Uber-style platform for expediting appraisals now in Canada
April 16, 2019 by David GambrillAn Uber-style platform to expedite home and auto claims appraisals has made its way into Canada. Offered by WeGoLook, the online and mobile sharing-economy platform provides personalized, onsite data capture for inspections and low-complexity services across the United States. Now…
Is the reserve release tank running on empty?
April 15, 2019 by David GambrillThe Canadian property and casualty industry saw its reserve releases contract in 2018 to their lowest level in seven years, according to MSA’s Q4 2018 Quarterly Outlook. Expressed as a percentage of loss development margin, reserve releases last year amounted…
March winter storm costs insurers over $124 million
April 12, 2019 by Jason ContantA mid-March winter storm that struck central and eastern Canada caused over $124 million in insured damage, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) said Thursday. The storm hit Ontario on Mar. 14 and continued through Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova…
Two winter storms, one $70-million claims bill for insurers
April 9, 2019 by David GambrillThe busy catastrophe season in Canada thus far is continuing with no signs of slowing down. Two severe weather storms in Ontario this year, one in February and one in March, cost insurers more than $70 million in insured damage,…
Long-range weather forecast: more flood claims for the P&C industry
April 3, 2019 by Jason ContantCoastal flooding is expected to increase in many areas of Canada, bringing with it increased risk of damage to coastal infrastructure, according to a report released Tuesday by the federal government. “Local sea level is projected to rise, and increase…
How the cat season so far compares to 2018
March 26, 2019 by Jason ContantIt seems that the Canadian catastrophe season is off to a strong start, with five events so far this quarter compared to the normal one. “I will say that we have had an anomalous start to the year,” said Laura…
How small potatoes from federal budget can help insurers
March 20, 2019 by Greg MeckbachThe federal government’s commitment Tuesday to spend $1 million a year on hazard awareness training – from a total budget of nearly $350 billion – will go a “long way” towards helping Canadians understand property risk, the Insurance Bureau of…
This global reinsurer is applying for a Canadian branch office
March 13, 2019 by David GambrillValidus Reinsurance Ltd., a Bermuda-based reinsurer acquired by AIG last year for $5.5 billion, is looking to establish a Canadian branch office. Validus intends to file an application with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) on or…
How RSA plans to shore up its personal lines results in Canada
March 11, 2019 by David GambrillExpect RSA in Canada to take remedial underwriting actions in its personal lines portfolio – including auto rate increases of between 3% and 16%, and potentially selected broker cancellations – in order to shore up results after a tough year…
Wildfire catastrophe models need improvement: Reinsurer
March 8, 2019 by Greg MeckbachThe world’s second-largest reinsurer is looking for partners in the artificial intelligence space to help the reinsurer get a better idea of how much insured damage future wildfires could cause. Swiss Re is working with the Massachusetts Institute of technology…
Early storm warning for insurers: $40 million for January storm in eastern Canada
March 6, 2019 by Jason ContantA winter storm in late January that brought snowfall, freezing rain, rain and strong winds to eastern Canada caused over $39 million in insured damage, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). Most of the damage occurred on Jan.…
Ontario’s latest wind storm: is it as costly as last year’s wind cat?
February 25, 2019 by Jason ContantThe strong wind storm that continues across parts of Ontario Monday is being compared to the costliest insured loss event of 2018. Beginning on Sunday, Feb. 24, a powerful, sustained wind storm caused blizzard conditions and damaging winds across Ontario.…