Segment
Claims
McLarens announces appointments to Ontario and Atlantic offices
April 20, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterMcLarens Canada, has announced two new appointments to the claims management and the sales and marketing departments. Laurie Walker joins McClarens as director of Ontario auto accident benefits. She has more than 23 years of insurance adjusting experience, with extensive…
Sedgwick CMS acquired by Stone Point Capital and Hellman & Friedman
April 20, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterPrivate equity firms Stone Point Capital LLC and Hellman & Friedman LLC have acquired Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. for approximately $1.1 billion.“We are excited to be partnering with Stone Point and Hellman & Friedman for the next stage of…
Manitoba proposes to make immobilizer/airbag tampering an offence
April 16, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterManitoba is proposing changes to its Highway Traffic Act that would make it an offence to tamper with anti-theft immobilizers and airbag systems. The maximum fine for those in violation of the proposed legislation would be $5,000.“We believe it is…
ICBC profit increases in 2009, despite decrease in underwriting profit
April 16, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterICBC reported a net income of $563 million in 2009, up from $497 million for 2008. Underwriting income dropped from $321 million in 2008 to $135 million in 2009.Claims and related costs increased to $2.97 billion in 2009 from $2.82…
FSCO orders claimant to produce medical records of alleged prior accidents
April 15, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) has ordered a claimant to produce OHIP records and the clinical notes of his family doctor dating back to motor vehicle accidents that allegedly occurred up to five years prior to the 2005…
U.S. securities litigation returns to pre-financial meltdown levels
April 14, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterAfter dominating U.S. securities litigation for three years, new securities lawsuit filings related to the global credit crisis all but disappeared in 2010 Q1, according to Advisen Ltd’s latest quarterly report on securities litigation, sponsored by ACE. “The securities litigation…
Motorcycle accident victims are getting older: medical study
April 12, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterA study by the University of Rochester Medical Centre shows the average age of the typical injured motorcyclist in the United States has increased from 34 years to 39 years between 1996 and 2005.The study reviewed the hospital records of…
Injury threshold in Ontario does not establish a “barrier” to jury award recovery: Ontario judge
April 12, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterThe threshold in Ontario for determining whether injuries are “serious” enough to warrant jury awards are not supposed to be treated as barriers by insurance defence counsel, an Ontario Superior Court Justice remarked in the threshold case, Nicolas v. Bowers.“I…
CGI extends IT infrastructure contract with Portage Mutual, but not with Desjardins
April 9, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterCGI Group Inc. (TSX: GIB.A; NYSE: GIB), an information technology and business process services provider, says it has extended its current contract with Portage La Prairie Mutual Insurance Company, a 100% Canadian-owned mutual insurance company, until 2014. The enterprise solution…
Facility Association (FA) pleased that New Brunswick allows cost of capital provisions in FA rates
April 8, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterThe New Brunswick Insurance Board has allowed the inclusion of a cost of capital provision in Facility Association (FA) rates, the second province in Canada to do so, following the lead of Prince Edward Island.Buoyed by the decision of the…
FSCO dismisses benefits arbitration after claimant fails to show up to pre-hearing conferences
April 7, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterNote to claimants: If you are interested in pursuing arbitration after an insurer has denied medical and housekeeping benefits, it’s best to show up to scheduled pre-hearing conferences.In Sivakumar Thangaraja and Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, the Financial Services…
Crawford & Company (Canada) announces new appointments
April 7, 2010 by Canadian UnderwriterClaudine Davoodi has been appointed as Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.’s vice president of operations for the region of Quebec.Davoodi will continue to work closely with Quebec branch managers and will have operational responsibility for all of Crawford’s claims operations…