Segment
Brokers
How brokerage owners want to pass on their businesses
April 26, 2024 Philip PoradoWhere would you like to leave things? It’s a critical question for Canada’s property and casualty (P&C) brokers, especially given the seniority of brokers represented in Canadian Underwriter’s 2024 annual National Broker Survey. More than 200 brokers nationwide shared views…
Brokers tell us their Number 1 challenge for 2024
April 24, 2024 David GambrillFixing the labour shortage plaguing Canada’s P&C insurance industry is officially Job 1 for the broker channel, Canadian Underwriter’s 2024 National Broker Survey shows. Failing to do that, survey respondents say, puts brokerages at risk of sustaining collateral damage in…
How brokers can broaden their recruiting lens
April 22, 2024 Philip PoradoWho are you going to hire? It’s a key question as Canada’s property and casualty (P&C) insurance brokers look to simultaneously broaden diversity within their teams and solve a hiring crisis that’s persisted for nearly a decade. One way firms…
What brokers say about Ontario DCPD opt-outs
April 18, 2024 Alyssa Di SabatinoOntario brokers tell us their phones aren’t ringing off the hook with calls from drivers wanting to take advantage of the province’s new option to decline direct compensation- property damage (DCPD) coverage on their auto policies. “I actually thought that…
Hybrid brokerage/agency rebrands following merger
April 18, 2024 by Jason ContantQuebec brokerages PMA Assurances and PMT ROY Assurances et services financiers have merged under the name Ellipse Agence en assurance de dommages inc., creating what the firm is calling the province’s largest damage insurance agency distributing Intact Insurance products exclusively.…
What post-pandemic coverage looks like for healthcare providers
April 17, 2024 Philip PoradoThe word ‘soft’ doesn’t spring to mind when describing the current insurance market for Canada’s healthcare providers. But four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, insurers are becoming more comfortable looking at, and writing, healthcare business. “We’re having…
BrokerLink reveals 18-month growth target
April 16, 2024 by Jason ContantBrokerLink aspires to increase its direct premiums written (DPW) by more than $1 billion over the next year-and-a-half. In 2023, BrokerLink surpassed $3.5 billion in DPW. “Our ambition is to be $5 billion by the end of 2025,” president Joe…
3 building blocks for using new commercial lines tech
April 11, 2024 Steve Whitelaw, Applied Systems CanadaTechnological breakthroughs in commercial lines are helping brokers win over Canadian business owners seeking insurance coverage. Brokers can do three things to stand out in this crowded, competitive market. They can standardize their data capture, simplify their quoting and submission…
What’s the next frontier for assessing property risk?
April 10, 2024 John Siegman, co-founder of HazardHubNext-generation data, analytics and risk models are giving property risk assessment a much-needed facelift. The increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters, combined with population growth in NatCat-prone regions, is escalating property and casualty (P&C) insurers’ claims and losses. A…
Will polarization kill water cooler chat at Canada’s brokerages?
April 8, 2024 Philip PoradoA polarized social and political climate means one-third of employees at P&C brokerages across Canada avoid conversations about controversial subjects while at work, Canadian Underwriter’s 2024 Brokerage DEI survey finds. The survey asked respondents about numerous aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion…
Are optional auto benefits a good choice for your clients?
April 5, 2024 by Jason ContantOntario’s recent 2024 budget proposes expanded choice for auto insurance consumers by offering more optional accident benefit coverages, but that may wind up being a zero-sum game that sends clients down a slippery slope, suggests Adam Mitchell, CEO of Ontario…
How brokers can harvest insurance capacity for farmers
April 4, 2024 Alyssa Di SabatinoOne key element of creating a farm-specific MGA was the need to introduce proprietary technologies. Brokers of late have expressed concerns about the proliferation of new portals, which many see as a burden. “The first thing is acknowledging it is…