IBAO AGM AND MID-YEAR CONFERENCE: Pulling Together
May 1, 2000 Sean van Zyl, EditorThis year’s Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) annual general meeting and mid-year conference, which was recently held in Ottawa, drew focus on the need for the brokerage community to unite in the face of rapid consolition and the technological…
The Political Lobbying War Heats UP
March 1, 2000 Sean van ZylControl 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…
Developing niche lines of business: The garage sale closed
March 1, 2000 by Lowell ConnWhen the “garage sale” begins and market players undercut one another, nowhere is the reverberations felt any stronger than the specialty lines business. Niche operators want the message to be clear: “Stay out of out of our business”. More to…
Brokerlink finds white knight in Allianz
March 1, 2000 by Canadian UnderwriterT he battle being waged for control of Calgary-based broker consolidator Canada Brokerlink took a dramatic turn toward the end of last month when Allianz Canada stepped to the table with a superior counter offer worth around $42 million. The…
News (March 01, 2000)
March 1, 2000 by Canadian UnderwriterJim Ball, president of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada, has announced that board approval was received for the Association to join the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries (WFII). The WFII is a non-profit federation that promotes the interests of…
The Technology PINCH
March 1, 2000 Laird Laundy, an independent insurance consultantGenerally speaking, I am an optimist about the role technology plays in our society, but I am certainly not an unabashed enthusiast. I often find, as I deal with various service suppliers, especially call-centers, that the cutting edge is not so much a finely honed blade as a blunt cleaver in need of a good refurbishing.
After “HORSING” around, MOTIVATION is the name of the game
March 1, 2000 AxiomIpositioned myself near the entrance to the dining lounge and watched as the escalator in front of me deposited a steady stream of well-dressed couples to the upper level. I had arrived at the suburban racetrack early, to be on…
U.S. Insurers look beyond the ratio
March 1, 2000 Lowell Conn & Sean van ZylU.S. insurers are fortifying themselves for lower profitability and a higher operating ratio in the coming year, a survey revealed at the 2000 Property & Casualty Insurance Joint Industry Forum recently in New York City. Industry chiefs insist that, despite heightened merger and acquisition in the year ahead, the overcapitalized insurance environment could soon be swept away by an abundance of cost-absorptive changes.
Regulators circling THE ADJUSTERS
March 1, 2000 Lowell ConnHarmonization efforts on the east coast have not gone unnoticed by regulators nationwide, with most provincial legislators carefully watching Insurance Act rewrites across the country in an effort for more standardized rules and regulations. Most recently, the regulatory sights have…
Turn the Headlights On
February 1, 2000 Sean van Zyl, EditorArecently held KPMG seminar on e-commerce application opened with a quote from Bill Gates: “Business is going to change more in the next ten years than it has in the last fifty…If the 1980s were about quality and the 1990s…
BIP Branding: The Pendulum SWINGS
February 1, 2000 Mabel Sansom, executive director Insurance Brokers Association oOn February, 28, the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada will launch its new television campaign, running until June 11, on network and specialty television. The campaign will be supported by a strong print campaign explaining the benefits of dealing within the independent broker channel. The campaign is intended to do one thing — brand the BIP logo in the consumer minds and direct them towards unbiased, professional advice when purchasing property & casualty insurance.
Technology: Reaching for the Future
February 1, 2000 Lowell ConnThe answer to industry automation might never have been the Synchron Project or any vendor based initiative. There is rising sentiment that it always was the internet. This industry-wide realization has struck home, and insurers are now rushing to get…