Topic Property
‘Immense sorrow:’ Major fire at Montreal heritage building that once housed monastery
May 26, 2023 by Sidhartha Banerjee - THE CANADIAN PRESSMONTREAL – A major fire at a Montreal heritage building was still not under control Friday and authorities were not able to provide a firm timeline of how long it would take to extinguish the blaze. The fire broke out…
Why D&O brokers are looking at risk mitigation
May 19, 2023 by Philip PoradoAmid signs the recently easing directors and officers (D&O) coverage segment may gradually become a bit tougher, brokers and insurers will be taking a closer look at companies’ risk-mitigation procedures. When writing risks, Catherine Lanctot, senior vice president and national…
Aon reveals top risk exposure for Canadian companies in 2023
May 18, 2023 by David GambrillCanadian businesses are seeing a rise in the cost of their business interruption claims, causing BI to be one of their top risk concerns in 2023, according to a new report by Aon Canada. “The sources of business disruption for…
Vacant retail and office space: How to advise clients on this post-pandemic trend
May 12, 2023 by Philip PoradoWith office vacancy rates rising in many Canadian cities, brokers need to coach building owners on the need to manage their insurance obligations. A 2023 Q1 report from commercial real estate firm Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) Canada notes, “The…
Brokers still worry about the hard market, but what’s next?
May 1, 2023 by Philip PoradoAlthough Canadian property and casualty (P&C) insurance brokers still call the hard market their greatest challenge, their overall level of concern is gradually waning. So found Canadian Underwriter’s 2023 National Broker Survey, in which more than 150 brokers nationwide expressed…
Insurer successfully defends city’s appeal over fire response times
April 28, 2023 by David GambrillCanada’s top court Thursday refused to hear an appeal in a case in which a Quebec municipality was found 25% liable for a fire that destroyed a commercial building when not enough firefighters were present after 10 minutes to fight…
Why condo corporations need an extra ‘financial cushion’
April 27, 2023 by Jason ContantCanada’s national actuarial organization is recommending legislation that would require condo corporations to hold in their reserve funds a “financial cushion” above what’s required by a reserve fund study. “That cushion protects corporations from adverse deviations from increased expenditures (among…
How the industry’s ROE is trending
April 26, 2023 by Jason ContantThe Canadian property and casualty insurance industry’s return on equity (ROE) last year dropped a few percentage points from the 17% to 18% level it was in 2021, but it’s still above the long-run average of 10.1%, a new industry…
Insurer successfully defends flood exclusion in water damage endorsement
April 21, 2023 by David GambrillA Quebec home insurer successfully defended a flood exclusion to its policy’s water damage endorsement, on the basis that the insurer would not cover water damage that “occurs when a flood reaches the surface of the ground on the premises.”…
PACICC urges feds to move on quake backstop
April 20, 2023 by David GambrillCanada’s insurance industry compensation fund for policyholders hopes the federal government’s 2023 budget commitment to a flood insurance program for high-risk properties will expedite discussions about the urgent need for a similar backstop for earthquake losses. “We will continue to…
Will Canada’s 2023 underwriting results track U.S. improvements?
April 19, 2023 by Philip PoradoCanadian insurers, like their U.S. counterparts, may see some better underwriting results this year. In the U.S., property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry underwriting results are likely to improve during 2023, in response to significant premium increases in underperforming automobile…
Why brokers still need to protect clients from inflation
April 18, 2023 by Alyssa Di SabatinoCanada’s inflation rate eased to 4.3% in March, Statistics Canada reported on April 18. That’s down nearly a percentage point from February’s 5.2% and solidly below inflation’s 8.1% peak in summer 2022. And, with inflation beginning to cool, P&C insurance…