Canadian Underwriter

Topic Personal Auto

Working out the financial results
News B.C.ClaimsInsurersLoss ControlLoss TrendsPersonal Auto

Regulator green-lights auto insurer’s two-year rate freeze

January 11, 2023 by Jason Contant

British Columbia’s auto insurance regulatory body has approved a 0% rate change for basic auto insurance rates in the province for two years, the fifth year in a row of no rate increase. The British Columbia Utilities Commission approved the

Stacks of coins increasing in size and a red car in the background
News AlbertaBrokersClaimsClaims ProfessionalsCommercial AutoInsurersPersonal Auto

What the Alberta NDP’s auto rate freeze would mean for insureds and insurers

January 11, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatino

Alberta brokers and insurers believe a New Democratic Party proposal to freeze auto insurance rates won’t solely reduce auto premiums and will instead make it harder for drivers to obtain coverage, auto insurance experts tell Canadian Underwriter. A better solution

A woman at the scene of a car accident consoled by a man while answering police questions
News ClaimsInsurersLegalOntarioPersonal Auto

Insureds traumatized by witnessing car accidents are not entitled to benefits: tribunal

January 10, 2023 by David Gambrill

Insured drivers who suffer psychological trauma from seeing the aftermath of other people’s serious car accidents are not entitled to collect accident benefits, Ontario’s Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT) has ruled. That’s because named insureds who witness other people’s car accidents

Business merger and acquisition concept
News BrokersCommercialMergers and AqcuisitionsPersonal AutoPersonal Home

How two of Canada’s largest P&C brokerages closed 2022

January 9, 2023 by Jason Contant

Westland Insurance Group and BrokerLink ended 2022 with a bang, closing several merger and acquisition deals in December and bringing combined yearly transactions to more than 50 acquisitions. Westland announced in December the acquisition of Nova Scotia-based Gateway Insurance Group

Car body being painted after repair.
News AdjustersBrokersClaimsClaims ProfessionalsClaims TechnologyCommercialCommercial AutoConstructionPersonal AutoPersonal Home

Can the P&C industry navigate these 3 problems in 2023?

January 9, 2023 by David Gambrill

Thanks to supply chain disruptions, labour shortages and inflation, insurance policyholders face longer and more expensive repairs. To address that, insurance industry execs said, Canada’s P&C industry needs to up its communications game during the claims process. P&C insurance professionals

Pickup truck and a camper
News ClaimsInsurersLegalPersonal Auto

Falling off the roof of a camper trailer is an “auto accident,” court rules

January 6, 2023 by David Gambrill

A man falling from the roof of his insured camper trailer while doing a pre-trip inspection counts as an auto accident, Ontario’s Superior Court found. Tuesday’s court ruling overturned a decision by Ontario’s Licence Appeal Tribunal, which found the man’s

To the right, a car salesperson holds a set of keys above a contract, which sits on the desk. Across from the salesperson is the buyer.
News BrokersCommercial AutoInsurersPersonal Auto

Do Canadians want to buy insurance from their car manufacturers?

January 6, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatino

Just over a quarter (27%) of Canadian consumers are very or somewhat interested in purchasing car insurance directly from their manufacturers, a recent Deloitte survey found.  When asked what they saw as the primary benefits, almost half (47%) of interested

Mechanic holding a spot welding machine for welding front car part at auto garage
News ClaimsCommercial AutoInsurersPersonal Auto

What will drive collision repair delays in 2023?

January 5, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatino

Delays in collision repair services, which started in 2021 and continued into 2022, will not stop anytime soon due to an ongoing repair technician labour shortage in Canada and the U.S., a consulting firm reported in a recent whitepaper.  “From

Shopping for a new car
News Personal Auto

2022 auto sales lowest since 2009: DesRosiers

January 5, 2023 by The Canadian Press

DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. says light vehicle sales were up 5.5 per cent in December compared with last year but were down for the whole year. The firm estimates 109,000 new light vehicles were sold in the month of December,

Recession's impact on car insurance
News BrokersClaimsInsurersLoss ControlLoss TrendsPersonal AutoPersonal Home

How the upcoming recession will affect your home and auto clients

January 3, 2023 by Jason Contant

With a potential recession on the horizon, consumers will likely purchase fewer big-ticket items such as cars and homes. Of course, this also means a decrease in demand for the Canadian P&C insurance industry.  “Cars can be seen as a

Appliances ready for purchase
News AdjustersClaimsClaims ProfessionalsClaims TechnologyInsurersLoss ControlPersonal AutoPersonal HomePropertySupply Chain

How switching appliances can shorten claims cycles

December 15, 2022 by Philip Porado

Supply chain problems aren’t going away any time soon for insurance adjusters. Home improvement retailers and warehouses have been plagued by empty shelves since the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. And goods scarcities for everything from lumber to La-Z-Boys

Autonomous driverless delivery robot on a street
News Emerging RisksLiabilityPersonal AutoTechnology

The self-driving era is here, the question is what comes next

December 15, 2022 by Ian Bickis - THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO – The self-driving era is here, just not the one that was promised. Instead of sleek pods without steering wheels ready to chauffeur buyers off the lot, there are mostly driverless Chevy compacts, Chrysler minivans, and Ford box trucks