Topic Loss Control
How inflation is affecting small business owners and carriers
June 16, 2023 by Jason ContantAlthough inflation cooled to 4.4% in April from its high of 8.1% in June 2022, it’s still affecting small business owners and insurers, an executive at Hartford Steam Boiler told Canadian Underwriter. From a carrier perspective, claims costs are increasing…
How carriers get real-time info on property (and other) risk exposures
June 15, 2023 by Jason ContantCarriers in the small business space are increasingly turning to technology to understand exposure changes and help insureds manage their own risk, an expert said recently. By relying on things like sensor technology, carriers can get real-time information on changes…
Is market segmentation helping to soften pricing?
June 14, 2023 by David GambrillA softening, but segmented, insurance market is allowing commercial lines brokers to leave some aspects of the years-long hard market behind. Improved pricing models are one key ingredient in the ‘stability’ now seen in commercial lines, brokers observed. Carriers are…
How Pride Toronto got swept up in entertainment line’s hard market
June 13, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoPride Toronto’s executive director says the organization has seen a 300% increase in its insurance premiums ahead of this month’s parade and festival programming. This trend of higher premiums for public events is not unique to Pride Toronto. Organizers of large…
Why the hard market and COVID-19 shifted brokers’ focus
June 9, 2023 by David GambrillCommercial lines in Canada have changed in the aftermath of the pandemic. These days the monolithic ‘hard market’ has evolved into multiple markets differentiated by segmented pricing and best-in-class loss-control measures. And the commercial broker’s role has changed accordingly. After…
More evacuations in Quebec as record breaking fires continue to burn
June 8, 2023 by Sidhartha Banerjee and Jacob SerebrinMONTREAL — Quebec’s wildfire season, which has forced thousands from their homes and left other communities on high alert, is the worst on record, officials said Wednesday. Premier Francois Legault told reporters in Quebec City that the areas in the…
What downtown ghost towns mean for commercial coverage
June 2, 2023 by Philip PoradoVaccines have blunted the worst edge of COVID-19, and that has employers urging workers to come back to pricey office space in Canada’s downtowns – if only once or twice a week. But a high percentage of office workers aren’t…
Do you know what’s a material change in IFRS 17?
May 26, 2023 by Jason ContantIFRS 17 implementation has made it a lot harder to understand the material impact of an accounting change, a speaker told the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s recent Financial Affairs Symposium. “We all know the disclosures under IFRS 17 are way…
OSFI to review earthquake risk and minimum capital tests
May 25, 2023 by Jason ContantCanada’s solvency regulator will take a closer look at earthquake risk and the minimum capital test (MCT) for P&C insurers, an executive from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) said during an industry event last week. Earthquake…
How insurers are handling IFRS 17 reporting requirements
May 23, 2023 by Jason ContantThis is the first quarter insurers are reporting financial results under IFRS 17, but insurers remain focused on familiar, pre-IFRS 17 business metrics, a KPMG Canada partner said during Insurance Bureau of Canada’s (IBC) 26th Financial Affairs Symposium. “While we…
Why claims frequency is trending for electric vehicles
May 16, 2023 by Jason ContantRepairable claims frequency for electric vehicles (EVs) in Canada and the U.S. continues to increase slightly with each passing quarter, albeit very slowly, according to a new report from Mitchell, an Enlyte company. EV repairable claims frequency increased 2.41% in…
Why standard coverage for unions doesn’t cut it
May 15, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoUnions and corporations operate differently, and that means a union needs more tailored insurance coverage when an aggrieved member takes legal action, lest they find themselves underinsured, one expert told Canadian Underwriter. Standard policies typically exclude important coverages for unions,…