Topic Loss Trends
How COVID has influenced usage-based auto insurance adoption
March 19, 2021 by Greg MeckbachMotorists who are driving fewer kilometres than they were before the pandemic are more likely to select usage-based auto insurance, Intact Financial Corp. observes. “COVID has pushed consumers to recognize that maybe UBI would be a tool that will immediately…
Hospitality cover? This is a job for the Business Insurance Action Team
March 15, 2021 by Greg MeckbachHospitality clients are starting to get coverage from multiple carriers on a subscription basis through the Business Insurance Action Team, says the CEO of one of the participating insurers. Cambridge, Ont.-based Gore Mutual is participating in the BIAT, launched in…
Why these B.C. strata owners didn’t have to pay the corporation’s $5,000 deductible
March 12, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA British Columbia strata unit owner is not liable for their strata corporation’s $5,000 deductible on a property claim arising from a fire, the province’s civil resolution tribunal has ruled. The strata unit is on the fifth floor of a…
Why home insurance was so profitable for Intact in 2020
March 11, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe hard market in home insurance is helping Canada’s largest P&C insurer make a healthy profit. But insurers need to maintain pricing discipline in personal property because weather catastrophe costs are increasing over time, suggests the chief financial officer at…
Advice from the U.S.: Canada needs exit strategy from national flood
March 4, 2021 by Greg MeckbachCanada needs to proceed with caution if it wants to establish a taxpayer-supported program to write flood insurance for high-risk homes, an American speaker warned the Canadian P&C industry during CatIQ Connect. “Be very careful with a federal flood insurance…
Why reinsurers are watching how UK top court defined ‘occurrence’ in business interruption dispute
March 2, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe British Supreme Court’s interpretation of the word “occurrence,” in its recent COVID-19 business interruption ruling, should not be applied to reinsurance excess of loss treaties, Guy Carpenter experts argue in a recent paper. In a decision released on Jan.…
What’s smoking hot in cannabis insurance claims trends
February 24, 2021 by Jason ContantNearly two-and-a-half years after recreational marijuana was legalized in Canada, the country’s P&C insurance industry is starting to get a sense of the type of claims arising from the October 2018 legalization. The big issue right now is vaping, said…
Intact CEO’s forecast for auto rate relief in 2021
February 24, 2021 by Greg MeckbachIt could be up to a year before driving habits return to normal, but don’t expect many of your clients to pay less for auto insurance. Those were a couple of key takeaways from a recent Intact earnings call. “It…
Why business interruption lawsuits against Aviva got ‘carved off’ from Ontario class action
February 23, 2021 by Greg MeckbachAviva Canada is facing two proposed class-action lawsuits in Ontario from clients whose business interruption claims were denied during the ongoing pandemic. Allegations that Aviva has breached insurance contracts by denying BI claims have not been proven in court. Nordik…
Canada’s hardest-hit commercial lines — and a reason for optimism
February 18, 2021 by David GambrillCommercial lines market hardening in Canada — and globally — should continue through the early half of 2021, with some possible easing of rate increases during the second half of the year once vaccine rollout is widespread, an Aon report…
How much COVID business interruption claims could cost Fairfax
February 17, 2021 by Greg MeckbachBusiness interruption claims arising from the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to cost Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. nearly Cdn$300 million. Toronto-based Fairfax released Feb. 11 its financial results for 2020, reporting US$669 million in COVID-19 losses across all of its insurers.…
What’s making it harder to estimate property Cat claims
February 17, 2021 by Greg MeckbachRecent price increases in building materials means it is harder than normal to predict the cost of repairing property damage, restoration experts say. Restoration contractor Peak Services handled several thousand claims after the June 13, 2020, record hail storm in…