Competition for available qualified underwriting talent is fierce. “We’ve got candidates in the mix that will often have two or three offers in hand,” said Stefan Rolfe, associate director of insurance at Impact Recruitment. “And they can often bounce one…
Nicholas Hudescu is a rarity in the insurance industry. The 23-year-old attended Wilfrid Laurier University, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree specializing in insurance and risk management. While there, he joined the student-run Laurier Insurance and Risk Association (LIRA)…
News reports about drivers of stand-up e-scooters injuring pedestrians in several Canadian cities are raising questions about insurance coverage for the vehicles — and how injured pedestrians might recover damages. But what about the e-scooter drivers themselves? Can they recover…
Escalating natural catastrophe losses are top of mind for specialty insurers in several different commercial lines, most notably property, said Jeff Coulson, director of claims for commercial specialty at Echelon Insurance. There were 15 declared Cats (events causing insured claims…
Increasing intensity of hurricanes making landfall along the U.S. coastline, sparked largely by climate change, has resulted in significant insured losses for several years. And storms seem to be getting worse. That trend impacts insurability and, going forward, “property values…
Ransomware attacks are increasing globally thanks to evolving cybercrime tactics that make it easier for thieves to transfer data from computers or other devices. “Cyber claims frequency has picked up again this year as ransomware groups continue to evolve their…
Canadian companies — in particular, energy firms — are starting to expand across the globe, and that’s when setting up a multinational, controlled master insurance program may be beneficial. “We’ve seen a number of Canadian customers expanding their operations outside…
No two days are alike for public sector risk managers. One day, their jobs might require predicting risk for a transit facility; the next day, a long-term care home. That’s why it’s crucial for public risk managers to break out…
Budgeting is where risk managers of publicly owned organizations feel the hard market the most. Public risk managers must often buy insurance for their entire region or branch while predicting what future losses may be. Like all risk managers, they…
Financial institutions, more often than not, have surplus capital. “To satisfy their shareholders, either they need to invest that capital or buy into businesses so they can have a return,” notes Suzanne Pountney, president of Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario…
Specialty insurer Mosaic Insurance’s expansion across Canada in five specialty lines provides a unique hybrid underwriting model that allows the company to take a Lloyd’s syndicated approach locally in Canada, executives told Canadian Underwriter. Mosaic announced its expansion last month…
Self-driving cars have been a part of visions of the future for decades, and what was once only imaginary has started to become reality. Not only do self-driving cars exist, but five U.S. states (Arizona, California, Michigan, New Hampshire and…