Three product ingredients that could cause large claims
September 13, 2018 by Greg MeckbachIf your client makes or supplies beauty care products, they could face bodily injury lawsuits if certain chemicals are present. The “toxic trio” – dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene and formaldehyde – are contained in some nail varnishes, body lotions, fragrances…
The home insurance exclusion your clients probably don’t know about
September 10, 2018 by Greg MeckbachKnowing what their property insurance actually covers is a “big missing link” in teaching homeowners how to manage flood risk. “Most people have no idea that you can’t get seepage coverage in most cases,” Cheryl Evans, director of the home…
Did settling soil or sudden water leak cause this home damage?
September 8, 2018 by Greg MeckbachA disputed home insurance claim could go to trial because the carrier has accessed 22-year-old court records from the claimant’s divorce. In September, 2009, Douglas Cotter noticed the patio along the front of his Penticton, British Columbia home had shifted.…
Top 3 measures to mitigate home flood risk
September 7, 2018 by Greg MeckbachYour book of business could have lower water losses if you give homeowner clients just three pieces of advice. First, homeowners should figure out whether their home actually has a backwater valve, said Cheryl Evans, director of the home flood…
The ‘touchy topic’ in Canadian home insurance
September 6, 2018 by Greg MeckbachLack of flood coverage in high-risk areas raises the controversial question of whether owners of high-risk properties should have their insurance premiums subsidized. Overland flood coverage was generally unavailable on home insurance policies in Canada until 2015. Now dozens of…
Ontario auto insurer’s examiner gets day in court
September 5, 2018 by Greg MeckbachLast week’s court ruling against a prominent personal injury lawyer could give Ontario auto insurers’ medical examiners recourse if those doctors feel their conduct has been publicly maligned. Dr. Howard Platnick is a Toronto physician who does medical examinations for…
Insurer CEO to personally visit FSCO asking for higher rates
August 30, 2018 by Greg MeckbachThe newly-elected Ontario government should let carriers change their rates without approval from the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, the president of a mutual that writes auto contends. It “makes sense” to require insurers to file rates with FSCO “but…
How to prevent brokers from poaching clients when they leave the brokerage
August 30, 2018 by Jason ContantInsurance companies or brokerages trying to prevent employees from poaching clients should include precise and specific employment restrictions on time and geography, a commercial litigation lawyer cautioned Wednesday. To draft an enforceable non-solicitation agreement, brokerages should provide realistic parameters on…
How cannabis legalization could re-word home insurance policies
August 29, 2018 by Greg MeckbachIf carriers do what one insurance defence lawyer advises, your clients could get new exclusionary language in their home insurance policies as a result of cannabis legalization. Insurers who are concerned about the risk of fire and burglary arising from…
The exclusion that no longer applies to this home insurance coverage
August 28, 2018 by Greg MeckbachFifteen years after Nova Scotia was hit by Hurricane Juan, a Canadian home insurer is offering storm surge coverage in all four Atlantic Canada provinces. Storm surge is a rise in sea level resulting from atmospheric pressure changes and wind…
Liability risk for private pot retailers
August 28, 2018 by Greg MeckbachYour retail client could be at risk of a lawsuit if it starts selling cannabis, but the exposure may not be the same as the liability risk of a bar serving alcohol, an insurance defence lawyer suggests. Whether a retailer…
Paid Steering the Course: Course of Construction (COC) Insurance Options
August 28, 2018 Neil Jeanson, Senior Class Underwriter, XL CatlinAll it takes is a spark. From a sander. Or errant cigarette. And POW! Igniting common, flammable construction materials like wood, solvents, packaging, and gasoline and turning a work in progress to a pile of ash. It’s a powerful blow…