This newsletter is for members of the Canadian Insurance Industry, and those who serve it. The newsletter is published weekly, and notes information mostly about the use of the Internet and related technologies in the industry. Some is international, where we feel it is relevant to Canada.
Claims
Edenvale Restoration Specialists Ltd. and Woodhouse Contracting Ltd. Merge to Form EW Disaster Kleenup L.P.; All are Disaster Kleenup Members.
Mississauga, Ontario, April 05, 2007 - Disaster Kleenup International Canada Ltd. ("Disaster Kleenup"), the largest network of restoration contractors in the country, is pleased to announce the first-ever merger of two member companies by way of a Canadian-based private equity group.
Allegient Systems Launches Insurance Industry's First Web-Based Independent Adjuster Bill Review Solution.
Wilton, CT, April 10, 2007 - Allegient Systems, a leading software and service provider which continues to set the standard in insurance related bill review, today announced that the company has launched its Independent Adjusters ASP Bill Review (IA ASP) program, the industry's only web-based end-to-end bill review solution designed specifically for independent adjusters.
Desjardins Financial Security acquires a license to the NewLink Vista Claims/Benefit Management Business Requirement Reference Model.
TORONTO, April 9, 2007 -- Desjardins Financial Security (DFS) acquired a license to NewLink's Vista™ Claims/Benefit Management Business Requirements reference model to support DFS' Claims process improvement and business requirements projects.
The Co-operators selects Guidewire ClaimCenter(R) to modernize end-to-end claims handling.
GUELPH, ON, and SAN MATEO, CA, April 11, 2007 - The Co-operators Group Ltd. (The Co-operators), the leading Canadian-owned, multi-product insurer (with over CAD $6.5 billion in assets and CAD $2 billion in gross written premium), and Guidewire Software(R), a leading provider of solutions to property and casualty insurers, today announced that The Co-operators has selected Guidewire ClaimCenter. The Co-operators will replace its current legacy claims system with Guidewire ClaimCenter for the end-to-end claims management of all personal and commercial lines of business.
Business of Insurance
Great-West Lifeco's U.S. subsidiary announces agreement to acquire third-party health plan administrator in Montana.
WINNIPEG, April 9, 2007- Great-West Lifeco Inc. today announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, has entered into an agreement to acquire an 80% majority interest in Benefit Management Corp., whose principal subsidiary is Allegiance Benefit Plan Management, Inc., a Montana-based third-party administrator of employee health plans. The existing majority shareholder will retain a 20% interest in Benefit Management Corp.
Insurance in the Community
ThinkFirst announces new lead sponsor - Aviva Canada: "ThinkFirst and Aviva Insurance - Safety for Canada's Kids."
Toronto (ON) March 19, 2007 - ThinkFirst Foundation of Canada is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Aviva Canada Inc. to collaborate and engage the public under the banner "ThinkFirst and Aviva Insurance - Safety for Canada's Kids."
Xactware Donates ILX Construction Training to 100 Homes in 100 Days.
Orem, Utah, April 11, 2007 - Xactware recently announced that it has provided access to their ILX Construction Training program free of charge to 100 Homes in 100 Days, a nonprofit organization that will rebuild or renovate 100 homes in Mississippi that were damaged as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Distribution
CSIO Announces Steven Kaukinen as President.
April 11, 2007, Toronto - On behalf of The Board of Directors at CSIO it gives me great pleasure to announce Steven Kaukinen as our new President, effective April 23, 2007. Steve brings with him a wealth of experience in all aspects of the P&C Business.
Consumer Information
Canadian Fire Chiefs Call for More Federal Involvement and Assistance.
OTTAWA, March 21, 2007—The failure of the federal Budget to respond to key concerns about a national first responder emergency coordination capacity and tax relief for volunteer firefighters has prompted the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) to call for an urgent meeting with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
Better rates for ICBC's best customers.
Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) rates will continue to be low and stable through 2007, with better rates on the horizon for lower-risk customers.
ICBC calls for changes to bad driving habits.
Apr 04, 2007 - Every day a least one person dies as a result of a motor vehicle crash on B.C. roads. And every day more than 215 people are injured - many of these injuries are life altering. This means since January, 98 people have died in car crashes in B.C. and 18,345 people have been injured, according to the five year average (2002 - 2006).
Marketing and the Market Place
Small business confidence makes solid gain in first quarter of 2007: CFIB.
March 28, 2007, Toronto - The latest Business Barometer by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business shows a solid gain in confidence within Canada's small and mid-size business sector. The CFIB Business Barometer Index now stands at 108.7 (1988=100), up from 107.0 in December. "This brings the index back up into its historic mid-range - which corresponds with a sustainable 2.5 to 3.0 per cent growth rate in Canada's GDP," said CFIB's chief economist, Ted Mallett.
Education
Wildfire Risk in Canada with Brian Stocks and Mike Wotton: Friday, April 27, 2007, by ICLR.
The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction is pleased to invite you to participate in a workshop with Brian Stocks, President, Wildfire Investigations Limited and Mike Wotton, Research Scientist, Canadian Forest Service.
Product Announcements
Aviva hits a hole-in-one with new insurance program.
March 20, 2007, Toronto, ON - Aviva Canada Inc., one of Canada's leading property and casualty insurance groups, is now offering hole-in-one insurance to organizations that sponsor golf tournaments across Canada.
Aon Re Global Launches Global Facultative Reinsurance Capabilities.
CHICAGO & LONDON 04 April 2007 - Aon Re Global, the world's leading provider of reinsurance brokerage and integrated capital solutions and services, today announced the launch of Aon Re Global Fac. The new structure of its facultative business enables Aon Re Global to broaden its regional facultative reinsurance brokerage capabilities to clients around the world.
eBusiness and Technology
IDC Reveals the Future of Email As It Navigates Through A Resurgence of Spam and Real-Time Market Substitutes.
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., April 9, 2007 - According to a newly published IDC study, a resurgence of spam and the increased frequency of being replaced by text messaging and voice over IP (VoIP) calling, especially among younger consumers and workers, will make it more difficult for email to maintain its status as the leading mission-critical electronic communications method.
From A Guest:
One of our producers – Robert Parker, Sales Executive – was asked last summer to participate in the CBC "The Great War" special, and is an actor in the series on Vimy Ridge that ran over two nights this past week. His great-grandfather fought in the war and his great-Uncle was killed in battle. He was in the Canadian Forces before joining us, and was asked to participate in this important historical production. His stories from the experience are really amazing. They spent two weeks in the heat of last summer in St. Bruno, Quebec in conditions similar to what our soliders in WW1 experienced, right up to the wool uniforms, and enacting face-to-face battles. We have an all staff meeting twice annually at Noble Insurance, and this past fall, we asked him to come in full dress and talk about his experience. It was really heart-tugging to hear what our brave fellow Canadians went through to secure the freedoms we seem to take for granted today. Visit www.greatwar.ca, which has his ancestral story, and clips from the production
– Laura Watson, B.A., General Manager, Howard Noble Insurance Limited; Collingwood, ON