Canadian Underwriter


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TAKING THE PLUNGE

June 1, 2000 Vikki Spencer

Armed with over 50 years experience in the insurance business, Simon Farrow is ready to lead a new company, Thompson General Insurance, onto the playing field. The market may be competitive, he says, but this “virtual company” is mixing state

Bill Star
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Kingsway acquires AXA fleet book

June 1, 2000 by Canadian Underwriter

Insurer AXA Canada has sold its book of commercial trucking business, consisting of ten vehicles and more, to specialty insurer Kingsway Financial Services Inc. The book is valued at about $23 million in annual premium. As part of the arrangement,

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Aftermarket Auto Parts: Shifting Gears

May 1, 2000 David Carr

Legal action against insurance companies in the U.S. for alleged unauthorized use of aftermarket parts in vehicle repair have bubbled up into Canada. Within months of a successful $1.2 billion class action in Illinois against State Farm Insurance, similar suits

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Defining Ontario’s Insurance Regulation

May 1, 2000 Vikki Spencer

With the creation of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) in 1998, the province took on the task of reconciling the interests of consumers with a patchwork quilt of industries governed by almost a dozen different set of rules.

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High Impact Ahead

May 1, 2000 Sean van Zyl, Editor

With the growth of property and casualty insurance industry earnings having plummeted to almost a 20-year low on the back of poor investment returns and intense rate competition — which saw last year’s annual rate of premium growth clock in

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RIMS drives loss data standards

May 1, 2000 by Canadian Underwriter

The Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) has revealed plans to develop standards for the exchange of loss data between insurers, service providers and the risk management community. The results of a viability study were presented to RIMS last month.

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Auto Repair Perspective: Work For, Not Against

May 1, 2000 John Norris, executive director of the Hamilton District Autobod

The world of repair shops and front-line collision damage appraisers is very different to that of the corporate insurance industry. A closer understanding of the challenges faced by both sides is clearly needed. In fact, with both bodyshops and insurers

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Slow and steady wins the race

May 1, 2000 Paul Kovacs, Senior vice president at the Insurance Bureau of Ca

In April, the Canadian government stopped underwriting domestic credit insurance. This is a welcome response to our ongoing industry lobby. This breakthrough shows that a persistent and sustained effort is the key to eventually convince governments to also exit other insurance businesses across Canada.

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THE AIR OUT OF THE BAG

May 1, 2000 Vikki Spencer

Airbags recovered from written-off vehicles will be used for collision repairs in British Columbia, likely before the end of the year, says a researcher at the province’s public insurance organization. The decision follows testing on salvaged airbags conducted by the

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Maximizing Auto Claims

May 1, 2000 Roch Lacroix, vice president of Mitchell International Canada

Auto physical damage claims (APDs) represent a significant portion of claim costs for most insurers dealing in personal lines business. But, should this area of claims management be simply seen as the “dark evil” of being in the business, or

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Liberty Mutual joins aftermarket fray

March 1, 2000 by Canadian Underwriter

Only days after class action suits were started in Quebec against insurers AXA Canada and ING Canada, Liberty Mutual General Insurance in Canada became the next victim of the aftermarkets parts legal fever sweeping North America. With its American parent

INSURANCE DISTRIBUTION:
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The Political Lobbying War Heats UP

March 1, 2000 Sean van Zyl

Control over the distribution of insurance products is once again back on the property and casualty insurance industry’s radar screen as the federal government’s proposed white paper on financial services competition is set to go forward before parliament for legislative