Data Security Documents Finalized

Security for electronic data feeds is front and centre for many CLIEDIS member carriers.  They are looking at security protocol issues associated with their trading partners and want to ensure that the data is appropriately protected.  A carrier does not achieve competitive advantage by having a ‘different’ agreement than someone else. The data going to the distributor and their corresponding vendor systems is secured the same way, regardless of WHO is sending the data.  

A working group made of CLIEDIS carrier members and representatives from CAILBA was formed in order to address these concerns.  CLIEDIS, with input from the working group participants and other interested parties, has developed a single set of data protections that can serve as a master schedule.  The schedule has the potential to be applied to all confidential data received by trading partners across the industry, not only to CITS data feeds.   Accompanying the schedule is a Security Questionnaire that trading partners can utilize to understand how protections achieved.  A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document further explains the terms in the schedule. 

The working group continues to work through issues involving secondary transfer of data and the role of the service provider in these agreements.  

The documentation is available on the CLIEDIS website, Resource Centre. 

CLIEDIS is hosting a webinar on June 8, 2016 to provide an update on the results and discuss next steps.  CLIEDIS members can register for the webinar on the CLIEDIS website, News and Events.

CLIEDIS New Website is HERE 

CLIEDIS is excited to launch our new website. The greatest enhancements include the tracking of detailed implementation information for carriers' CITS feeds on the Implementation Progress page.  CLIEDIS business and technical resources are now housed in one location in the Resource Centre and set up so that everything you need is easy to find.  Videos of webinars are now being added.   Registering for CLIEDIS events is easier than ever.  There is even useful information defining the value of implementing CITS data feeds, from the perspective of a carrier, distributor or vendor. 

Please check it out!  You will be sure to learn something new!

CLIEDIS Annual Seminar Wrap Up

CLIEDIS held its annual seminar on April 7, 2016. This session was attended by over 100 people representing 45 companies.

The theme, Industry Under Pressure, resonated throughout the day. Highlights included a presentation by Jamie Greenfield, Senior VP, Strategic Implementation at HUB Financial on how HUB Financial is using the data feeds they receive today to achieve greater efficiencies. A humorous yet alarming presentation was given by Peter Cookson on the major data security breach that happened at Target and how that can happen to any company.  The compliance panel emphasized the CLHIA's Fair Treatment of Customers Act and the data needed in order to support these requirements.  This year's implementation panel focused on the real, practical issues faced when building feeds experienced by carriers and vendors alike. 

Presentations are downloadable from the CLIEDIS website, Resource Centre. 

Investment Executive Article Highlights Importance of Data

In an article published in the Insurance Executive on April 7, 2016 emphasized the need for more data, as highlighted from the CLIEDIS's Annual Seminar session on Pressures from Regulation.

Excerpt from the Article: 

Access to data and information is also necessary in order for MGAs to keep up with their compliance responsibilities, speakers at the conference said.  In some cases, distribution firms are not receiving copies of insurance applications that their advisors are submitting to carriers.
That raises a compliance concern, said Heather Clarke, vice president of insurance services at Investors Group.  "We need a copy of the application because we have a requirement to supervise our business," Clarke said.
Earleen Moulton, vice president of compliance at BridgeForce Financial Group, agreed that it's important for carriers to keep MGAs in the loop on any business happening between their advisors and carriers.
"The expectation of the MGA is to know the advisor," she said. "If they're dealing directly with the carrier, how do we, as an MGA, get information to ensure that we know that we have that complete and up-to-date and relevant picture of that advisor, to be certain that we're comfortable that the advisor is qualified and suitable to be offering that service and advice to the consumer?"

Read the entire article: Getting more client data vital for insurance agents

 Planning our Future

The CLIEDIS Executive Committee will be conducting a strategic planning session in June 2016. They will be reviewing the impact of the changes that were implemented following our last planning session in 2013.  The strategic changes shifted CLIEDIS’s focus from standards development to emphasize implementation support for CLIEDIS members developing CITS based data feeds. With the increase in implementations and focus on data feeds across the industry, it is time to make plans to ensure CLIEDIS is positioned to support this continued evolution.

New CLIEDIS Approvals – 2016 Summary

To date in 2016, CLIEDIS has approved the following CITS feeds: 

• Manulife for their CITS Base Policy for Inforce feed (April 2016)
• Empire Life for enhancements to their CITS Application Notification feed (January 2016 new product types, multiple insureds and split agents and May 2016 for corporate owners)
• SSQ for a Pending Case Status Feed (February 2016)

See the Implementation Progress section on the CLIEDIS website for details on these and all approved feeds along with CLIEDIS member carrier plans.  

Tracking Implementation Progress

With our new website, we now can track implementation information for all carriers' CITS feeds in detail.  The information on the website is only as current and accurate as what is shared with us. As a result, you will notice we have detailed information regarding plans, results, exceptions in some cases, while in others we have little to no detail.

TO ALL CARRIER MEMBERS:  We strongly encourage you to check what we have reported on your feeds and provide us with updated information so that we can make this tool as useful as possible.   Having complete and up-to-date information on the CLIEDIS website allows feed recipients and their service providers to go to the website instead of continually contacting you or making incorrect assumptions about your feeds. 

CLIEDIS Executive Committee Announced
At the CLIEDIS Annual General Meeting, held on April 7, 2016 the membership elected the CLIEDIS executive for 2016-2017. 

CLIEDIS Executive Committee 2016-2017:

• Alan Bett (Manulife) and Co-chair
• Andy Cunningham (PPI) and Co-chair
• David Brubacher (BMO Insurance)
• Tracey Cambridge (Global Pacific)
• Heather Clarke (Investors Group) and Treasurer
• Darlys Corbitt (Canada Life)
• Dennis Craig (RBC Insurance)
• Mike Daicoff (ivari)
• Mario Provencher (Financial Horizons)
• Jay Sankoff (Sun Life)