Topic Emerging Risks
‘COVID Trio’ tops the biggest biz risks for this year
January 19, 2021 by Adam MalikBusiness interruption, the COVID-19 pandemic, and cyber are the top three risks facing businesses this year – and all three are connected to each other, says a new report. Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS)’s Risk Barometer for 2021 found…
What’s missing from driverless vehicle rollout plan
January 19, 2021 by Greg MeckbachDriverless vehicles need to have some way of communicating with police, fire and ambulance responders, an auto manufacturers’ group said in a recent report. First responders have ways of handling situations they encounter in traffic but there are no “common…
RCCAQ reacts to Quebec curfew
January 18, 2021 by Greg MeckbachQuebec’s insurance brokers should not experience any major disruptions as a result of the province-wide evening curfew imposed a week ago, the chair of the Regroupement des cabinets de courtage d’assurance du Quebec (RCCAQ) predicts. The curfew took effect on…
How social media can be a cyber attack vector
January 15, 2021 by Greg MeckbachCyber criminals are increasingly targeting workers through applications such as LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, McAfee LLC warned in a report released Wednesday. Traditionally, cyber criminals have relied heavily on phishing as a way to target individual employees, McAfee chief…
How ‘take-home COVID’ can impact employers’ liability
January 13, 2021 by Greg MeckbachCOVID-19 can cause a commercial general liability claim if a commercial client is sued by the family member of a worker who has caught the disease at work and then infected family members, insurance law experts suggest. “Take-home COVID” is…
How COVID-19 vaccine side effects impact liability risk
January 12, 2021 by Greg MeckbachSome people could suffer side effects from a COVID-19 immunization, but the vaccine manufacturers have a number of protections that minimize their liability risk, Canadian lawyers suggest. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quoted last week by The Canadian Press as…
Bank and insurer dividend hikes, share buybacks won’t return during lockdown: OSFI
January 11, 2021 by The Canadian PressTORONTO – The superintendent of one of Canada’s financial regulators won’t consider allowing banks and insurers to hike dividends, offer share buybacks or increase executive compensation until COVID-19 lockdowns have subsided. Jeremy Rudin from the Office of the Superintendent of…
Overcoming AI’s bias: Models are only as good as the data you feed into them
January 6, 2021 by Adam MalikIf people intend to use data to help mitigate risk or save lives, that data must be trustworthy, says an artificial intelligence expert. Sean Griffin, CEO and co-founder of Disaster Tech, a disaster risk data firm, pointed out during CatIQ…
The difference between pandemic BI coverage and pushing a bus off a cliff
January 5, 2021 by Greg MeckbachCommercial clients who bought insurance covering a disease outbreak within 25 miles of their premises did not buy coverage for business interruption from a pandemic on a national scale, insurance company lawyers are telling the United Kingdom Supreme Court. Worldwide,…
Government travel controversies expose need for risk management plans, experts say
January 5, 2021 by Brett Bundale - THE CANADIAN PRESSThe backlash against Canadian politicians who travelled to warmer climes over the holidays despite public health warnings to stay home is a wake-up call that organizations need clear risk management plans, experts say. The fallout of ignoring travel restrictions could…
Britain’s regulator challenges ruling in favour of insurers over pandemic BI coverage
January 4, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe appearance of the word “event” in a “disease radius” clause in business interruption insurance contract could be instrumental in determining whether the client is covered during a pandemic. In a ruling released Sept. 15, the High Court of England…
Investors look with optimism to ‘year of the vaccine’, expect major growth in 2021
December 23, 2020 by Ross Marowits - THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO – On Jan. 1, investors celebrating Bay Street’s best returns since the global financial crisis couldn’t have known what kind of year they were about to face. The year on stock exchanges was marked by swift and frequent changes…