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MPI rates to rise 3.7% in 2004

December 9, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) has broken its six-year rate freeze, and will up basic auto insurance rates by 3.7% for 2004. The province’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) ordered the increase, which will add about $30 to the average family passenger…

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SCOR capital raising gets mixed reviews from raters

December 9, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

Rating agencies are taking a mixed view of the recent capital raising move by French reinsurer SCOR, despite it exceeding the original EUR 600 million mark.SCOR has announced a fully underwritten rights issue of EUR 750 million, higher than its…

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MPI applauds court’s tough stance on fraud

December 8, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is welcoming a judgement by the province’s courts to hand a jail term to a man convicted of fraud against the public auto insurer.John Francis Lucas, 50, was given a two-year sentence for fraud under $5,000…

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2003’s busy hurricane season could be repeated in 2004

December 8, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

Eminent hurricane forecaster Prof. William Gray of Colorado State University says the above average hurricane season experienced in 2003 could well be repeated in 2004. “The recent upturn in Atlantic basin major hurricane activity which began in 1995 is expected…

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Omni Insurance Brokers Assumes Control of SIAA Canada, Establishes Strategic Master Brokerage

December 7, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

SIAA (Strategic Independent Agents Alliance), the largest network of partnering independent insurance agencies in the U.S., recently announced that Omni Insurance Brokers of London, Ontario has assumed control of SIAA Canada and has established Southwest Brokers Network as a Strategic…

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Alberta passes auto reforms

December 5, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

The provincial Progressive Conservative government of Alberta pushed through auto insurance product reform legislation just prior to closure of the parliament’s fall sitting. A significant component of the reform measures is a $4,000 cap on minor bodily injuries.The legislation, which…

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Jury awards ICBC $4.5 million in chop shop suit

December 5, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

A British Columbia Supreme Court jury has awarded ICBC $4.5 million in a civil lawsuit against two brothers who operated a chop shop in Mission, B.C. It is believed to be the largest punitive award of its kind.<br> “This is…

Real growth in premium volume, 1980-2002 News Insurance

World insurance in 2002: high premium growth in non-life insurance

December 3, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

While financial market turbulence continued to plague the insurance markets in 2002, some signs of recovery were evident in the most important markets: the non-life insurance sector grew at a record-breaking rate, the life sector posted minor improvement according to…

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Loyalist in the black in third quarter

December 2, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

Loyalist Insurance Group Ltd. (TSX: LOY) has turned its ship around for the third quarter ending September 30, 2003, posting profit of $593,000 versus a loss of $473,000 for the same period a year earlier.These figures do not include results…

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Aviva to create Canadian sales support center in India

December 2, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

Along with the announcement by Aviva that it would move 2,350 jobs out of the U.K. to India, the company also announced it would set up a sales center in India to deal with Canadian business. The company stresses there…

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IBC and police work together to lay auto theft charges

December 1, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

As part of a joint effort between the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and the Toronto Police, 59 people now face charges in connection with auto theft.Project Heat “help eliminate auto theft” – as it has been dubbed, involves the…

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SUV bumpers rated poor in low-speed collisions

December 1, 2003 by Canadian Underwriter

In two separate crash test studies, midsize SUVs (sport utility vehicles) fared relatively worse at lower speeds, according to research by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In tests simulation 40 mph frontal offset crashes, eight of nine…