Canadian Underwriter


News InsuranceMergers and Aqcuisitions

Brokerlink acquires family-owned brokerage in Alberta

March 8, 2019 by David Gambrill

BrokerLink has welcomed into its tent a 40-year-old family brokerage located in the Peace River area of northern Alberta. Nicolet Insurance Ltd., a full-service operation offering auto, home, business and travel insurance, has joined Brokerlink, one of Canada’s largest property

News InsuranceMarkets / CoveragesMergers and AqcuisitionsMGAs

Burns & Wilcox Canada acquires specialty MGA

March 7, 2019 by Jason Contant

H.W. Kaufman Group and Burns & Wilcox Canada announced Thursday they have acquired Toronto-based TRU Transportation Risk Underwriters Ltd., a managing general agency with unique transportation expertise. TRU will become part of B&W Canada, a flagship organization of Kaufman and

News InsuranceTechnology

How innovation changes the underwriter’s job

March 6, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Technology and data will change the underwriter’s job but will not eliminate it, suggests Russell Johnston, chief executive officer for North America of QBE Insurance Group Limited. “At the end of the day, people still make the decisions,” Johnston said

News AppointmentsInsuranceProfessional Development

Maurice Tulloch appointed CEO of Aviva plc

March 4, 2019 by Jason Contant

Maurice Tulloch, the former president and CEO of Aviva Canada from 2009-13, has been appointed CEO of the London, U.K.-based Aviva plc, effective Monday. Tulloch joined Aviva in 1992 and was appointed to the board of Aviva plc in June

News BrokersMergers and Aqcuisitions

Gallagher to buy Jardine Lloyd Thompson’s aerospace operations

March 4, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced Monday it has agreed to buy the global aerospace operations of  Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc. If the deal goes through, about 250 JLT employees worldwide would join Gallagher. Monday’s announcement comes six months

News Insurance

What this insurer did to address IFRS 17 requirements

February 27, 2019 by David Gambrill

SSQ Insurance has partnered with analytics firm SAS to help further their efforts towards IFRS 17 compliance. The new International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS 17) standardizes reporting requirements for financial firms internationally, with the intent to improve financial transparency. But

News InsuranceTechnology

This AI tool is a ‘huge priority’ for some insurers

February 27, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Chatbots are getting better at answering questions, and many Canadian insurers are taking a serious look at the technology, a fintech analyst said Tuesday. “Quite a few of the major insurers in North America are looking to chatbots as a

News AdjustersInsurance

The advantage of recruiting non-insurance workers as claims professionals

February 26, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

For independent adjusters, the need to replace retiring workers is becoming more urgent. “A number of our front-line adjusters are very senior, very talented and experienced,” said Paul Féron senior vice president for Ontario and Manitoba at ClaimsPro LP. “In

News BrokersInsurance

NFP Corp acquires Ontario P&C brokerage

February 20, 2019 by David Gambrill

NFP Corp., a global insurance brokerage and consultant, has acquired Ontario-based property and casualty brokers Mass Insurance Brokers Limited and Easyway Insurance Brokers Inc (collectively known as Mass). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. NFP announced the deal, which

News InsuranceMarkets / Coverages

Captive insurance programs target commercial auto in Canada

February 15, 2019 by Jason Contant

eCaptiv, which provides alternative and captive insurance solutions in Canada and the United States, will be forming two group captives through an exclusive group of independent insurance brokers to “combat commercial auto trends in Canada.” The programs are in the

News InsuranceMergers and AqcuisitionsTechnology

Opta acquires getClarity: linking property and risk data with consumer profiles

February 14, 2019 by David Gambrill

With its recent acquisition of getClarity, Opta Information Intelligence is expanding into the area of customer and prospect behaviour. Opta is Canada’s largest property data aggregator and a provider of risk intelligence and loss control services. Its solutions include iClarify

News Commercial LinesInsurance

Insurer CEOs react to hardening commercial market

February 13, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

The pace of the hardening market in commercial lines has come as a surprise to some executives at Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer. “We have seen a shift in commercial lines that is pretty abrupt in the past six