E-signatures, commercial lines among CSIO’s upcoming focus areas

The Centre for Study of Insurance Operation (CSIO) is working to build on the progress it has made over the past year to transform its vision to improve broker channel efficiencies and deliver leading-edge technology standards from words to concrete action, CSIO chairman Steve Whitelaw suggested Tuesday during the centre’s annual general meeting in downtown Toronto.

“Upcoming initiatives include e-signatures and we will continue to work, with one of our focus areas being commercial lines,” Whitelaw, senior vice president of business solutions for The Dominion, told attendees of the AGM.

“Last year, the board had just released its mission statement and strategy,” he said, pointing to the substantial progress made on the execution of CSIO’s strategy since then. That progress includes the following:

• The release of eDocs, which has improved workflow efficiencies for brokers and insurers by allowing automatic attachment of electronic documents to broker downloads;
• The development of several commercial lines forms, such as the commercial insurance application;
• The release of XML standards 1.22 and 1.23; and
• Upgrades to the CSIOnet virtual private network – currently used by more than 2,000 brokers, insurers and vendors across Canada – to enhance security and create more stable connectivity for brokers and insurers to transmit data.

With regard to the standard process, CSIO’s 2012 annual report notes that the process was evaluated and cycle times have been reduced from six months to one month.

So far in 2013, CSIO has launched a new website; produced educational videos and webinars, including a webinar on transport layer security educational materials; and released a number of commercial lines forms, including commercial insurance, commercial umbrella liability insurance and commercial general liability insurance applications.

At the AGM, members passed a resolution to approve articles of continuance and bylaw No. 1, which conforms to new federal requirements. The Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act “provides federal not-for-profit corporations with a new set of rules that are modern, flexible and better suited to the needs of today’s not-for-profit sector,” notes information from the federal government.

In the annual report, Whitelaw also welcomed three new directors to the CSIO board: Robert Merizzi, CIO and executive vice president of business systems transformation at Aviva Canada; Jeff Goy, vice president of insurance products at Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company and Bill Simms, commercial accounts director for Crosbie Job Insurance.