Issue 2005-23: June 7, 2005
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.
eBusiness and Technology
Information Builders to Offer Vertical Solution for Insurance Industry.
Toronto, ON - June 2, 2005 - Information Builders, the enterprise business intelligence (BI) standard of choice for organizations around the world, today announced that BearingPoint, Inc. (NYSE:BE), one of the world’s largest business consulting and systems integration firms, will help bring a packaged business intelligence solution to the insurance market. This solution is the first in a series of packaged applications that Information Builders plans to introduce this year.
Distribution
Applied Systems Extends Run of Interface Leadership Awards.
University Park, IL – May 26, 2005--Applied Systems again won awards for Download and Upload Vendor of the Year at the annual insurance industry event recognizing achievements in data standards implementation.
ACORD Awards Honor Outstanding Achievements by Companies and Solution Providers During 2005 Forum.
ORLANDO, FL - May 23, 2005 - The 13th Annual ACORD Awards ceremony recognizing achievements in ACORD data standards implementations was held at a special luncheon during the ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum in Orlando.
IVANS Transformation Station Real-Time Transactions Reach Record High.
ORLANDO, Fla. - May 23, 2005 - IVANS, Inc., the leading provider of e-commerce and networking solutions for the insurance and healthcare industries, announced at the ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum that Transformation Station™ (TS) transactions had reached a record high of more than two million.
CSIO Insurance Portal Status Update
Week ending June 3, 2005:
No update this week due to my absence.
Consumer Information
Compucage International Inc. to attend NRF Loss Prevention Conference & Exhibition.
Mississauga, ON (May 30, 2005) Compucage International Inc is pleased to announce it will be attending the June 27th to June 29th NRF (National Retail Federation) Loss Prevention Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, California.
SGI simplifies safe-driver recognition.
Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is simplifying the Safe Driver Recognition program by implementing one penalty per driver for multiple incidents that result from the same auto collision. The change will become effective July 1st, 2005.
2004 preliminary collision statistics from Saskatchewan.
June 3, 2005 -- Fewer people died on Saskatchewan roads last year, with the lowest number of fatal collisions ever recorded in a single year. In 2004, 126 people died as a result of traffic accidents in Saskatchewan.
For Healthcare Plan Members, Personal Responsibility Is On The Rise: Ipsos-Reid Survey.
May 20, 2005 Toronto, ON - Should people who smoke pay more for their employee health benefit plan? Some Canadian employees think so, according to a new survey. The research indicates that a sense of accountability is evolving. Respondents suggest those with unhealthy habits should pay more for their employee coverage and those who make healthy choices should be rewarded.
Nova Scotia WCB launches Priority Employer Program to help employers improve safety record.
BRIDGEWATER, NS, May 26 - In a speech to the Bridgewater Chamber of Commerce, Nancy MacCready-Williams, Chief Executive Officer of the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) of Nova Scotia, launched a new program to help companies with poor safety records improve their performance.
Managing Relationships and Customer Service
Manulife Mutual Funds ranks first in customer service for four consecutive years: Environics Research.
TORONTO, May 30, 2005 - For the fourth consecutive year, Manulife Mutual Funds, a division of Elliott & Page Limited, has been named among the best in Canada for customer service among its competitors, according to an ongoing study by Environics Research Group.
Claims
ICBC awarded nearly $3 million for staged crashes. Fighting fraud to keep insurance rates low and stable.
A B.C. Supreme Court jury has awarded ICBC almost $2.93 million in damages as a result of 12 fraudulent insurance claims – 10 of which involved “staged accidents” – that occurred in Lower Mainland in the late 1990s.
Insurance in the Community
Manulife Financial to donate $10,000 to Canadian Red Cross for Bridgewater-area Flood Relief.
BRIDGEWATER, NS, May 27, 2005 - Manulife Financial will donate $10,000 to assist those affected by heavy rains and flooding in the Bridgewater, Nova Scotia area.
2005 Lotopompier campaign: Industrial Alliance renews its commitment towards the Quebec Firefighters Foundation for Major Burn Victims.
QUEBEC CITY, May 30, 2005 - Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. is proud to partner with the Quebec Firefighters Foundation for Major Burn Victims for the fourth consecutive year as the title sponsor of the 22nd Lotopompier campaign. Lotopompier, which is the foundation's main fundraising activity, is a lottery that helps raise funds in Quebec to improve care given to major burn victims. Lotopompier tickets are on sale until July 5, 2005.
Standard Life Marathon to be held on Saturday June 11th.
MONTREAL, June 1, 2005 - The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada today announced that the 23rd annual Standard Life Marathon will be held on Saturday, June 11th at Mount Royal Park. The marathon's 5,000 runners and walkers are expected to raise $350,000.00 for pediatric research.
Marketing and the Market Place
National Population Projections: Actuarial Study No. 4 May 2005: Office of the Chief Actuary, OSFI.
"This is the first study of the national population projections for Canada published by the Office of the Chief Actuary (OCA). The primary purpose of the study is to provide an estimate of the future size and composition of the population of Canada. Specifically, the projections provide long-term estimates of the number of births, deaths, immigrants, emigrants, and age and sex composition of the Canadian population.
Policy and Product Management
Policy Administration Systems 2005: P/C Personal Lines Vendors
Report Published by Celent - Detailed Profiles and Comparisons of 19 Personal Lines Systems.
Boston, MA, May 26, 2005. Since 2003, the landscape has changed significantly for P/C policy administration systems. First year TCO has dropped significantly in lockstep with a major influx of newer technologies such as .NET, Java, SOA, Web services, and ACORD XML. Implementation times have grown shorter as vendors make use of new technologies and their own improved experience levels. The majority of solutions are considerably better today at what they do today than they were two years ago.
eReinsure Receives Four ACORD Awards Leading reinsurance platform recognized for work on XML integration.
Salt Lake City, Utah, May 23, 2005 – eReinsure.com, Inc., a provider of ecommerce technology to the insurance and reinsurance industries, today announced that it has received four awards recognizing it’s leadership in web based technologies for reinsurance and in implementing ACORD XML message standards.
from Doug:
Just back from five days in Regina at our Heritage Conference. Helped the Lieutenant Governor to unveil a cairn with two plaques to the Loyalist Settlers of Saskatchewan. Enjoyed tours of the business and culture in the area, meetings, events and lots of networking, and way too much good food. A fellow worker from my previous career whom I had not seen in fifteen years happened upon us.
....but it is tough getting back into the work routine now.