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…
ING strengthens B.C. position
February 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterING Canada, through its Calgary-based subsidiary Western Union Insurance, has entered into a strategic alliance with B.C.-based BCAA. Under the agreement, ING will purchase BCAA’s subsidiary, BCAA Insurance Corporation, for undisclosed terms. BCAA will continue to sell home and auto…
Call centres notch premiums
February 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterPremiums generated by call centres in Canada have risen by 96% since 1994, says Ted Belton who addressed the Strategy Institute Call Centre Conference recently. Belton notes the more traditional distribution methods generated premiums at a lower 20% growth rate…
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…
Hub/Co-operators on partnership bandwagon
February 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterCo-operators General Insurance Company is the latest insurer to take an ownership position in a broker network, trading its equity holdings in Ontario-based Barton Insurance Brokers to the Hub Group in exchange for an approximate 10% stake of the latter’s…
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…
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…
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…
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…
BELAIRdirect goes online
January 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterBELAIRdirect, a division of ING Canada, has raised the stakes in direct insurance by going to the Internet as a means of distribution. The direct writer launched its online car insurance quotation system in December. The first of its kind…
Lindsey Morden shaves off Hambro interests
January 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterLindsey Morden Group has sold Hambro Assistance (HA) to Eastgate Group Limited of London England for $132.4 million. HA, which provides telephone helplines and other assistance services in the United Kingdom, is a unit of Lindsey Morden’s Hambro Insurance Services…
U.S. cat losses continue
January 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterCatastrophe losses continued to dampen U.S. property and casualty underwriters’ results for the third quarter of 1998, according to A.M. Best Company. The industry’s net income for the period fell 15% from the previous year’s level, due to higher underwriting…