Segment
Underwriting
How the court bolstered an insurer’s exclusion for privacy breach
July 8, 2022 by David GambrillActing recklessly in breaching the confidential medical files of patients effectively falls within a hospital insurer’s commercial policy exclusion for committing an ‘intentional act,’ Ontario’s top court has ruled. The Ontario Court of Appeal found a hospital insurer, the Healthcare…
Why Intact can’t recover $2.9 million in excess insurance payment
July 7, 2022 by David GambrillIntact Insurance has lost its bid to recover $2.9 million it paid above and beyond its $5-million insurance policy limit for cleaning up a 2012 chemical spill in North Bay, Ontario. Ontario’s Court of Appeal rejected Intact’s arguments that it…
How to advise clients on commercial contract indemnities
July 6, 2022 Michael CareyCommercial contracts often contain indemnities, and brokers should be prepared to address issues pertaining to indemnities within those contracts. Some clients may ask what an indemnity is. Simply put, it’s a promise to compensate another person for certain costs and…
Why your client now needs environmental insurance
July 4, 2022 by Jason ContantClimate change is resulting in larger and non-traditional pollution losses, necessitating the need for environmental insurance to cover possible coverage gaps left by other policies, an environmental insurance expert said recently. Stronger storms coupled with increased land development can lead…
Why home insurers are more exposed to NatCats after the pandemic
July 4, 2022 by David GambrillWhen the pandemic, remote work and a hot housing market combined to cause more Canadians to buy homes in suburban and rural areas, home insurers may have become more exposed to NatCat losses, data from a recent Aviva study found…
Alongside the hard market, brokers face talent crunch
July 4, 2022 David GambrillCanada’s hard market continues to be brokers’ Number 1 concern, with impacts being felt in several key areas — namely, workloads, resources, pay structures and work satisfaction, our 2022 National Broker Survey found. “Companies not wanting to write risks,” one…
How the pandemic changed broker prospecting for new business
June 30, 2022 David GambrillHigh workloads during the pandemic had an impact on brokers’ ability to prospect for new business, Canadian Underwriter‘s 2022 National Broker Survey found. The survey asked more than 250 brokers nationwide in February about challenges to the broker distribution channel.…
What the post-pandemic commute means for auto insurers
June 30, 2022 by David GambrillCanadians who relocated to suburban and rural areas to work during the pandemic are driving longer distances upon returning to work, and plan to use their cars for the work commute more often in the future, a new Aviva Canada…
Don Forgeron to retire from Insurance Bureau of Canada
June 23, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatinoDon Forgeron will retire as president and CEO of the Insurance Bureau of Canada after a tenure of almost 30 years. He will also retire as a member of the IBC’s board of directors. The search for Forgeron’s successor will…
Will the oil shock slow auto insurers’ post-pandemic loss ratios?
June 21, 2022 by David GambrillInsurers have been sounding the alarm about their auto claims ratios returning to normal post-pandemic, but expect the oil shock to temper that expectation somewhat, P&C industry execs predict. The war in Ukraine and consequent embargo on Russian oil have…
Commissions may not compensate brokers for rising workloads
June 21, 2022 David GambrillCommission structure doesn’t always compensate for the time brokers must spend preparing for prospective business, only to have a client reject the proposal, said a broker responding to Canadian Underwriter’s latest National Broker Survey. “If I go to a dentist,…
Yes, COVID-19 really did boost broker workloads
June 20, 2022 David GambrillWhile the pandemic created extra work for brokers, it also highlighted the value of the broker proposition, which includes, choice, advice and advocacy, according to Canadian Underwriter‘s 2022 National Broker Survey, which asked more than 250 brokers nationwide about challenges…