News

While Munich Reinsurance Co. of Canada has seen its “A+” (superior) rating affirmed by A.M. Best, its primary insurance affiliate, Temple Insurance Co. has been downgraded to “A” (excellent) from “A+”. Both ratings carry stable outlooks.While Temple enjoys strong capitalization…

Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Pool of Canada has seen its “A-” (excellent) rating affirmed by A.M. Best, with the outlook negative.The rating reflects improvement in underwriting results in 2003, as well as the strong capitalization and market position the pool…

Canadian brokers are adding their own voice to industry condemnation of an IKEA television ad which many say promotes insurance fraud.In a letter to Advertising Standards Canada, Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) CEO Dan Danyluk makes formal complaint against…

With the release of a committee report on the potential for public auto insurance in New Brunswick, cost of establishing the system has been pegged at $82 million. The report, presented by NDP MLA Elizabeth Weir, the committee’s chair, is…

In an effort to harmonize insurance practices across the country, the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR) is looking for input on market conduct issues, including inducements, rebating and tied selling.In a consultation paper, the CCIR is asking for response…

The Insurance Bureau of Canada’s (IBC) investigative division will focus on auto theft and organized crime in the future, handing its individual claims investigation service over to another firm.As of April 1, the IBC will no longer accept new requests…

In its most recent poll of members, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) finds that insurance continues to be a sore spot for small-to-medium sized business owners.Along with energy costs, insurance price hikes are a thorn in the side…

The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) this month published research studies on both windstorm and earthquake events.The first study, by Alan Davenport, looks at the relationship between quake magnitude, epicentral distance and shock amplitude. The study assesses the application…

With the 2005 sunset deadline for the U.S. federal government terrorism backstop fast approaching, commercial brokers are urging legislators to extend the program.In a survey of its members, the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB) found 80% want to…

After three years of sharp price increases, auto insurance rates in the U.S. are expected to rise just 3.5% in 2004, says the Insurance Information Institute (III).However, certain states may not see this leveling trend, such as Florida, Massachusetts and…

Insurance brokers are pleased with two federal budget announcements which they say will promote continuing education and help small businesses. The Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC), reacting to the budget handed down by Prime Minister Paul Martin and announced…

U.S. property and casualty insurers will post a combined ratio of 98.0% for 2003, 6.9% better than 2002, says Fitch Ratings. Return on equity was up to 11.6% last year from 6.5% the year prior.The rating agency looked at 55…