Topic
Markets / Coverages
Trends Intact is seeing with equipment breakdown losses
July 18, 2019 by Jason ContantThe increasing interconnectedness of buildings is leading to larger losses from an equipment breakdown standpoint, said Loren Gardiner, vice president of specialty solutions for Intact’s western division. For example, there are now alarms built right into electrical systems, and there…
Where Q2 personal auto premiums increased the most in Canada
July 17, 2019 by Jason ContantThe hard market continues in personal lines in Canada, with personal auto in Quebec seeing a significant increase in average premiums in Q2 2019, according to Applied Systems’ latest rating index. Last week, the insurance software vendor released its most…
One broker’s view on obtaining medical marijuana coverage for clients
July 16, 2019 by Jason ContantWhat’s the market like for medical marijuana insurance coverage? “The market has contracted and it’s just far more difficult now [because of] a smaller number of pools to draw from,” Eric Lock, a Kelowna, B.C.-based broker with AC&D Insurance, said…
M&A activity unlocks this hot new business opportunity
July 11, 2019 by David GambrillGlobal mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity over the past five years — which reached a total value of almost $3.5 trillion in 2018 — led to a starburst of transactional insurance last year. Transactional risk insurance covers risks related to…
Fishing for marine capacity after Lloyd’s partial withdrawal
July 5, 2019 by Jason ContantMarine insurance, one of the “hot lines” in Canadian Underwriter’s forthcoming 2019 Stats Guide, is already falling on some leaner times. “Yes, absolutely,” replied Kent Rowe, vice president of Wedgwood Insurance Limited in St. John’s, Nfld., when asked if he…
How many cyber claims result from human error?
July 3, 2019 by Jason ContantAbout three-quarters of cyber claims notified in 2018 to one specialist insurer involved some kind of “easily preventable” human error. “Theft of funds, ransomware, extortion and non-malicious data breaches usually start with a human error or oversight, such as clicking…
How to make earthquake insurance sexy
June 28, 2019 by Jason ContantQuebec’s financial regulator, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), is working with the property and casualty insurance industry to make the earthquake insurance product more attractive to insurers, brokers and consumers. In its 2017-2020 Strategic Plan released Thursday, AMF said…
What is costing Alberta auto insurers the most
June 13, 2019 by Jason ContantThird-party liability coverage continues to be the bane of Alberta auto insurers’ existence, the province’s Automobile Insurance Rate Board (AIRB) revealed in its 2018 annual report. Provincial auto insurers collect 53% of every dollar for third-party liability coverage, but are…
Large commercial brokerage expands presence in benefits space
June 6, 2019 by Jason ContantYet another commercial brokerage has expanded its presence in the benefits space in Canada. Toronto-headquartered Navacord Corp. announced Tuesday the acquisition of Toronto-based Future Benefits Management Inc. (FBMI), effective June 3. Founded in 1995 and exclusively focused on group benefits,…
Brokers concerned about blanket approach to binding authority restrictions
May 31, 2019 by Jason ContantWith wildfires raging in northern Alberta and Ontario, brokers are reporting some funky outcomes associated with insurers’ binding authority restrictions. Under the restrictions, brokers cannot bind coverage in areas under civil authority, forest fire alerts, flood alerts and certain earthquake…
How Ontario got it right on surety
May 30, 2019 by Jason ContantThe federal government should follow Ontario’s lead in addressing contractor insolvency before the federal budget bill becomes law, says the Surety Association of Canada (SAC). The federal budget bill, Bill C-97, was tabled in March and passed second reading on…
Does an earthquake endorsement cover sinkhole damage?
May 28, 2019 by Jason ContantIf a home collapses into a sinkhole, is there coverage under a standard homeowner’s policy or earthquake endorsement? Not under many homeowner’s policies, but possibly under the earthquake endorsement, depending on the policy language and if the quake caused the…