Are commercial lines going direct?
October 7, 2018 by Jason ContantCommercial lines may be moving more toward a direct model, a property and casualty insurance industry analyst suggested recently. “It’s interesting to see commercial lines moving toward the direct model, which we haven’t really seen,” said Philip Heywood, a partner…
Regulatory guidance should recognize broker independence, insurers say
October 4, 2018 by Greg MeckbachWhen it comes to market conduct in the property and casualty industry, the regulations should recognize that brokers are independent, an Insurance Bureau of Canada spokesperson says. A guidance paper explaining regulators’ “overarching expectations” on market conduct for brokers, agents…
Artist or hoarder? Why insurers don’t like clutter
October 2, 2018 by Greg MeckbachSelf-employed artists who work from their own apartments with large quantities of material should have sprinkler systems and firewalls, a Toronto fire inspector suggests. In 2017, Toronto Fire Services ordered an apartment tenant – identified only as K.R. – to…
What changed for insurance industry under the new trade deal?
October 1, 2018 by David GambrillAside from the name change from NAFTA to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), what changed for Canada’s property and casualty insurers under the new free trade agreement announced Monday? Not a whole heck of a lot, it would appear. Regulations…
Kingsway Financial to leave Canada
September 28, 2018 by Greg MeckbachKingsway Financial Services Inc., which used to own Jevco and York Fire and Casualty, plans to relocate to the United States. Toronto-based Kingsway no longer writes property and casualty insurance in Canada, but it still has a Toronto head office…
A better way to transfer bad risks off the books
September 27, 2018 by Greg MeckbachLaw makers and regulators are stopping insurers from using technology that could actually help customers, speakers from two of Canada’s top three property and casualty carriers warn. Insurers have plenty of data that they could potentially use to rate auto,…
Must-have for insurers to underwrite overland flood
September 26, 2018 by Greg MeckbachArtificial intelligence and data analytics is one reason some Canadian insurers are underwriting residential flood coverage, speakers said Tuesday during an industry conference. “Here is an opportunity that we took to really look at the massive data sets we worked…
Insurance lawyer now a Saskatchewan appeal court judge
September 24, 2018 by Greg MeckbachA lawyer who used to represent Saskatchewan’s auto insurer is now a judge with the province’s appeal court, the federal government announced Friday. Robert Leurer represented Saskatchewan Government Insurance on several occasions during the 31 years he practised law for…
Is technology creating an ‘underwriter in a box’?
September 22, 2018 by Jason ContantWe often hear how the property and casualty insurance industry is slow to adopt technology, but is it possible the industry is actually becoming overly reliant on technology? Yes, said Neil Mitchell, CEO of Player’s Health Cover and former managing…
Why this brokerage is not looking to hire insurance experts
September 18, 2018 by Greg MeckbachWhen Matt Alston hires workers for his property and casualty brokerage, he is not looking for a walking encyclopedia of insurance. At Surex Direct, personality “always trumps technical skills and accreditations,” said Alston, Surex Direct’s co-founder and chief operating officer.…
Commercial insurer Ironshore Canada rebranding
September 16, 2018 by Greg MeckbachCommercial specialty insurer Ironshore Canada is being re-branded as Liberty Mutual Canada. In addition to Ironshore, Liberty International Underwriters Canada is also being rebranded as Liberty Mutual Canada, the insurer announced Thursday. But for the rest of 2018, “policies will…
New property and energy head for Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Canada
September 12, 2018 by Greg MeckbachSwiss Re Corporate Solutions has appointed Jamie Mullarkey as head of property and energy for Canada, replacing Yvonne Steiner. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, which writes commercial primary insurance in Canada, targets large and mid-sized organizations. Steiner, who joined Swiss Re…