One way to cut time and effort from handling paper forms
May 30, 2019 by Greg MeckbachDo your workers spend hours typing information from paper forms into the computer? There are ways of automating this. “Nowadays, you probably have documents coming in and you put them on the scanner. When you are going to put them…
This ‘leading practitioner’ in insurance law is now a judge
May 27, 2019 by Greg MeckbachCORRECTION NOTICE: In an earlier version of this story, Glen L.C. Noel was incorrectly identified as a lawyer representing Lloyd’s in Lawlor v. Royal. In fact, Noel represented Mary Lawlor in that case. Canadian Underwriter regrets the error. Glen L.C.…
This brokerage is the latest to get into employee benefits
May 24, 2019 by Jason ContantA family-owned brokerage in New Brunswick has become the latest brokerage to get into the employee benefits space. Personal and commercial lines brokerage Vienneau Insurance announced earlier this week that it has expanded its commercial insurance offering by acquiring the…
Is there culture after an acquisition?
May 23, 2019 by Adam MalikA question posed at a recent event asked how many of the approximately 30 people in the room had ever been part of an acquisition or merger. Almost every hand went up. It seems just about every broker has been…
Being offline ‘is a huge red flag’
May 22, 2019 by Adam MalikFinding a business is much simpler these days. Rather the fishing around for the yellow pages, dropping it with a loud thud on a desk and flipping through the pages, people opt for a much simpler approach – Google. Anyone…
BFL Canada acquires B.C. brokerage
May 15, 2019 by Jason ContantLarge commercial brokerage BFL Canada announced Tuesday the acquisition of British Columbia-based Summit Insurance Brokers Inc. Summit, based in Prince George, was founded in the late 1990s and brings expertise in industrial, commercial and farm risks to BFL Canada. Summit…
How far can employee confidentiality agreements go?
May 13, 2019 by Jason ContantIf you leave your brokerage with some confidential information stored to memory as opposed to a physical document, can you use that information? A recent ruling from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that even committing to memory confidential…
Are you prepared for insurance quotes through Google Home and Amazon Echo?
May 10, 2019 by David Gambrill“Google Home, Amazon Echo, buy me auto insurance for my new, black 2019 Hyundai Sontata.” If you are a broker, would you be able to handle this voice request for an auto insurance quote? If not, you’d better start strategizing…
Why brokers must have a CRM in the digital age
May 9, 2019 by David GambrillCustomers in the digital age expect to hear back from brokers immediately, so if brokers don’t start investing in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems soon, well — good luck, says Dave Vass, vice president of innovation at Trufla Technology. Vass…
Hub acquires full-service Saskatchewan brokerage
May 6, 2019 by Jason ContantGlobal insurance brokerage Hub International announced Monday it has acquired the assets of Saskatchewan brokerage Kelliher Agencies. Headquartered in Kelliher, Sask., the brokerage is a full-service, independent insurance brokerage that provides personal, commercial, farm and specialty products insurance. “Its focus…
Intact’s BrokerLink makes double acquisition
May 3, 2019 by Jason ContantBrokerLink has announced the acquisition of two brokerages: the Athabasca, Alta. branch of JDR Insurance and Guelph, Ont.-based Amplex Insurance Brokers Ltd. Both transactions were effective May 1 and terms of the transactions were not disclosed, BrokerLink said in a…
How smart speakers could ruin your reputation
May 2, 2019 by Jason ContantConnecting consumers with brokers and insurers through voice technology has already begun, but a new blog from Harvard Business Review is warning companies that their reputation could be at risk. The blog was written for general business audiences, but included…