Collision repair group expands U.S operations
April 1, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterWinnipeg-based The Boyd Group Inc. (TSE: BYD.A) has acquired Atlanta, U.S.-based Car-Tech Holdings Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The deal will require Boyd issuing 264,286 Class-A shares valued at around $1.4 million as part payment for the acquisition. The Car-Tech…
Demystifying group business
January 1, 2001 Brian Reeve, a senior at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLPOne area of great confusion that exists in the insurance market in Canada today is the status of group property and casualty coverage. The advantage of group coverage is that it can be sold without a licensed broker being involved.…
FINDING RELIGION
January 1, 2001 Vikki SpencerInsurers look to the bottom-line
Healthcare: a Tear in the Claims Management
January 1, 2001 Sean van Zyl, EditorIn the few short years between 1991 and 1998, the cost of healthcare as a percentage of auto claims across Canada rose on average by almost a third to the point where amounts paid out by insurers toward vehicle damage/loss…
Legal Rates: Judgement Awaits
December 1, 2000 Sean van Zyl, EditorA controversy which has been simmering for several years now could boil over at any moment with the consequence being higher and more frequent court damage awards being made against insurers, predict senior partners of litigation defense firms. The issue…
News (December 01, 2000)
December 1, 2000 by Canadian UnderwriterAt a recent Insurance Brokers of Durham Region meeting, CARSTAR Canada co-founder Sam Malatesta (pictured) took the opportunity to promote the collision repair chain’s sale of FrightLite glow sticks, in support of The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Throughout October, CARSTAR…
On The Move (December 01, 2000)
December 1, 2000 by Canadian UnderwriterSorema N.A. recently celebrated the retirement of its Canadian chief agent Angus Ross (pictured, right) and the appointed of his successor, Francois Dagneau (left). Ross leaves the industry after more than 35 years, including 8 years with Sorema. Prior to…
Insurers and Collision Shops: Driving Partnerships Forwar
October 1, 2000 Vikki SpencerCARSTAR’s annual conference brought insurers and collision shop owners onto common ground to repair the once adversarial relationship that plagued both sides. In the name of improved customer service and hence higher profits, all agreed the time has come to forge new partnerships.
Following the right track
June 1, 2000 Vikki SpencerAuto manufacturers and property and casualty insurers recently joined forces at the AIM 2000 Conference held in Mississauga to combat cost-pressures and identify means of better serving their customers. Highlighting the agenda were the use of research, design and rating…
High Impact Ahead
May 1, 2000 Sean van Zyl, EditorWith the growth of property and casualty insurance industry earnings having plummeted to almost a 20-year low on the back of poor investment returns and intense rate competition — which saw last year’s annual rate of premium growth clock in…
Auto Repair Perspective: Work For, Not Against
May 1, 2000 John Norris, executive director of the Hamilton District AutobodThe world of repair shops and front-line collision damage appraisers is very different to that of the corporate insurance industry. A closer understanding of the challenges faced by both sides is clearly needed. In fact, with both bodyshops and insurers…
Aftermarket Auto Parts: Shifting Gears
May 1, 2000 David CarrLegal action against insurance companies in the U.S. for alleged unauthorized use of aftermarket parts in vehicle repair have bubbled up into Canada. Within months of a successful $1.2 billion class action in Illinois against State Farm Insurance, similar suits…