Issue 2006-46: November 14, 2006
Claims
Symbility Mobile Claims Solution Recognized in Categories of Best Tablet PC Application and Best Enterprise Software for Field Inspections.
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Oct. 23, 2006) - Symbility Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Automated Benefits Corp., today announced it received two Mobile Star Awards(TM) from Mobile Village(R) for its Symbility mobile claims(TM) solution. The product received a Gold Star award for best Tablet PC Application and a Bright Star award in the Field Inspections Software category.
Distribution
Dominion of Canada General Insurance Implements Applied Systems WARP.
Toronto, Ontario— October 17, 2006— The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company announced that brokers using The Agency Manager (TAM)® across Canada now have access to The Dominion's Broker Portal Update and Broker Portal Inquiry websites through Applied Systems WARP technology.
Western Financial Group Acquires 25% Initial Ownership in Hayhurst Elias Dudek Inc.
High River, Alberta – October 31, 2006 Western Financial Group announced today that it has acquired a 25% initial interest in Hayhurst Elias Dudek Inc., the largest independent insurance broker/administrator in Manitoba.
Case Has Strengthened for Broader Access to Insurance Products: C.D. Howe Institute Study.
TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2006 - With federal financial services legislation up for renewal in spring 2007, an outstanding question is whether a prohibition should continue on banks selling most kinds of insurance in their branches. In "Insurers and Banks: Levelling the Regulatory Playing Field," author Mark R. Daniels examines the debate and asks: is it time to let more competition in the market?
Online ACORD Form Eliminates Need for Redundant Info Requests.
PEARL RIVER, NY - October 26, 2006 - To eliminate redundant information requests, the ACORD-User Groups Information Exchange (AUGIE) is promoting a new questionnaire form that lets independent agencies organize data commonly requested by carriers.
Consumer Information
Kanetix offers two new travel insurance products available for quoting online.
TORONTO, Nov. 9 - Kanetix announces the addition of all-inclusive and trip cancellation/interruption travel insurance products to its travel insurance quote comparison service.
Canadian Snowbird Association urges travelling Canadians to obtain a passport and travel medical insurance.
TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2006 - For the past five years, Canadians have been obtaining passports at an increasingly steady rate. In 2001/02, over 1.7 million passports were issued at a time when approximately 27 per cent of the Canadian population held a valid passport. In 2005/06, over three million passports were issued and 40 per cent of the Canadian population now hold a valid passport.
CIHI: Falls from ladders send 23 people a day to Ontario emergency departments.
November 8, 2006—In Ontario, 8,366 people visited an emergency department (ED) because of a fall from a ladder in 2004–2005, according to new data released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The autumn season, when people are preparing their homes for winter or cleaning up around the garden, accounted for the highest number of visits to the ED (3,211) and the highest number of admissions to hospital (403) for falls from ladders.
Statistics Canada Study: Trends in weight change among Canadian adults: 1996/1997 to 2004/2005.
November 6, 2006 - Canadian adults keep putting on weight, but indications are that the pace at which they are gaining has slowed down, according to a new report. The report was based on data from the National Population Health Survey, a longitudinal survey that has followed the same group of people every two years, on six separate occasions, between 1994/1995 and 2004/2005. Data for height and weight for this survey were self-reported. This study is based on data from 1996/1997 to 2004/2005.
TIRF releases educational primer for judges on ignition interlocks.
October 16, 2006 - The Traffic Injury Research Foundation has just released an educational primer for judges on ignition interlocks entitled, "Ignition Interlocks: From Research to Practice." This user-friendly document is designed to provide judges with comprehensive information addressing the scientific, technical, and practical challenges and issues that are often raised regarding interlocks.
eBusiness and Technology
TowerGroup: Insurance Carriers are Embracing Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).
Needham, MA, October 17, 2006 - The insurance industry is rapidly embracing Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), as well as related Web services and standards, according to new TowerGroup research conducted in partnership with ACORD. The comprehensive industry survey was designed to gain an understanding of the readiness, state of adoption, and challenges of SOA, Web services and use of standards across the insurance industry.
Marketing and the Market Place
SAS® bolsters Customer Intelligence solutions for the Enterprise Marketing Management market.
CARY, NC (Nov. 02, 2006) - SAS, the leader in business intelligence, further bolstered its rich suite of solutions for the Enterprise Marketing Management market with new releases of key Customer Intelligence offerings. SAS Marketing Automation and SAS Marketing Optimization are now better than ever at cutting through the marketing clutter to help companies reach key audiences and boost the profitability of marketing activities.
Ipsos Business Intelligence (BI) Survey: Concerns About Junk-Mail, SPAM, And Invasions Of Personal Privacy Main Concerns.
November 7, 2006 Vancouver, BC— According to a province-wide online study of nearly 600 adult BC and AB residents conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA), consumers are very knowledgeable and supportive of companies that conduct business intelligence (BI) activities, and personally participate in a wide number of these activities. However, consumers are also very skeptical and suspicious about data mining, and have significant concerns about invasion of personal privacy, and the potential misuse of this information.
Manulife Bank survey suggests 70 per cent of Canadian homeowners are unaware of the real cost of their home purchase.
WATERLOO, ON, Nov. 7, 2006 - Less than one-third of Canadian homeowners in a national survey say they understand how much it costs for a mortgage when they buy a home, according to a Maritz Research telephone omnibus poll for Manulife Bank of Canada.
Private Health Insurers' Roles To Expand As National Healthcare Costs Soar, Projects PricewaterhouseCoopers.
31 October 2006 - Governments around the world are looking to expand the role of private insurers as a source of funding the delivery of healthcare, according to a new report issued today by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The report entitled "Healthy Choices: The Changing Role of the Health Insurer," forecasts that the threat to governments' fiscal objectives from rising public sector health expenditures will drive the expansion of private sector contributions, and this trend will reshape the health insurance business model globally.
Business of Insurance
Lloyd's welcomes landmark Equitas deal.
20/10/2006 - Lloyd's, the world's leading specialist insurance market, today welcomed the announcement of a transaction between Equitas and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Once completed this will end the residual legal liabilities of Lloyd's and bring finality to Names reinsured by Equitas.
New Swiss Re sigma study on credit insurance and surety: Increasing trade calls for better risk management by providers, creating opportunities for insurers.
11 Oct 2006 - Credit insurance compensates companies when their clients fail to pay for goods or services. Surety compensates beneficiaries when the obligor defaults on a contractual, legal or regulatory obligation. These two lines of business are crucial to the economy. By shifting risks away from companies and public institutions, they facilitate commerce and contribute to economic stability and growth.
from Doug:
At the side of our house, by the gate through which we pass as we come and go, is a red-leafed Japanese maple, about ten feet in height. When Fall comes, the red colour changes and the leaves seem to become more translucent. Especially when the sun shines - all too rare this Fall - the tree is most beautiful. We have quite enjoyed it since our return in mid-October, until last week when the combination of wind, rain and cold tore the leaves from the branches. Although the big ugly yellow leaves of the ivy still hide much of the nearby house wall, the magic of Fall is now over. Like the soldiers we remembered during Veteran's Week and Remembrance Day, only very different of course in context and meaning, those red leaves are a memory we will savour over the winter.