Topic Insurers
Aviva reports combined ratio of 94.6% in Canada in 2016
March 13, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterAviva plc announced a 0.8-point increase in its combined ratio in Canada while operating profit was up 16%. London-based Aviva released March 9 its preliminary results for 2016. General insurance net premiums written, worldwide, increased 15%, from £7.177 billion in…
Fairfax Financial to increase cash consideration component in proposed acquisition of Allied World
March 13, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterFairfax Financial Holdings Limited and Allied World Assurance Company Holdings jointly announced Friday that the former has exercised its option to increase the cash consideration component of its US$4.9 billion cash and stock offer to Allied World shareholders. In exercising…
Largest single loss for Hannover Re in 2016 was the Fort McMurray wildfire, with net cost of 127.9 million euros
March 10, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe largest single loss for Hannover Re last year was the Fort McMurray wildfire, with a “net strain” of 127.9 million euros, the reinsurer reported on Thursday. Hannover Re released its financial results on Thursday, reporting a Group net income…
ATB Financial joins R3 distributed ledger consortium
March 10, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterATB Financial announced Thursday that the Alberta-based financial services provider has joined the consortium of financial innovation firm R3 to design and apply distributed and shared ledger-inspired technologies to global financial markets. The company will be collaborating with more than…
Outbreak of severe convective storms across U.S. Midwest causing widespread damage in Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota: RMS
March 9, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterAs of March 8, cumulative preliminary tornado, hail and straight-line wind reports in the United States for the year have all been more than double their respective 2005-2015 averages, according to the records of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s…
Flood insurance reform bill re-tabled in U.S. congress
March 8, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterA bill aimed at increasing participation by the private sector in the flood insurance market in the United States was tabled Wednesday in the House of Representatives, a U.S. congressman from Florida announced. The Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization…
Kingsway Financial Services Inc. posts net loss for both full-year, fourth quarter 2016
March 8, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterSeveral significant events during the fourth quarter of 2016 contributed to Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (KFS) reporting a net loss for both the quarter and the full year. For all of 2016, the company posted a loss of about US$9.4…
ICBC seeks fairness with basic insurance rate discounts
March 6, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) is looking to reduce pressure on customers who do not cause crashes and increase the accountability of at-fault drivers with proposed changes to basic insurance. “We believe that drivers who cause crashes should…
Companies can come to grips with cyber risk, government back-stop may be needed for certain risks: Swiss Re
March 1, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterConcern about cyber resilience is on the rise – as are the potential costs associated with attacks – but insurers and companies should understand steps can be taken to manage the risk, suggests the latest sigma report from Swiss Re…
Echelon Insurance receives regulatory okay for sale of European operations
March 1, 2017 by Angela StelmakowichEchelon Financial Holdings Inc. (EFH) has received regulatory approval from the Danish Financial Services Authority to sell its European operations, a move that will allow Echelon Insurance to roll out its strategy to focus on Canadian operations. EFH noted in…
Desjardins General Insurance Group reports combined ratio of 62.1% for the fourth quarter of 2016, down 25.9 points from Q4 2015
February 28, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterDesjardins General Insurance Group (DGIG), a Desjardins Group subsidiary specializing in property and casualty insurance, has announced a combined ratio excluding market yield adjustment (MYA) of 62.1% for the fourth quarter of 2016, down 25.9 percentage points from 88% in…
Crawford & Company reports net income attributable to shareholders rises to US$36.0 million in 2016 compared to loss in 2015
February 27, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterAtlanta-based Crawford & Company posted net income attributable to shareholders for both the full year and fourth quarter of 2016 – reaching about US$7.8 million and about US$36.0 million – compared to losses in the prior-year periods. Net income attributable…