Features
Solutions from the Ashes
February 1, 1999 Lowell ConnThe Synchron initiative, once heralded as the industry’s ultimate electronic interface solution between companies and point of sale, collapsed last year. From its ashes have risen several alternative solutions, one of the most prominent being The Freedom Alliance, a strategic…
Ice Storm Lessons learnt
February 1, 1999 Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, Institute for Catastrophic LossAt the time, it captivated Canadians across the country and even today is at the top of book best seller lists. The raw power of nature displayed by the ice storm which paralyzed south eastern Ontario, Quebec and parts of…
Jokers Wild
February 1, 1999 Sean van Zyl, EditorJust over half a year has elapsed since the burial of Synchron. Since then, little appears to have been achieved in finding a replacement solution to the industry’s drive for a single interactive technology interface solution. Add to which, recent…
ebix.com lifts technology bar
February 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterDelphi Information Systems Inc., another supplier of broker management software, has released details of a new web browser-enabled policy management system. Located at www.ebix.com, ebix.com provides carriers and brokers with a data exchange system that allows brokers to send information…
Earnings squeeze on U.S.
February 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterU.S. insurers will feel the earnings pinch this year, with many companies forced to take on riskier investment exposures to bolster their bottom-lines, says Ernst & Young’s 1999 “State of the Insurance Industry” report. Other findings warn the U.S. property…
AutoRate Warning
February 1, 1999 Linda Matthews, COO of Royal & SunAllianceOntario’s auto insurance regulations under Bill 59, and the latest revisions under Bill 90, have created a unique legislative environment in the provincial governing of consumer insurance. So much so that several provincial insurance regulators have eyed the legislation as…
Hi-tech streamlines car rental process
February 1, 1999 Matt Darrah, vice president of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, TorontoConsistency and convenience have been earmarked as the key factors likely to satisfy the consumer of the future. The rapid advancements made on the technology front over recent decades are largely responsible for this shift in consumer expectations. To survive…
Financial MANAGEMENT LIABILITY
February 1, 1999 Shelley BoyesBugs, big deals, bad spills and a certain public official’s sexual high crimes and misdemeanors were all key factors driving the corporate insurance market throughout 1998. And the same scary financial exposures will likely be very much in the minds…
Where the paper trail stops
February 1, 1999 Philip Sceviour, President of Panda Systems Inc.With most insurance claims the paper trail starts with an incident report. The incident report is then prepared as a claim report by the internal claims handler who in turn creates a paper track process. A third party adjuster then…
Reinsurers partner on weather trades
February 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterNew York-based Worldwide Weather Trading (WWT), a trading company dealing exclusively in weather hedges, has announced agreements with 10 reinsurers to underwrite its trading risk. With the announcement, the company unveiled its new trading offices in New York, facilitating full-scale…
On The Move (February 01, 1999)
February 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterHannover Re has announced the appointment of Dr. Detlef Steiner to the Executive Board at Hannover Re for the North American market, for worldwide facultative reinsurance and claims. Until 1998, Steiner was a member of the Corporate Executive Board at…
WWW.SEEKING YOU
February 1, 1999 Andy WalkerInstant communication has come to the computer desktop through a miraculous little software company called Mirabilis. The Tel Aviv based company has revolutionized communication across the Internet with its innovative little program called ICQ which translates to the not-quite-acronym “I…