Moves & Views (July 01, 2008)

1 In the most recent Canadian Underwriter online poll we asked: “Have insurance companies managed the market cycle well over the past 12 months?” Only 29.41% are confident insurers have held the line on underwriting discipline. The other 70.59% felt insurers have failed to manage the market cycle well over the past year.

2 Les Assurances Gaudreau, Demers et Associes Inc. successfully completed the first-ever electronic download of a commercial insurance quotation in Canada using the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) XML standards. On Apr. 9, 2008, a commercial insurance quotation was downloaded from ING’s GoBrio web-quoting site into Les Assurances Gaudreau, Demers et Associes’ Policy Works system using the Policy Works eMarketing functionality. “This is a very exciting day for everyone at Policy Works Inc.,” said Policy Works president Kevin Campbell. “Congratulations to Les Assurances Gaudreau, Demers et Associes Inc. for being the first brokerage in Canada to download a commercial quotation. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to ING for sharing our vision. Together we are building solutions that help our brokers to better serve their clients.”

3 SCOR Group has established a “hub” structure for the Americas in New York, encompassing SCOR Canada, SCOR US, and SCOR Global Life Re US. Henry Klecan Jr. [3A] is the managing director of the hub. He will remain CEO of SCOR Canada and SCOR Re and will be SCOR’s representative in the Americas for all corporate matters relating to the SCOR Group as a whole. Jean-Paul Conoscente is the treaty property and casualty chief underwriting officer for the Americas. Reporting to him will be Patrick McGuiness [3B] for Canada. “SCOR writes 20% of its business in the Americas,” said Francois de Varenne, group chief operating officer of the hub. “The hub structure lends itself particularly well to this region in view of its sheer size and diversity.”

4 The Insurers Financial Group was the 2008 recipient of a business achievement award from the Richmond Hill, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented at the 17th annual gala awards dinner at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel. Michael Freedman, president and CEO of The Insurers Financial Group, accepted the award on behalf of the company. He cited the company’s Partners in Risk program, combined with the dedicated and knowledgeable sales and service staff, as key factors in the organization’s success.

5 Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Company of Canada has been rebranded; it is now known as RSA. Created 10 years ago after a merger between Sun Alliance and Royal Insurance, the company has weathered some fundamental changes since that time. In light of that, the company says it felt it was the right time to modernize its identify to support its profitable growth strategy. “RSA reflects where we are today as a company and where we’re headed,” says Rowan Saunders, president and CEO. “Our new logo reflects an RSA that keeps you moving, protecting what’s most important to you, while you get on with the business of living life.”

6 The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), The Co-operators and the Downtown Guelph Business Association have partnered in the creation of the disaster- planning program called ‘Open for Business.’

Launched in Guelph, Ontario, the pilot program consists of a disaster planning folder, a guide and a planning toolkit to help small businesses prepare for business interruption. During the pilot project, kits will be distributed to raise awareness of the program and assist local companies with business continuity planning throughout the summer. “Research tells us that at least one in four small businesses forced to close for a period after a loss never reopens,” says Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of The Co-operators and chairperson of the ICLR. “Those that do [reopen] struggle to remain in business.” Smaller businesses tend to lack the resources to develop robust business continuity plans, which are standard among larger businesses. “This program is designed to help them do just that, so that they can better protect their investments and livelihood,” Bardswick adds.

7 Pottruff & Smith Insurance Brokers Inc. has been recognized as one of this year’s 50 Best Workplaces in Canada by Great Place to Work Institute Canada. The competition process is based on two criteria: two-thirds of the total score comes from a 57- statement survey completed by a random selection of employees, who included their open-ended comments about their organization. The remaining one-third of the score comes from an in-depth review of the organization’s culture — including an evaluation of HR policies and procedures. The people working for the insurance brokerage give it a critical competitive edge, Michael Fitzgibbon, president of Pottruff & Smith Insurance Brokers Inc., says in a press release. “This is a team you want to keep for a long time. The Best Workplaces initiative was a great way to hold up the mirror on how we create an environment that communicates exactly that.”

8 Kernaghan Adjusters Ltd. has appointed Blair McGregor [8A] to the position of branch manager in Vancouver. Mark Sherwood [8B] has been promoted to the position of assistant branch manager. McGregor has more than 25 years of expertise in multiline claims management and loss control. Sherwood has 25 years of multi-line claims experience as an independent adjuster in B. C. and Alberta — including complex commercial property and liability, professional liability and motor carrier cargo claims.

9 Cunningham Lindsey Canada Claims Services Ltd. has launched its Causation Forensic Specialists (CFS) division. The division is lead by Bernard (Bernie) Lefebvre, a fire investigator. “CFS fills a very specialized niche that falls under a branch of causation forensics known as fire origin and cause determination,” said Robert Seal, president and CEO of Cunningham Lindsey Canada Claims Services Ltd. “The use of this type of expertise is required when fire losses involve large quantum, injury, suspicious circumstances, subrogation and potential litigation. Properly determining the origin and cause of a fire can impact all of these elements of a claim.” Lefebvre has more than 30 years of experience with the Ottawa Police Service. He spent 15 years in criminal investigations and 14 years as a fire investigator. He has investigated more than 600 property and motor vehicle fires.

10 Keal Technology and Canadian Signassure/sigXP User group (CSU) have entered into a partnership to deliver education to their clients. The partnership will see Keal and CSU come together to offer educational conferences to Keal clients starting Sept. 25 and 26, 2008 in Toronto. The companies say their newly established partnership will benefit clients through enriched session content to enhance return on investment in Keal applications and training. They also note they will be collaborating together to address client needs while maintaining objectivity as required. The newly created events are intended to increase attendance and amplified peer-to-peer collaboration. They will also increase awareness of Keal applications and services through demo stations to enhance broker workflows.