Westland Insurance Group and BrokerTeam Group have both announced separate deals this past week. Westland Insurance Group Ltd. acquired two Alberta brokerages, effective Oct. 1. Surrey, B.C.-based Westland announced Friday it closed the acquisition of Carstairs, Alta.-based Ironside Insurance Brokers…
Specialization continues to be a major growth strategy for brokers, as our third annual National Broker Survey shows. But has the pandemic exposed the limits to specialization…?
Drivers in Ontario can anticipate a smoother claims journey if collision repair shops in the province are certified in the future as expected, according to a pair of experts. Currently, the national trade association that represents collision repairers is in…
If the property and casualty insurance industry doesn’t “come to grips” with meeting client needs, the industry is at risk of losing relevancy in the marketplace, warned an industry consultant. Phil Cook, who is also chairman of Omega Insurance Holdings,…
A push to certify Ontario collision repair shops could impact insurance rates and see premiums come down, says one automotive expert. Whether or not it does, such a move will still positively affect the insurance industry, adds an Insurance Bureau…
A B.C. broker received a $1,000 fine and was ordered to complete a course in auto insurance for her role in trying to help a man purchase a car for his son-in-law. The provincial broker regulator found that the broker,…
If you want to be better than the average brokerage, try explaining coverages through the use of examples and try not making consumers wait for days for answers, the co-founder of an insurtech advises. “Insurance can be somewhat stuffy and…
After setting aside as to whether or not we’re in a hard market, industry consultant Phil Cook said he expects the hard market to last into 2022. Cook, who is also chairman of Omega Insurance Holdings, typically gives his Industry…
Social inflation is the top item of concern for an Aon reinsurance executive, even if it’s an issue being exacerbated in the United States rather than in Canada. “I would bold and underline that — that is, I think, the…
As more and more Canadians take advantage of virtual healthcare options during the COVID-19 pandemic, brokers and insurers need to make sure their clients have adequate insurance protection for this emerging risk. The move to medical consultations by video or…
Brokers need to pay close attention to the quality of submissions they make on behalf of clients to underwriters because the smallest missing detail can be the difference in whether or not the application is approved. Underwriters are swamped these…
After early hopes that brokers and insurers might be able to sell more commercial premium early next year as small businesses activity normalizes, a new report finds that it may be upwards of a year-and-a-half on average for a return…