Low-cost insurer enters the fray
October 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterBrian Johnston, the former president of Liberty Canada Holdings and Cigna Insurance Company of Canada, has launched a new low-cost general insurance company, Markham General Insurance Company. The operation is capitalized at $20 million. Financially backed by a group of…
RAISING the tide of EDUCATION
October 1, 1999 Lowell ConnKen Orr, incoming president of the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO), believes brokers need to invest further in continuing professional development. Despite a successful launch of the IBAO’s “travelling education road show” in the past term, early returns suggest…
Industry looks outward to control auto costs
October 1, 1999 Lowell ConnA recent Competition Bureau decision favoring “insurer preferred bodyshops” has provided auto property and casualty insurance companies with much needed ammunition in a pending court battle with the City of Toronto to overrule a longstanding by-law prohibiting the establishment of…
Money Laundering Legislation with BITE
October 1, 1999 Nikki McManus, a freelance writerCanada is big business — amounting to some $17 billion each year. And, although Canada’s money recycling black market is minor in global terms (which the U.N. estimates to be $1 trillion worldwide), there are weaknesses in the current financial…
MARKETING MANAGEMENT: The SAME PRODUCT, but the SAME SERVICE?
October 1, 1999 Chris MacKechnie, a consultant at Information DesignWorksAs an industry within the personal financial services sector, our customers don’t like us very much. To tell you the truth, I don’t blame them.; The SAME PRODUCT,
Provincial Regulatory Harmonization: Cutting the RED TAPE of classes
October 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterIs a new subsidiary, new product or policy form on the horizon for your company? If so, better be prepared for slippery target dates. Lengthy delays in licensing can occur when companies or their brokers develop new products which don’t…
Underwriting performance HERE, and SOUTH
October 1, 1999 Gary Ketchum, managing senior financial analyst at A.M. Best Co.Investment gains have kept Canadian property and casualty underwriting results afloat, but conservative leverage — combined with signs of a market price hardening — now look to provide some additional comfort to the market. However, a comparison of business strategies applied by companies in Canada and their counterparts south of the border suggests that the former will have to place greater emphasis on reducing operating expenses.
The Future of Financial Services Regulation
October 1, 1999 Michael HlinkaLast June the federal government released its white paper on financial services regulation. While the gist of the paper was very much in favor of protecting the existing rights of members of the property and casualty insurance industry, contained within…
INVESTING in a low interest market
October 1, 1999 Cameron Laird, senior vice president of securities investment atWith the potential of gaining profit on underwriting limited by the soft market, property and casualty insurers are increasingly looking at ways of boosting their investment earnings. However, in today’s volatile investment markets, coupled with a low interest rate environment, the task of achieving an above average return is easier said than done — but not impossible. Appropriate risk rating and investment strategy implementation can generate higher gains.
CGU snaps up GAN Canada
October 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterIn a deal valued at $139.5 million, CGU Canada Ltd. has purchased The GAN Company of Canada Ltd. from its French owner GAN International. GAN Canada is the 22nd largest property & casualty group in the country with net written…
Queensway tumbles in second quarter
October 1, 1999 by Canadian UnderwriterQueensway Financial Holdings Ltd. (TSE: QFH), recently the subject of a management purge by new U.S.-based majority stakeholders, has released its second quarter figures posting a significant loss over last year’s figures. For the first six months of 1999, the…
INDEPENDENCE or INTERDEPENDENCE?
October 1, 1999 Sean van Zyl, EditorDespite the recent and resounding victory of independent property and casualty insurance brokers in blocking banks from branch retailing of insurance, Canada’s brokerage community faces many challenges on the road ahead. Even without the bank threat, the distribution end of…