Topic Insurers
Why business interruption worries Canadians more than cyber
January 14, 2020 by Adam MalikBusiness interruption outranked cyber incidents as top concerns for Canadian businesses, brokers and trade organizations, according to a new report from Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. Globally, however, it’s the other way around. When the annual Allianz Risk Barometer, which…
How much did auto insurance rates go up in Alberta last quarter?
January 13, 2020 by Jason ContantAlberta’s Automobile Insurance Rate Board (AIRB) has approved rate increases for more than 20 insurers in Q4 2019, ranging from less than 1% to nearly 30% for basic coverage for private passenger vehicles. The rate hike was about 10% on…
One ray of light in the hard market
January 6, 2020 by Jason ContantDespite signs of hardening in certain reinsurance markets, and certainly in the primary market, general third-party liability treaties represents a silver lining in the cloud. “Many general third-party liability treaties are ancillary to traditional property treaties and have generally remained…
What reinsurance renewals on Jan. 1 told us about the market
January 2, 2020 by David GambrillReinsurance renewals at Jan. 1, 2020 reflected an “asymmetrical” market, featuring a mixed bag of rate increases or decreases (depending on the specific business line or territory), as well as significant rate increases in the retrocession markets, according to Guy…
Reinsurer opens shop in Canada
December 19, 2019 by Greg MeckbachValidus Reinsurance Ltd. has established a branch office in Toronto with Heather Legg as its new chief agent, parent company American International Group Inc. announced Thursday. Legg, currently a senior vice president at Validus, is a former senior executive with…
How profitable have Canadian P&C insurers been so far this year?
December 18, 2019 by Jason ContantCanada’s property and casualty insurers posted moderate profitability in the first nine months of 2019, but poor underwriting results and high loss ratios linger, notes an executive from the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation (PACICC). For Q3 2019 year-to-date…
Why even cyber policies might not cover cyber losses
December 13, 2019 by Jason ContantPolicies that don’t specifically include or exclude cyber losses (“silent cyber”) have long been a concern of insurers, but you’d think a data breach loss would be covered by a cyber policy, right? Not always. The devil is sometimes in…
Board finds insurance reserves regulation “invalid”
December 9, 2019 by Jason ContantManitoba’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) has found a recently enacted insurance reserves regulation to be “invalid.” The Reserves Regulation sets out the manner of determining the amount to be maintained by the Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) Corporation in its reserves…
Trade conflicts and uncertainty remain a key risk: Bank of Canada
December 4, 2019 by Craig Wong - THE CANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA – The Bank of Canada kept its key interest rate on hold Wednesday, noting that while global recession concerns are waning, trade conflicts and related uncertainty continue to remain a key risk. The central bank’s overnight rate target has…
When OSFI will talk to industry about draft reinsurance rules
November 29, 2019 by Greg MeckbachThe federal insurance regulator – silent during the election campaign on proposed changes to reinsurance – plans to talk to the industry after the holidays, a senior official with the federal Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) said…
OSFI, industry step back from the brink on proposed new reinsurance rules
October 29, 2019 by David GambrillIt appears that there has been a proverbial “last-minute call from the governor” regarding controversial new rules proposed by Canada’s solvency regulator as part of its reinsurance review. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) has made it…
Large reinsurer to stop writing oil sands business: Memo
October 15, 2019 by Greg MeckbachConcerns about climate change from human-produced greenhouse gas emissions may have prompted the world’s largest property and casualty reinsurer to stop writing some business for oil sands sites, according to an unverified document obtained by Canadian Underwriter. Facultative reinsurance covers…