Canadian P&C managing general agencies (MGAs) are dealing with a lack of underwriters due to increased demand for products and services combined with traditional staff turnover, an industry executive told Canadian Underwriter. “MGAs are, from what we see, the fastest…
Brokerage owners shouldn’t just invest in digitization for its own sake, says one financial advisor. They should do it to make a purchase and integration easier for consolidators. Consolidators don’t necessarily expect small brokerages to digitize before acquisition, said Alex…
BFL Canada has appointed Lisa Giannone as president and chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1, 2023. She succeeds Barry Lorenzetti who founded BFL in 1987. After a 35-year tenure as president and CEO, Lorenzetti will continue to serve as…
Canadian insurers appear to be in a ‘pretty good place’ when it comes to implementation of the upcoming IFRS 17 insurance accounting standard but Canada’s federal solvency regulator recognizes the change is complex and will be challenging. “Accounting systems are…
Financing is usually the last piece of the brokerage ownership puzzle, suggests one P&C financial advisor, even though 57% of young brokers see financing as their biggest obstacle to ownership, according to Canadian Underwriter survey results. Broker entrepreneurs should ensure…
Definity Financial Corporation is interested in both P&C brokerage and carrier acquisitions, the insurer’s president and CEO Rowan Saunders confirmed during a recent virtual fireside chat with RBC Capital Markets. “Even though we’ve just recently done a significant acquisition in…
For almost three years, there’s been confusion around COVID-19 protocols. It’s made it hard for people to get on with their daily lives. An example of how these stresses burden our industry is illustrated in a dilemma faced by a…
Canada’s solvency regulator is acutely focused on the current macroeconomic environment and expects insurers to practice ‘capital conservation’ due to market volatility, a senior executive said at an industry event Thursday. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)…
A consistent stream of property and casualty brokerage acquisition announcements over the past few years likely has a lot of brokerage owners thinking about how they’ll eventually exit the business. For most sales transactions, there are three basic options. One…
Celyeste Power will succeed retiring Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) president and CEO Don Forgeron at the end of 2022. Power, who takes over as president and CEO on January 1, 2023, is currently executive vice-president for strategic initiatives and…
Succession planning is a key component of the acquisition strategies employed by P&C brokers buying wealth management, retirement planning and employee benefits advisories. That said, P&C brokerage buyers aren’t looking for the sellers to leave right away after the sale.…
Mentorship and training are the best ways to support young brokers who aspire to senior leadership or brokerage ownership roles, say brokers responding to a Canadian Underwriter online survey. However, brokerage principals and their employees aren’t fully aligned on how…