Topic Property
P&C industry joins the $3-billion Cat club (again)
October 19, 2023 by David GambrillFor the second year in a row, Canadian P&C insurers have become members of the unenviable $3-billion Cat club while paying out natural catastrophe damage losses. This year, damage losses were primarily so-called ‘secondary perils’ such as severe weather storms…
Policy exclusion? Watch your exceptions in multiple-cause losses
October 18, 2023 by David GambrillUnderwriters must pay close attention to the policy wording they use in their exceptions to exclusions, lest insurers find themselves on the hook for covering losses with two or more suspected causes. That’s a key takeaway from Brock Stock Farm…
Devil in the details: Canada’s proposed flood program
October 13, 2023 by David GambrillWhen Canadian homeowners finally get access to Canada’s proposed national flood insurance program, P&C insurance industry professionals are curious how it will will affect the country’s real estate and mortgage industries. The question has already come up in the United…
Tips for insuring properties worth more than $500 million
October 2, 2023 by Philip PoradoCoverage for high-value real estate, defined as sites worth $500 million or more, is often based as much on how those sites are used as on the physical assets themselves. Multi-use sites, where activities like manufacturing, distribution, logistics and management…
How insurance helps when converting office buildings to housing
September 29, 2023 by Philip PoradoCanada’s housing crisis has deepened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. And when office vacancy rates across Canada topped 17% in 2022 Q4, calls grew louder to convert some of that unused commercial space into residential units. What’s more,…
Where 2023 Cat losses stand after summer storms
September 20, 2023 by David GambrillSummer storms in Alberta and the Prairies caused more than $300 million in insured losses, bringing the cumulative total of Cat losses to date in Canada to more than $2 billion — with another financial quarter to go in 2023.…
What’s driving challenges in commercial property?
September 19, 2023 by Jason ContantChallenges in the Canadian commercial property insurance market continue to be a focal point throughout 2023, primarily driven by NatCat concerns and reinsurance costs, Aon said in its Fall 2023 Insurance Market Update Canada report. “The property market continues to…
New Brunswick premier vows comprehensive review after massive Port Saint John fire
September 19, 2023 by The Canadian PressSAINT JOHN, N.B. – A joint task force investigation into last week’s major fire at a scrapyard in Saint John, N.B., will consider whether the recycling plant should continue operating at the city’s port, says Premier Blaine Higgs. Higgs made…
Lee update: Where the damage is likely to happen
September 14, 2023 by David GambrillNew Brunswick and Nova Scotia are bracing for flooding and high winds as Hurricane Lee approaches landfall in Atlantic Canada as a Category 1 storm. Currently showing wind speeds of 155 km/h, Lee is expected to become a strong tropical…
U.K.-based firm buys two Canada brokerages
September 12, 2023 by Canadian Underwriter StaffLooks as if the summer 2023 P&C brokerage merger train will keep on rolling into the fall. Specialist insurance and reinsurance broker BMS Group has acquired Canada-based insurance brokers, Smith & Reid Insurance Brokers Ltd. and O’Neil Insurance. Smith &…
What to expect if Lee makes landfall in the Maritimes
September 12, 2023 by David GambrillIt’s increasingly likely Hurricane Lee will make landfall in Atlantic Canada this weekend as either a strong tropical storm or a weak Category 1 hurricane. The Canadian Hurricane Centre and AccuWeather report they are increasingly confident Hurricane Lee will hit…
How NFP’s updating construction and infrastructure operations
September 7, 2023 by Philip PoradoProperty and casualty broker NFP announced it will integrate its surety practice into its Construction & Infrastructure (C&I) group, which supports companies in the construction space. These changes impact operations worldwide, including Canada, NFP said. “Surety plays a vital role…