Topic Operations
How brokerage owners want to pass on their businesses
April 26, 2024 by Philip PoradoWhere would you like to leave things? It’s a critical question for Canada’s property and casualty (P&C) brokers, especially given the seniority of brokers represented in Canadian Underwriter’s 2024 annual National Broker Survey. More than 200 brokers nationwide shared views…
Brokers tell us their Number 1 challenge for 2024
April 24, 2024 by David GambrillFixing the labour shortage plaguing Canada’s P&C insurance industry is officially Job 1 for the broker channel, Canadian Underwriter’s 2024 National Broker Survey shows. Failing to do that, survey respondents say, puts brokerages at risk of sustaining collateral damage in…
New role for Lloyd’s Canada president
April 22, 2024 by Jason ContantLloyd’s Canada president and attorney-in-fact Marc Lipman has been appointed president of Lloyd’s Americas, effective Sept. 1. Lipman, former chief operating officer of AIG Canada, joined Lloyd’s Canada in June 2020. “Under his leadership, Lloyd’s Canadian business has been reinforced…
How brokers can broaden their recruiting lens
April 22, 2024 by Philip PoradoWho are you going to hire? It’s a key question as Canada’s property and casualty (P&C) insurance brokers look to simultaneously broaden diversity within their teams and solve a hiring crisis that’s persisted for nearly a decade. One way firms…
Why insurers’ combined ratios under IFRS-17 can’t be compared in 2024
April 19, 2024 by David GambrillVarying assumptions underlying the reporting of combined ratios by Canadian P&C insurers — a longstanding measure of company profitability — have, under IFRS-17 rules, undermined the intent of the new accounting standards, industry executives say. The issue bubbled to the…
3 strategies for improving your cybersecurity posture
April 19, 2024 by Jason ContantGetting the basics right can help an organization improve its cybersecurity posture, a former intelligence officer at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said during an industry event Thursday. Three basic strategies — mitigate, separate and positive control — can…
Hybrid brokerage/agency rebrands following merger
April 18, 2024 by Jason ContantQuebec brokerages PMA Assurances and PMT ROY Assurances et services financiers have merged under the name Ellipse Agence en assurance de dommages inc., creating what the firm is calling the province’s largest damage insurance agency distributing Intact Insurance products exclusively.…
BrokerLink reveals 18-month growth target
April 16, 2024 by Jason ContantBrokerLink aspires to increase its direct premiums written (DPW) by more than $1 billion over the next year-and-a-half. In 2023, BrokerLink surpassed $3.5 billion in DPW. “Our ambition is to be $5 billion by the end of 2025,” president Joe…
More brokers willing to risk threat of not acknowledging diversity
April 15, 2024 by Alyssa DiSabatinoThree-quarters of brokers believe their organizations must address diversity to be a successful business. Yet, this number is waning — from 91% in 2022 to 84% in 2023, and to 75% in 2024, according to a recent Canadian Underwriter survey.…
How cloud services can speed up the P&C industry
April 12, 2024 by Jason ContantCloud-based services can serve as a much-needed speed accelerator to the Canadian P&C insurance industry, eliminating friction and digitizing the customer experience, speakers said Thursday at the 2024 CIP Society Symposium in downtown Toronto. “I personally think the biggest threat…
2023 P&C financial results return to Earth
April 12, 2024 by David GambrillGravity brought financial results for Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry back down to Earth in 2023, despite a rebound to pre-pandemic investment returns. “As we predicted last year at this time, the abnormally high industry returns for 2021 and…
Will polarization kill water cooler chat at Canada’s brokerages?
April 8, 2024 by Philip PoradoA polarized social and political climate means one-third of employees at P&C brokerages across Canada avoid conversations about controversial subjects while at work, Canadian Underwriter’s 2024 Brokerage DEI survey finds. The survey asked respondents about numerous aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion…