Canadian Underwriter

Carpenter at work on a kitchen repair
News AdjustersBrokersClaimsConstructionInsuranceRestoration

High building materials and labour costs still slowing home repairs

July 12, 2023 Philip Porado

While inflation’s pace has eased in Canada, it’s still expensive to put homeowners back into their properties after a fire, flood, wind or other event. That’s because lingering supply chain and labour-shortage issues are extending restoration timelines. And that’s increasing

Insurance claims adjuster working in the field
News AdjustersClaimsEmploymentEngineeringProfessional DevelopmentRestorationRiskTechnology

How the pandemic changed adjusting for the long haul

July 10, 2023 Philip Porado

COVID-19 restrictions led adjusters to shift claims work to desktop teams. The change was driven by client reluctance to meet in-person and employees’ desire to reduce site work until the risks were better understood. But those changes can make some

Smaller accidents are increasingly likely to lead to cars being totalled out.
News ClaimsInsuranceMarkets / Coverages

Why auto insurers are more likely to declare cars totalled

July 7, 2023 Philip Porado

Is that car worth repairing? Given ongoing supply chain disruption and high inflation rates, the answer for insurers may increasingly be ‘no.’ “We see significant increases in rental costs,” said Kumar Siva, senior vice president for third party administration services

Industrial building destroyed by a hurricane, NatCat
News BrokersCatastrophesClaimsClimate ChangeCommercial LinesInsuranceMarkets / CoveragesRestoration

How trade agreements could change claims adjusting in Canada

June 20, 2023 Alyssa Di Sabatino

When a NatCat occurs in Canada, it’s common for U.S. adjusters to be on the scene — sometimes before Canadian adjusters, who are bound by provincial licensing restrictions. And while processes for getting either country’s adjusters on the scene are

Robot sorting documents to represent AI helping insurance adjusters manage claims
News AdjustersBrokersCatastrophesClaimsCommercial LinesInsuranceRestoration

How automation’s shifting on-site claims work to bigger losses

February 23, 2023 Philip Porado

COVID-19 accelerated development of process efficiencies for insurance adjusters. Pre-pandemic, data-gathering and communications systems began shifting many claims to desk teams, creating efficiencies for adjusters by reserving site visits for complex cases. “What COVID did was expedite some of that

Fallen tree damage to the roof of a house
News AdjustersClaimsCommercial LinesConstructionInsuranceRestoration

How adjusters can benefit from putting consumers in control of their claims

January 19, 2023 Jason Contant

When severe weather events take place, not everything can be fixed overnight. There are only so many contractors and thousands of homes will likely need repairs ranging from major to minor. “It comes down to triaging and putting the insured

Cleaning up in Charlottetown after Fiona
News AdjustersCatastrophesClaimsClaims CanadaInsuranceMarkets / CoveragesRestoration

How much will Fiona cost Canadian P&C insurers?

September 27, 2022 by Jason Contant

Post-tropical storm Fiona could cost the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry between $300 million and $700 million, ratings agency DBRS Morningstar said in a commentary Tuesday. “Fiona will likely be one of the largest catastrophic events in history for

News AdjustersAssociationsCatastrophesClaimsClimate ChangeInsurance

COVID-19 sparks debate about U.S. adjuster use in Calgary

July 3, 2020 by David Gambrill

COVID-19 appears to be kindling proud sentiments about employing Canadian adjusters, after social media posts triggered an age-old debate about using U.S. adjusters to handle catastrophe claims in Canada. Twitter was abuzz with comments after Global News posted a piece

News ClaimsInsurance

What the judge said when a trial lawyer accused an insurer of “playing hardball” with his elderly client

December 31, 2019 by David Gambrill

An elderly resident who lost her slip-and-fall claim against a retirement home does not have to pay the legal costs of the home’s insurance company because the insurer’s legal strategy was “at risk of allegations of playing hardball,” the Ontario

News BrokersInsuranceMergers and Aqcuisitions

Lussier Dale Parizeau continues M&A activity

June 18, 2019 by Jason Contant

Quebec’s largest brokerage, Lussier Dale Parizeau, has merged with financial services firm Genius Financial Group. André Lussier, president of Lussier Dale Parizeau, announced the merger along with the four partners of Genius Financial Group: Jean-Pierre Gauvreau, Serge Gravel, Éric Émond

News AdjustersClaimsClimate ChangeLegal

Why this vehicle accident defendant tried to quash $850,000 settlement

June 14, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Adjusters handling auto liability claims shouldn’t be too quick to settle and take what the plaintiff’s lawyer is saying with a grain of salt. These are among the takeaways from Thursday’s Supreme Court of Canada decision in Fleury v. Paulus.

News AdjustersClaimsClaims CanadaInsuranceLegislation / Regulation

CU Total Loss Series: Bending Time

June 13, 2019 David Gambrill, Editor-in-Chief

Total Loss Series, Part 3: Solutions Imagine Canada’s auto insurance industry saving millions of dollars each year in total loss costs and passing that along to Canadian drivers in the form of premium decreases. And all by simply reducing total