Category: CatIQ Platform

becoming the norm and extreme events like the Calgary and Toronto Floods in 2013 have caused unprecedented economic impacts. These catastrophic events, which directly impact the Canadian public, require industry, academia and all levels of government to work together before, during and after these events.

With such a great need to build collaboration and resilience, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) today announced its inaugural conference to address what is foremost on all our minds. CatIQ’s Canadian Catastrophe Conference (C4) will take place on February 1 & February 2, 2016 at the Toronto Region Board of Trade in Toronto, Ontario. The conference will provide an overview of catastrophes, discuss strategies in catastrophe management, and explore sector perspectives.

The C4 event is being shaped by a senior 14 person Advisory Committee from the key sectors impacted. The two-day conference which will bring together panels and speakers is being designed to “Connect the Dots” between Industry, Government and current research taking place in Academia.

The Senior Advisory Committee Members for C4 2016 include:

• Jim Abraham, former Director General, Weather Environmental Monitoring, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada
• Joel Baker, President and CEO of MSA Research Inc. & CatIQ Inc.
• Glenn Gibson, C4 2016 Emcee, Vice-Chairman Hamilton Tiger-Cats & former EVP and Global Chief Strategy Officer of Crawford & Company
• Steve Johnston, Director of Reinsurance, The Co-operators
• Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) & CEO, PACICC
• Caroline Larrivée, Team Leader – Vulnerability Impacts & Adaptation, Ouranos
• Skip McHardy, VP Canadian Catastrophe Operations, Catastrophe Response Unit (CRU) Inc.
• Mazdak Moini, VP Commercial Lines & Reinsurance, Aviva Canada
• Christoph Oehy, Head Treaty Underwriting – SVP, Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd.
• Carolyn Rennie, Director of Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ Inc.
• Sean Russell, Managing Director, Guy Carpenter Canada
• Jason Thistlethwaite, Director, Climate Change Adaptation Project (CCAP), University of Waterloo
• Pat Van Bakel, President & CEO, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
• Rebecca Wagner, Manager, Prediction Services Operations – Central Region, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada

“We are delighted to have assembled such a stellar advisory committee that truly bring cross-sector and multi-regional perspectives to the complex area of catastrophe management,” said CatIQ’s Director of Catastrophe Loss Analysis, Carolyn Rennie. “Thanks to them, the agenda that is taking shape will resonate across all sectors that are impacted by CATs”.

Registration information and the complete agenda will be released in September on www.catiq.com/c4/savethedate.

Available Now to CatIQ Subscribers

Toronto (May 14, 2015) – Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) today released the first phases of two brand new features to its online subscription-based Platform (www.catiq.com): CatWATCH™ and Analysis Dashboard.

CatIQ reports on natural and man-made disasters causing catastrophic damage and provides catastrophe (CAT)1 or notable event (NE)2 declarations based on estimated property losses. When CatIQ declares an event, a plethora of information is available on CatIQ’s Platform including a geographic footprint, initial bulletin with meteorological insight (if applicable), and related media. Although CatIQ’s detailed reporting is available within 1-2 days of the event, there is a need for more real-time information.

“During consultation with the industry, it became very apparent that advanced warning of impending conditions which may develop into catastrophic events is extremely important. Since we are already tracking events and collecting information in order to make CAT declarations, it makes sense to share this information with our users,” commented Carolyn Rennie, CatIQ’s Director of Catastrophic Loss Analysis and in-house meteorologist.

CatWATCH™ is being created to provide updates on possible CATs monitored by CatIQ. CatWATCH™ features will be rolling out over the next couple of months beginning with Phase 1 – CatWATCH™ Alerts. Notification about potential CATs is extremely important as Canada approaches what Carolyn calls, “CAT Season”. These updates will come in the form of CatWATCH™ Alerts. The Alerts will be released to CatIQ subscribers for 5 different watch types: Severe Weather Watch, Tropical Storm Watch, Flood Watch, Forest Fire Watch, and Winter Storm Watch.

CatWATCH™ Alerts will include geographic footprints of the areas which may be impacted, information on which perils may occur or are occurring, as well as possible property damage and preparation related to each watch type. These CatWATCH™ Alerts and subsequent updates, prior to a catastrophe occurring, could assist in the mobilization of claims staff, adjusters and emergency management officials or used in policy holder outreach.

Today CatIQ has also released its ground-breaking Analysis Dashboard. Participating insurance companies have the ability to benchmark themselves with the rest of the industry and monitor trends in CAT loss estimates. The Analysis Dashboard is also integrated with data from MSA Research, CatIQ’s sister company, to provide an estimate of the impact of a specific CATs on direct loss ratios. Analysis Dashboard Phase 2 – Multi-CAT, is currently under development and will provide reports and analytics for multiple CAT events.

CatIQ Users will find out more about both features at this afternoon’s interactive Training Webinar.

Toronto (August 13, 2014) – Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) and Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. (Crawford) today announce that Crawford has joined CatIQ’s Industry Partners Program whereby Crawford will provide CatIQ’s users with actionable real-time information from Catastrophe Zones (Cat Zones) across Canada via its proprietary CatHUB interface within the www.catiq.com platform.

CatIQ’s Industry Partners Program is an important layer of information that users will only find in CatIQ’s CatHUB interface consisting of photos, videos and text based reporting from catastrophe zones.

Crawford’s extensive network and national reach will enable CatIQ’s users to benefit from exclusive photos, videos and text-based reporting from catastrophe zones across Canada immediately following the catastrophe and as the recovery process progresses.

“We are thrilled that Crawford, the world’s largest independent provider of claims management solutions has joined this program for the industry’s benefit” said Joel Baker, CEO, CatIQ. “Crawford’s reach will give CatIQ’s users excellent visibility into the complexities that quickly arise in the wake of catastrophes and help insurers respond more effectively.”

“We look forward to being part of such a unique program and having the opportunity to help our industry during difficult times,” said Pat Van Bakel, CEO, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. “CatIQ’s innovative system and Crawford’s experience in handling catastrophic losses will help users access important, detailed information when they need it the most.”

About Crawford

Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crawford & Company. Based in Atlanta, Ga., Crawford & Company (www.crawfordandcompany.com) is the world’s largest independent provider of claims management solutions to the risk management and insurance industry as well as self‐insured entities, with an expansive global network serving clients in more than 70 countries. The Crawford Solution℠ offers comprehensive, integrated claims services, business process outsourcing and consulting services for major product lines including property and casualty claims management, workers compensation claims and medical management, and legal settlement administration. The Company’s shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbols CRDA and CRDB.

Toronto (July 29, 2014) – Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) and Catastrophe Response Unit Adjusters Inc. (CRU) today announce that they have entered into an agreement whereby CRU will provide CatIQ with actionable real-time information from Catastrophe Zones (Cat-Zones) in Canada to be shared with CatIQ’s subscribers across the Canadian insurance industry via its proprietary CatHUB interface within the www.catiq.com platform.

CRU will be the first industry partner to provide CatIQ’s users with photos, videos and text-based reporting from Cat Zones across Canada within the first hours and days following the Cat and then periodically as the recovery process unfolds. Industry Partner reports from Cat Zones are a valuable addition to CatIQ’s CatHUB interface.

“We are delighted that CRU stepped up to become our first industry partner” said Joel Baker, CEO CatIQ. “CRU’s reports from the field will be invaluable to many of CatIQ’s users especially in claim departments as they work to assess the damage immediately after a catastrophe strikes.”

“As the frequency and severity of Catastrophes have increased, CRU has become the foremost leader in catastrophe response in Canada, helping insurers serve their clients, in times of greatest need.” said Kyle Winston, President of CRU. “We are pleased to once again be at the leading edge as a partner to CatIQ , supplying accurate and timely industry wide catastrophe information.”

About CRU

Catastrophe Response Unit is a Canadian independent adjusting company. Operating throughout North America, CRU provides disaster and catastrophe services and consultation with adjusting specialties in residential, commercial, auto, and environmental claims. Utilizing the latest technology and industry-proven processes, we provide exceptional customer service while managing the loss adjusting expense and indemnity of every claim. www.cruadjusters.com