Topic
Markets / Coverages
Unidentified car claim: Court seeks ‘science’ in expert report
December 18, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Supreme Court of British Columbia has tossed out the report of a forensic engineer, which supported the public insurer’s position in an unidentified car case, saying the report relied too heavily on expert opinion and not enough on “science.”…
Court upholds fake gun exclusion, but not because they are illegal
December 18, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorAn Alberta judge has taken a dim view of a mutual insurer’s argument that fake guns made of plastic with bright plugs in the barrels are actually replicas prohibited by federal law and therefore excluded from contents coverage under a…
Politicians at odds with industry over territorial rating
December 18, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterUsing postal codes to determine auto insurance rates could come to an end if the Progressive Conservatives win the next Ontario election. “Geographic discrimination should be eliminated while not raising rates on other parts of the province,” a spokesperson for…
The insurance industry’s challenge in recruiting forensic engineers
December 8, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorThe challenge for the property and casualty insurance industry in recruiting young engineers is that engineers generally want to make things instead of figuring out why things crashed or burned. “We have had a challenging time servicing our clients in…
Your primer on crowdsourcing techniques
December 8, 2017 David Gambrill, Editor-in-ChiefCrowdsourcing, as defined by the consulting firm Crowd Sourcing Week, is “is the practice of engaging a ‘crowd’ or group for a common goal — often innovation, problem solving, or efficiency. It is powered by new technologies, social media and…
Does your claims app verify the car crash photos you’re getting?
December 8, 2017 David Gambrill, Editor-in-ChiefA car crashes into a hydro pole. The driver takes pictures of the damage on a mobile device and sends the photos to the insurer through an app to start a claim. How does the insurer know the photos have…
Sexual harassment: Are your commercial clients protected?
December 8, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorWith a recent spate of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment complaints, commercial brokers need to make sure employment practices liability insurance covers legal defence costs arising from allegations of poor behaviour towards workers. Employees suing for harassment will sometimes name…
New business consulting firm offers more choice in Canada for P&C industry
December 8, 2017 Jason Contant, Online EditorRSM, a global provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, has announced the launch of RSM Canada with an office of about 300 professionals in the heart of Toronto’s financial district. Harry Blum will serve…
How autonomous vehicles can reduce your claims payouts
December 8, 2017 Jason Contant, Online EditorMore autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles on the road could potentially result in lower-speed collisions, resulting in a lower severity of damage, a collision repair industry expert told Canadian Underwriter recently. “As we start to see some of these advanced driver…
Are you covered for giant boulder damage? Not if the Earth moves…
December 7, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterResidents in certain parts of British Columbia may be used to evacuations from wildfires, but how about evacuations due to giant boulders? The Canadian Press reported earlier this week that eight properties in the province’s Fraser Valley, including five homes,…
New Brunswick moves to protect innocent co-insureds
December 7, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterNew Brunswick tabled amendments to the province’s Insurance Act Wednesday to protect innocent co-insureds in cases of intimate partner violence and property damage. Most home insurance policies exclude payment for loss or damage caused by an intentional or criminal act…
Hyperion deal shows pension fund to be bullish on insurance
December 7, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterWith its fourth major insurance acquisition in 18 months, the manager of Quebec’s public pension funds was looking for exposure to markets in Asia and Latin America, a Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec spokesman told Canadian Underwriter Wednesday.…