Topic
Catastrophes
Watch for governments to transfer financial risk from natural disasters to insurers: Swiss Re
October 16, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThere is growing awareness that governments can transfer the financial risk of natural disasters to both insurance and capital markets, a Swiss Re expert observes. In Asia, Africa, the United States and Britain, there are examples of national and sub-national…
Cat bonds starting to attract this type of investor
October 15, 2020 by Greg MeckbachCatastrophe bonds are gaining a reputation as a socially responsible investment, a CatIQ Connect speaker said Wednesday. “Investors seeking investments in the [environmental, social and governance] market are starting to classify cat bonds as a responsible investment,” said Alyson Slater,…
Intact’s plan to help you advise your client on disaster resilience
October 2, 2020 by Greg MeckbachBy the end of this year, Intact Financial Corp. is hoping that a research centre it funds will have trained more than 140,000 brokers, home inspectors, realtors, and other professionals on how to make properties resilient to extreme weather, CEO…
‘Much clearer picture’ of how Ottawa will address flood risk coming soon
September 29, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA special pool, in which high-risk properties would have caps or subsidies on premiums for flood insurance, remains a possibility in Canada, and the industry should have a much better idea this fall of what the government plans to do,…
Feds urged to consider backstop for ‘tail risks’ such as pandemic, quake and flood
September 25, 2020 by David GambrillDiscussions around providing pandemic coverage in the future are highlighting the need to develop a Canadian federal government backstop for other serious “tail risk” events such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires, says the president of the Property and Casualty Insurance…
How much these four Alberta cats cost insurers in 2020
September 10, 2020 by Greg MeckbachFour Alberta catastrophes this year have cost insurers a grand total of about $2 billion, the Insurance Bureau of Canada confirmed this week. A hailstorm June 13, affecting mainly northeast Calgary, topped the list as it caused about $1.2 billion…
Industry needs ‘to find a solution’ to this claims adjusting problem
September 9, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSomething needs to be done to make it easier to let Canadian claims adjusters work outside their home province in the event of a disaster, speakers suggested on a recent webinar. “It’s generally understood that it’s easier to bring U.S.…
More than one way to define a Cat
September 3, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf you disagree with a co-worker on exactly what a catastrophe is, both of you could be right. There is no single standard definition of a “Cat,” with the industry’s loss costs — and even media coverage — among the…
Hurricane warnings: Is it crying wolf when storms aren’t as bad as expected?
August 31, 2020 by David GambrillWhile Hurricane Laura’s insured damage estimates in the United States range anywhere between $4 billion to $12 billion, the post-tropical storm predicted for Atlantic Canada did not quite reach the level of intensity initially forecast for the Maritimes last Thursday.…
Adjuster training: How the industry can up its game
August 31, 2020 by Greg MeckbachCanada’s property and casualty insurance industry needs to cross-train more claims adjusters if it wants to have enough property adjusters to be available in the event of a catastrophe, industry experts said last week. “Cross-training is important because it is…
Adjusting Calgary’s hailstorm: The rationale for bringing in U.S. Cat adjusters
August 28, 2020 by Greg MeckbachDuring the hail storm this past June that damaged tens of thousands of Alberta homes, adjusting firm CRU Group struggled to find enough qualified independent catastrophe adjusters in Canada, and wound up resorting to bringing in people from the United…
What brokers can do more of to help their clients protect against flood risk
August 27, 2020 by David GambrillCanadians understand that flood damage has increased, but they don’t necessarily know to protect their homes against it, according to joint research conducted by RSA Canada and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada. The research suggests an opportunity for Canadian P&C…