndexSM. This marks the Index's tenth consecutive year-over-year decline for 2005. November's declines are half those observed for North American activity in October and September, -2.9% and -2.8%, respectively. Year-to-date (YTD), North American activity is off -3.1% for the last eleven months over the same period last year.
Managing Relationships and Customer Service
Accenture Survey Finds That Customer Loyalty Can Be Lost In a 'Click'.
NEW YORK - Dec. 21, 2005 - The Internet is making it easier than ever for consumers to research companies' products and services and take their business to different companies when their expectations are not met, according to a recent study released today by Accenture.
eBusiness and Technology
IDC Examines the Future of Email As It Navigates Security Threats, Compliance Requirements, and Market Alternatives.
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., December 22, 2005 - Although email remains the dominant form of electronic communication, it faces significant challenges from real-time communications, such as instant messaging, and from parasites, including viruses and spam, that threaten the health of the email host. In a newly published study, IDC predicts that nearly 84 billion emails, more than 33 billion of which will be spam messages, will be sent daily worldwide in 2006. For email to retain its status as the prevailing form of electronic communications, email solution providers and their customers must uphold the high value of email while reducing the associated costs and risks.
Gartner Consulting's Worldwide IT Benchmark Group Says Majority of Industries Will Cautiously Increase Worldwide IT Spending in 2006.
STAMFORD, Conn., January 4, 2006 - Following a period of cost cutting and reactive spending, organizations with more than $1 billion in revenue will be cautious when making their IT spending decisions in 2006, according to Gartner Consulting's Worldwide IT Benchmark Service.
Insurance in the Community
Aviva Canada employees raise over $394,000 for the United Way.
TORONTO, December 14, 2005 - It's another record breaking year for taking care of its communities as the Aviva Canada group, one of Canada's largest home, car and business insurers, and its generous employees raised over $394,000 for the company's 2005 United Way/Centraide campaign.
from Doug:
Thanks to you and the other visitors to Insurance-Canada.ca for another good year which saw growth of about 30% in activity. We will do our best this year to earn a repeat.
Fearing Murphy's Law, I am rather hesitant to suggest that so far winter has not been too bad here. Having now said it, I wonder what next week will bring?