Issue 2006-48: November 28, 2006
eBusiness and Technology
Tritech and Fusepoint Announce High Availability Data Centre Solution for P&C Insurance.
Toronto, November 23rd, 2006 Fusepoint and Tritech announce the implementation of a High Availability Data Centre solution for P&C companies. Combining the resources of Fusepoint's world class Five 9's data centre and Tritech's leading P&C solution. This new facility provides a full Enterprise solution supporting all lines of business for small and large P&C companies.To learn more see attached.
Information Builders and iWay Software Release DataMigrator 7.1 and Service Manager 5.5, Offering Most Complete Data Integration Platform for BI.
New York, NY – November 8, 2006 – Information Builders, the enterprise business intelligence (BI) standard of choice for organizations around the world, and its subsidiary iWay Software, an innovator of enterprise integration solutions, today announced the release of DataMigrator 7.1 and Service Manager (SM) 5.5 as part of a joint organizational road map for customer-facing, BI-related data integration issues.
Escalating Competition Spurring Breakthroughs In Analytics That Are Transforming The Insurance Business, ISO's Chief Says.
KISSIMMEE, Fla., November 13, 2006 — Spurred by intensifying competition, breakthroughs in analytics are transforming dynamics in insurance markets. Sophisticated insurers able to harness large volumes of high-quality data to drive decisioning all along the value creation chain can look forward to a long and prosperous future. But insurers unable to keep up in the intellectual and technological arms race face a grim prognosis, according to an industry leader.
Canadian Business Executives And Technology: The Future Is now - A C-Suite Executive Survey Conducted by Ipsos Reid, Sponsored By SAP Canada.
November 7, 2006 Toronto - Overall, today's technology executives seem captive to the pace of change in their environment. Simply meeting the challenge of keeping their organization's technology operational and integrated on a short-term basis is an all-encompassing responsibility. Most appear to have a difficult time removing themselves from the day-to-day rigors of their role and charting a long-term vision for their organization's technology needs.
IDC's Insurance Networking News and Financial Insights Announce InsureTopTech Ranking for 2007.
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. and CHICAGO, November 13, 2006 – Insurance Networking News and Financial Insights, an IDC company, announced the first annual "Voice of the Market" ranking for the insurance industry. This ranking, the InsureTopTech, will be exclusively driven by insurance companies in the United States and Canada and will rank the top insurance technology providers across several categories including insurance operations, developing products, and/or optimizing workflow.
Gomez Unveils Real-User Web Experience Measurement Service, Helping Ensure Superior Online Customer Experiences.
LEXINGTON, Mass., Nov. 13, 2006 - Gomez Inc., the leader in web application experience management solutions, today announced Gomez® Actual Experience XF™ (Experience First), the first on-demand service capable of providing an authentic measure of the online customer experience from a browser-based perspective.
Business of Insurance
ACE INA Insurance Establishes Montreal Property & Casualty Office; Alison Debroux Named Branch Manager.
TORONTO, Nov. 21 2006 - ACE INA Insurance, part of the ACE Group of Companies, today announced the opening of its new Montreal office. The office, located at 1800, avenue McGill College will provide commercial property and casualty insurance for the Quebec and Eastern Canadian market.
Product Announcements
Industry-leading enhancements to Trilogy® Universal Life from Empire Life help advisors tailor solutions to clients.
Kingston, ON – November 20, 2006 -- The Empire Life Insurance Company (Empire Life) today announced further enhancements to Trilogy, a universal life product that continues to evolve to meet the changing financial and wealth management needs of Canadians. The enhancements represent the largest number of revisions to the product since Trilogy Universal Life was first introduced in September 2000. "A great universal life product just got better," says Owen Rhoden, Manager of Life and Health Product Marketing.
Consumer Information
IBC: Canada's home, car, and business insurers sponsor Operation Red Nose to combat impaired driving during holidays.
The insurance industry is sponsoring Operation Red Nose (ORN) in seven Ontario communities, as well as others in Alberta and the Atlantic provinces. The The program offers a volunteer designated driver service for holiday revelers while raising money for charity.
IBC: Honda Civics Continue To Top The List Of Canada's Top 10 Stolen Vehicles.
TORONTO, Nov. 22 - Canada's car insurers have announced that, for the second year running, the 1999 and 2000 Honda Civics SiR 2-door hold the dubious distinction of topping this year's most frequently stolen vehicles list. The two models also had the third and fourth highest theft claims cost per vehicle. The highest theft claim cost per vehicle "honour" went to the third most frequently stolen vehicle, the 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX/WRX STi 4-door all-wheel-drive.
Manitoba Public Insurance and City of Winnipeg unveil new electronic warning signs to increase awareness of highest risk wildlife zones.
November 16 , 2006 - Manitoba Public Insurance and the City of Winnipeg will use electronic messaging boards to increase driver awareness of zones known to have high deer populations.
SGI: Message boards will alert drivers of poor road conditions.
Nov. 9, 2006 - Motorists will now be alerted of poor driving conditions on Regina's Ring Road and Highway #1 bypass thanks to new message boards stationed beside the roadway in four different locations.
Desjardins Financial Security survey reveals Canadians waiting too long to start planning for retirement.
TORONTO, November 9, 2006 - A survey released today by Desjardins Financial Security indicates the message that people need to stash away some savings for retirement is catching on with Canadians. The bad news is the message is not resonating with people until they reach their 30s or even into their 40s and beyond - making retirement a potential challenging time for people, both financially and socially.
Distribution
Advocis Launches New Best Practices Content and Platform.
November 21, 2006, Toronto, ON - Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada, launched a new web-based platform with revised and updated content for its industry-leading Best Practices Manual (BPM), today. New features help advisors turn industry codes, standards and ethics into practical and profitable best practices, regardless of practice discipline. The innovative web-based portal allows Advocis members to easily access, search and use the most comprehensive, up-to-date and practical best practices content available.
Marketing and the Market Place
Coastal Proximity Influences Support for Property Insurance Subsidies for Natural Disasters — Findings From a New IRC Study.
November 1, 2006 MALVERN, Pa.—A new report by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) shows that where people live in relation to the eastern and southern U.S. coasts influences their opinions on a range of issues related to natural disaster preparedness, mitigation, and insurance. The report, Public Attitude Monitor 2006, Issue 2, Influence of Coastal Proximity on Natural Disaster Preparedness and Planning, analyzes public opinion on issues related to natural disasters from the perspective of geographic residence, specifically where a respondent lives in relation to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
from Doug:
Now that Vancouver is covered in white, the Prairies are in the midst of a deep freeze, and our American friends have survived both Thanksgiving and Black Friday, I hope your run-up to Christmas and the New Year celebrations will be a good one. I am looking forward to a relaxing week at yearend; somewhat less so to the month between now and then.