Topic Personal Auto
Why regulation holds auto insurers back from using advanced modelling
August 4, 2020 by Greg MeckbachAuto insurers could potentially use artificial intelligence to improve risk segmentation but some of the newer modelling techniques may not be a good fit with the way rates are currently regulated, a data science expert for one insurer suggests. Ontario’s…
How high cat losses could go this year
August 4, 2020 by Adam MalikAlberta has become the epicentre for cat losses this year as combined insured damage could reach, if not exceed, $2 billion in the province alone after multiple natural catastrophes have hit various regions over a four-month span. The calculations come…
The Herculean task required to reduce liability claims involving autonomous vehicles
July 30, 2020 by Adam MalikAutonomous vehicles need their own space to operate, a report says, and auto executives agree that putting them on the same roads as human-driven cars in a mixed-use environment will only increase liability claims. “As autonomous technology develops and matures,…
Claimant learns the difference between “hit-and-run” and collision damage
July 28, 2020 by David GambrillA driver in B.C. is out $1,777 for incorrectly telling the public auto insurer that damage to his parked vehicle was the result of a “hit-and-run,” as opposed to collision damage. Jiameng Wang took Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC)…
Why a tribunal changed the insurer’s finding of fault in this parking lot claim
July 24, 2020 by David GambrillB.C.’s small claims court recently overturned the public insurer’s assessment of liability in a case in which a driver pulling out of his parking lot space clipped the open door of a car that had just pulled into the space…
What road tests and bookings may look like during the pandemic
July 23, 2020 by David GambrillB.C.’s public insurer is starting to re-book road tests that were interrupted by the pandemic, prioritizing drivers whose Class 5 and 7 road tests were cancelled between Mar. 17 and June 26, 2020. The insurer is reaching out to Class…
Court dismisses class action against insurers for handling of HST in auto AB claims
July 17, 2020 by David GambrillOntario’s Superior Court has quashed a proposed class action lawsuit against 16 Ontario auto insurers — a dispute related to insurers deducting HST tax from accident benefits paid out to minor auto accident injury victims — because only the LAT…
How many claims the Calgary hail storm caused
July 16, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe industry is dealing with more than 70,000 claims arising from last month’s hail storm in Alberta, but it’s not clear yet how much of the bill will get picked up by reinsurers, the Insurance Bureau of Canada reports. The…
Fraud schemes that financially-strapped clients may be considering
July 14, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSome consumers who owe money on vehicle loans during the COVID-19 pandemic may be tempted to make false auto theft claims, an independent adjuster warns. “Insureds who are desperate for money may have the vehicle stolen and burned to ensure…
A province’s second effort to limit auto trial experts is enacted into law
July 13, 2020 by David GambrillStymied by a B.C. Supreme Court ruling last year in Crowder v. British Columbia (Attorney General), B.C.’s attorney general is attempting once again to change court rules to limit expert evidence in vehicle court actions – a move that is…
Briefing Note: Newfoundland and Labrador
July 12, 2020 by Canadian Underwriter StaffCanada’s most easterly province had a tough start to 2020, says Kelly Hickman, president of South Coast Insurance in St. John’s. The province’s brokers have been working through a tough commercial market. They’re seeing “tighter underwriting restrictions, and less capacity,”…
How you could save an aging Ontario auto client $14,000
July 10, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf you are not consistently shopping around for a better deal for your Generation X and Boomer-generation auto clients, they could be paying thousands extra after reaching middle age – unless they happen to find a lower rate from from…