Intact’s guesstimate of auto profitability improvement required by the industry
February 12, 2019 by Greg MeckbachThe Canadian auto insurance industry needs to improve its profitability by about 10 percentage points, executives with Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer suggest. Canada-wide and industry wide, personal lines auto has a loss ratio of about 75%, said Darren…
OSFI provides guidance on reporting cyber incidents
February 12, 2019 by Jason ContantMonths after Canada’s mandatory data breach notification law came into effect on Nov. 1, 2018, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is now providing guidance on when to report cyber incidents to the financial regulator. In an…
Hub continues expansion into employee benefits
February 12, 2019 by Greg MeckbachHub International Ltd. has bought another Canadian employee benefits operation. Chicago-based Hub announced Tuesday it has acquired the assets of Toronto-based Firstbrook Pointon Benefits Incorporated. Tuesday’s announcement comes a month after Hub acquired Vancouver-based TRG Group Benefits and Pensions Inc. Firstbrook…
Why leaking sewers are contributing to higher flood risk
February 11, 2019 by Jason ContantBrand new storm and sanitary sewers are leaking water at an unacceptable rate, putting individual homes at higher risk of flooding, a civil engineer said last week at the CatIQ Connect conference in Toronto. “We have allowable leakage, a little…
The aftermath of ‘firm action’ in Lloyd’s market
February 8, 2019 by Greg MeckbachEight Lloyds syndicates have closed and some clients insured by the London market are seeing premiums increase four-fold, the head of a major Bermuda insurer suggests. “After some firm action by Lloyd’s in (2018), we saw the closure of eight…
Intact’s appetite for cross-border mergers
February 8, 2019 by Greg MeckbachIntact Financial Corp. is not ruling out the possibility of buying a commercial brokerage or managing general agent in the United States. “We are doing a lot of work to understand the opportunities in distribution in the U.S. and will…
Has Intact noticed the impact of pot legalization on auto claims?
February 6, 2019 by Greg MeckbachRecreational cannabis has been legal for nearly four months, but it’s too early for Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer to tell whether it’s having an impact on auto claims frequency. Senior managers with Intact Financial Corp. were asked Wednesday…
How clients can cash in on demutualization
February 5, 2019 by Greg MeckbachEconomical Insurance clients looking forward to cashing in on demutualization might have to hold on to their shares in the company for nearly six months. In Economical’s demutualization proposal, one restriction on common shares (issued as a benefit to demutualization)…
What stopped this $800,000 subrogated pollution claim
February 4, 2019 by Greg MeckbachA subrogated claim could go off the rails if the client is bankrupt. The Supreme Court of Canada announced Thursday it will not hear a subrogation case involving Desjardins, which applied last year for leave to appeal Douglas v. Stan…
MSA Research hires former Guarantee VP as COO
February 1, 2019 by Greg MeckbachMarilyn Horrick, a former executive with The Guarantee Company of North America, is now executive vice president and chief operating officer of MSA Research Inc. The appointment took effect Friday. Toronto-based MSA’s reports include financial information on most of Canada’s…
Estimated value of Economical’s demutualization for mutual policyholders
February 1, 2019 by Greg MeckbachMutual policyholders of Economical Insurance could get more than $300,000 each if the Waterloo-based insurer demutualizes. A conversion proposal that Economical submitted to the regulator last year calls for 20% of benefits going first to eligible mutual policyholders, of which…
Customer retention advice for brokers from Wawanesa
January 30, 2019 by Greg MeckbachEvery time a client submits a claim to their carrier, you as the broker need to follow up with a phone call, suggests Carol Jardine, president of the Canadian property and casualty operations of Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company. “I would…