PEAK Wins Best of Category at
Canadian Information Productivity Awards Gala

MONTREAL, Quebec – November 22, 2001, PEAK Financial Group was recognized at the CIPA Gala in Toronto, for its proprietary automated client management system. It received the Best of Category Award in the Small Business category for its Aquila and PEAKonline solutions. Further information on the award and the gala event can be obtained via this video from CIPA. 

“We are proud of our accomplishments in providing leading-edge technology solutions to our representatives and brokers”, states Robert Frances, President and CEO of PEAK Financial Group. “This prestigious award reinforces the importance that technology plays in the overall efficiency of our business.” PEAK also won the Hewlett Packard Innovation in Technology Award in 2000.

Aquila is designed to provide PEAK financial planners and brokers with the tools to electronically manage their clients’ portfolios. The first version of Aquila was introduced in 1996 and, since then, has had several upgrades to address new technology needs. “We have upgraded Aquila to meet the rapidly growing needs of our representatives”, says Gilles Bouillon, Vice-President, Operations and Technology. “For example, we are way ahead of our competition in introducing new tools for wireless access and the Internet.”

In addition, PEAK has invested a great deal of time training its planners on using the technology. The pay off for the representative has been overwhelming. Prior to Aquila, an employee was able to process only 10,000 transactions annually. The same employee is now able to process up to 92,000 transactions per year.

PEAKonline, PEAK’s financial portal that was introduced in 1999, takes customer service one step further. Clients can access data on the markets, as well as receiving current information on their portfolio performance 7-days-a-week, 24-hours-a-day via a highly secure extranet site. “Not only does it provide the client with current information on his investments, PEAKonline also allows the client to interface with his financial representative on a daily basis,” states Bouillon.

Established in 1992, PEAK Financial Group is one of the fastest growing, privately-owned providers of financial services in Canada. Registered in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, PEAK represents more than 250 planners and brokers across the country. With assets under administration of $1.85 billion in 2001, PEAK continues to be the dealer of choice for independent financial planners, securities brokers and insurance professionals. For more information about PEAK Financial Group, visit our web site at www.peakgroup.com .

For more information, please contact:

Gilles Bouillon, Vice-President Operations & Technology
PEAK Financial Group
514.844.6911 (ext. 230)
gbouillon@peakgroup.com