Topic Commercial
What the latest wildfire near Lytton, B.C. reveals
July 22, 2022 by Jason ContantThe out-of-control wildfire burning near Lytton, B.C. shows the community and its surrounding area are at high risk of repeated fires, said Glenn McGillivray, managing director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR). The Nohomin Creek wildfire about 1.7…
By much how did M&A deals increase year over year?
July 19, 2022 by Jason ContantThe M&A market continues to burn red-hot, with deals for property & casualty and benefits brokers in Canada and the United States up 16% in the first half of 2022 compared to 2021, according to M&A advisory firm OPTIS Partners.…
New captive may help Alberta’s energy industry spread risk
July 18, 2022 by Philip PoradoAt least one insurer has taken Alberta up on its newly legislated option to domicile captive insurance companies in the province. The Captive Insurance Companies Act in Alberta, formerly Bill 76, came into force July 1. NFP this week announced…
Gallagher buys Canadian executive search firm
July 18, 2022 by Jason ContantIn an age of non-stop brokerage-to-brokerage M&A, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has taken a different approach with its latest acquisition. Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Gallagher today announced acquisition of Toronto-based Four Corners Group Inc., an executive search firm operating throughout…
BrokerLink closes three more acquisitions across Canada
July 15, 2022 by Jason ContantBrokerLink is continuing its expansion into Alberta, Ontario and Atlantic Canada with the acquisition of three more brokerages over the past couple months. A subsidiary of Intact Financial Corporation, BrokerLink closed the acquisition of New Brunswick-based McTague Insurance on June…
Splitting costs when ‘other insured’ policy clauses don’t reconcile
July 15, 2022 by David GambrillWhen two insurers offer coverage for the same loss, and each policy states the coverage is in excess of ‘other insurance’ available, both insurers can be expected to split the cost for the insured’s defence and settlement costs, Ontario’s top…
D&O excess policy needs to spell out exceptions from primary policy
July 14, 2022 by David GambrillIf an excess insurance policy follows the form of a primary policy, and the primary policy offers an option that extends the claims reporting period by a year, the insured is entitled to the same option under the excess policy,…
Who owns the risks posed by artificial intelligence?
July 13, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatinoAs artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly affects the performance of products consumers use every day, discussions about who owns the AI risk is likely to become more intricate. For companies making these products, it’s important to know the risks involved, be…
Hard market challenges aside, brokers not racing for the exits
July 12, 2022 by David GambrillCanada’s hard market in insurance remains the Number 1 concern of new and experienced brokers alike, as well as brokerages big and small, according to Canadian Underwriter‘s 2022 National Broker Survey. The gender split among respondents was most prominent, with…
Economists expect Bank of Canada to hike key interest rate by 0.75%
July 12, 2022 by Nojoud Al Mallees - THE CANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA – Economists are predicting the Bank of Canada will hike its key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Wednesday as inflation rages on globally. In Canada, inflation hit a 39-year-high of 7.7 per cent in May…
How the court bolstered an insurer’s exclusion for privacy breach
July 8, 2022 by David GambrillActing recklessly in breaching the confidential medical files of patients effectively falls within a hospital insurer’s commercial policy exclusion for committing an ‘intentional act,’ Ontario’s top court has ruled. The Ontario Court of Appeal found a hospital insurer, the Healthcare…
What the latest inflation measures mean for insurers
July 7, 2022 by Philip PoradoSeveral inflation drivers have increased claims costs for insurers since 2020, but some are less aggressive than expected and a few have yet to register significant impacts, a June report from AON found. Insurers can expect it to cost more…