Issue 2010-42 -- October 19, 2010
This newsletter is for members of the Canadian Insurance Industry and those who serve it. The newsletter is published weekly, and notes information about the use of the Internet and related technologies in the industry, insurance products and the marketplace. Some is international, where we feel it is relevant to Canada.
Claims
CDRG is Proud to Announce The Acceptance of Service Sinistre Outaouais.
Founded in 2001, Service Sinistre Outaouais is a company that specializes in complete restoration services. Over the years Service Sinistre have become a leader for insurance-related losses in the Outaouais region, by offering a vast range of emergency services from cleaning to reconstruction. Although founded ten years ago, each of its directors and project managers possess over 15 years of experience in the industry. Service Sinistre is a member of CAA Habitation, APCHQ and ACQ, and Service Sinistre offers guaranteed services that are trusted and well executed.
Standard Life emphasizes the importance of organizational health.
MONTREAL, Oct 7 2010 - As part of Mental Illness Awareness Week, The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada would like to highlight the fact that organizational health is no longer an option but rather a responsibility and a competitive advantage Canadian companies cannot ignore.
Mitchell Signs Multi-Year Deal With Manitoba Public Insurance.
San Diego, CA-October 13, 2010 - Mitchell International, Inc., a leading provider of information, workflow and performance management solutions to the Property & Casualty claims and Collision Repair industries, today announced that Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI)-one of Canada's largest insurers-has signed a new multi-year deal with Mitchell to replace its legacy system with eGlassClaim™, which will manage the company's end-to-end glass claims processing needs.
FINEOS Concludes Successful Global Claims Summit in Chicago.
Dublin, Ireland, Oct 11, 2010 - FINEOS Corporation, a market leading provider of core software solutions for Insurance and Government Social Insurance, concluded its annual FINEOS Claims Global Summit in Chicago on Friday. This year's event was sponsored by FINEOS and selected key partners, and attended by representatives from over 16 organizations from the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe.
Guidewire Software for Claims Management Selected by Pohjola Insurance.
SAN MATEO, California, U.S.A., and HELSINKI, Finland, October 6, 2010 - Guidewire Software®, a leading provider of flexible core systems to non-life insurers, and Finnish financial services group, OP-Pohjola Group, today announced that its subsidiary, Pohjola Insurance, Finland's largest non-life insurer, has selected Guidewire ClaimCenter® as its new claims management system.
Managing Relationships and Customer Service
MajescoMastek Successfully Implements STG Billing for DAS Canada.
New York, NY-October 06, 2010-MajescoMastek, the U.S. subsidiary of global technology solutions provider Mastek Limited (NSE: MASTEK), announced today that DAS Canada, part of DAS Group, the global leader in Legal Expense Insurance, has gone live with the STG billing system to support the company's Canadian launch in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. This marks MajescoMastek's first billing implementation in Canada.
Distribution
Keal Technology Broker Management Systems Now Available on Apple Mobile Digital Devices.
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada - October 5, 2010 - Last week at the Partners in Education users conference, co-hosted by Keal Technology and their independent user group, Canadian Signassure/sigXP Users (CSU), Keal Technology, software provider for Canadian insurance brokers, announced their applications are now compliant with Apple mobile digital devices, including iPad. Keal clients operating in the Application Service Provider (ASP) environment can now access all hosted applications on several Apple devices, including iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch®.
Pathway Partners and Belyea Consulting Seminar: Broker Sales and Acquisition.
It seems that more and more organizations are putting on mergers and acquisition seminars for insurance brokers. However, none truly address the practical issues buyers and sellers must deal with during a transaction. Blending real-life issues and examples with a comprehensive outline of the challenges faced when closing a deal this seminar will prepare you like no other in buying or selling a brokerage.
New report from Eastbridge Consulting Group looks at underwriting practices in voluntary market.
AVON, CONNECTICUT, USA (September 22, 2010) - In today's competitive environment, voluntary insurers must deliver the service performance their producers and other customers expect. Underwriting is an area of intense focus for many producers. Carriers simply must measure up or they won't get the producer's business.
Our People
Advocis - CLU Institute unveils new name, logo and website.
October 13, 2010 - Toronto - The CLU Institute today unveiled a whole new look. Effective immediately, The CLU Institute will be known as The Institute for Advanced Financial Education. Along with the new name comes a new logo and website. This change marks the next step in the evolution of The Institute as a specialized designation-granting and standards-setting body for financial services practitioners in Canada.
eBusiness and Technology
Novarica Report Finds Commercial Lines Insurers' IT Strategies Focused on BI, Claims, Policy Admin, and Portals.
October 15, 2010 (NEW YORK) - In a new sector report published recently, Business and Technology Trends: Commercial Lines Insurers, research and advisory firm Novarica looks at recent technology initiatives by commercial lines insurers and highlights top issues for 2010-2011.
Business of Insurance
FSCO Introduces Electronic Downloadable Licences on October 1, 2010.
Effective October 1, 2010, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) will discontinue mailing paper licences and provide secure, electronic versions of insurance licences. There is no requirement under the Insurance Act for licensees to carry or maintain a printed version of a licence. Licensees, insurers, and the public can verify the status of a licence at any time on Licensing Link, FSCO's online licensing system.
New Product Announcements
Manulife Financial announces Executive LTD™ : Enhanced Disability Protection for Executives and Professionals.
WATERLOO, ON, Oct. 13 2010 - Manulife Financial is introducing Executive LTD, an innovative enhanced long term disability program designed to protect executives and professional employees. This meets the needs of Advisors and Employers seeking disability coverage to help close the income replacement gap for many higher income earners. Employers seeking a way of improving the long term disability programs they offer key employees now have a new option available for their group benefits plans.
Foresters Launches Legal Advice Service for USA Members.
TORONTO, ON, September 16, 2010 - Foresters, a life insurance provider committed to the well being of families, has launched Legal Link, the newest benefit to help Foresters members and their families. Legal Link connects Foresters members to free and discounted legal advice, whether it's a family will that needs review or a question about small claims court, traffic tickets or family law.
Marketing and the Market Place
Manulife Investor Sentiment Index rises slightly.
WATERLOO, ON, Oct. 12 2010 - After major swings in two earlier polls this year, Canadians seem to be holding their ground in how they view investments in the latest national poll for Manulife Financial, Canada's leading insurance and wealth management company. The 47th quarterly Manulife Investor Sentiment Index gained just one point in mid-September and showed stable results across most categories, after sharp changes in two quarterly surveys earlier this year.
Forrester: Social Networking Adoption Charges Ahead, Growth Of Other Social Behaviors Slowing.
Cambridge, Mass., September 28, 2010 . . . While global adoption of social networking is still on the rise, other forms of social interactions, such as content creation, experienced no substantial growth in the past year, according to Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR). "A Global Update Of Social Technographics®" is based on Forrester's Consumer Technographics® data from more than 275,000 consumers in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America. The report examines how consumers are engaging with social technologies using Forrester's global Social Technographics segmentation.
from Doug:
The weekend weather was wonderful here in the Toronto area. I invited my cousin whom I had last seen almost a year ago to join me in a visit to my parents, an hour's drive away. We caught up on family news. Her son, with his wife and child, is teaching for two years in a mountainous part of Colombia, home to his wife. My cousin paid a short visit in March but is going back for a longer one in December, when school has a lengthier break. Our visit also gave Dad a break - he is spending every day with Mom who has been in hospital now for almost two weeks. She is soon to move to restorative care for a stint of rehab. From there we don't know yet.