Topic MGAs
Veteran brokers are seeing their first-ever hard market. What they need to know.
September 18, 2020 by Greg MeckbachBrokers with more than a decade of experience could be experiencing their first real hard market right now, and they could probably use some advice about how to break bad news during renewals, an Alberta managing general agent (MGA) suggests.…
MGAs finding it harder to place this kind of commercial coverage
September 1, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf you are finding it difficult to place business interruption insurance for restaurants, hotels and event venues, you aren’t alone. Aurora Underwriting Services Inc., an Alberta-based managing general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder, is still placing insurance for restaurants, company owner…
The impact of MGAs getting more business
August 25, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIt is taking longer to get insurance placed through managing general agents because MGAs are getting more business in the hard market, one Ontario broker suggests. Many commercial accounts, which previously would have been handled by retail brokers, are now…
U.S. wholesale broker expands into Canada with acquisition of SUM
August 11, 2020 by Jason ContantA United States-based national wholesale insurance broker has acquired Strategic Underwriting Managers, Inc. (SUM), a Canadian managing general agency for property, casualty and other specialty insurance products. Boston-headquartered wholesale broker, program manager, and insurance aggregator One80 Intermediaries announced the acquisition…
New president for Lloyd’s Canada
June 1, 2020 by Greg MeckbachMarc Lipman, former chief operating officer of American International Group (AIG) Canada, is the new president of Lloyd’s Canada. Lipman (pictured, above) replaces Lisa Duval, who had served as Lloyd’s Canada’s attorney in fact and chief agent, on an interim…
What’s going on in the Canadian MGA space?
February 6, 2020 by Jason ContantThe managing general agent space in Canada has been busy over the past few months, with the launch of one MGA and the expansion of another. On Jan. 20, three industry veterans – Jeff Hart, Bruce MacKinnon and Tommy Truong…
An MGA can land in “big trouble” if it fails to do this
January 17, 2020 by Greg MeckbachTechnology could make it easier to start up new managing general agents – which is good news for some and bad news for others, panelists suggested during a recent webinar. “If you [as an MGA] are sitting there thinking, ‘Oh…
Top 3 M&A insurance deals in 2019
December 20, 2019 by Jason Contant2019 saw a slew of mergers and acquisitions in the Canadian P&C space and it’s unlikely 2020 will buck the trend. In fact, in the past few weeks alone, one Ontario brokerage bought another one, a Florida-based brokerage bought a…
Regulator reviewing the role of MGAs in the sales process
October 2, 2019 by Jason ContantWhile Ontario’s new financial regulator will not license managing general agencies (MGAs), it is taking a look at the entire sales process as part of its insurance conduct initiatives. “I don’t have the authority to do that, so I’m not…
Is vaping liability covered?
September 30, 2019 by Jason ContantLiability surrounding vaping is being thrust into the spotlight after a London, Ont. high school student was temporarily put on life support from a suspected “severe respiratory illness” associated with smoking electronic cigarettes. “There were lawsuits many years ago to…
Want to do it all online? How this MGA’s portal pulls it off
August 29, 2019 by Greg MeckbachAn Ottawa-based managing general agent may be expanding its use of portal technology that lets brokers enter data from applications and bind commercial policies electronically. Encon Group Inc. pretty much did away with paper files, Encon president David Cook said…
Veteran insurance professional launches new MGA
August 23, 2019 by Jason ContantA new managing general agency (MGA) offering optional auto insurance has launched in British Columbia, with the goal of moving into homeowners’ insurance within a year. Vancouver-based Stratford Underwriting Agency is the only MGA selling the complete private passenger suite…