Brokers concerned about blanket approach to binding authority restrictions
May 31, 2019 by Jason ContantWith wildfires raging in northern Alberta and Ontario, brokers are reporting some funky outcomes associated with insurers’ binding authority restrictions. Under the restrictions, brokers cannot bind coverage in areas under civil authority, forest fire alerts, flood alerts and certain earthquake…
Does an earthquake endorsement cover sinkhole damage?
May 28, 2019 by Jason ContantIf a home collapses into a sinkhole, is there coverage under a standard homeowner’s policy or earthquake endorsement? Not under many homeowner’s policies, but possibly under the earthquake endorsement, depending on the policy language and if the quake caused the…
This ‘leading practitioner’ in insurance law is now a judge
May 27, 2019 by Greg MeckbachCORRECTION NOTICE: In an earlier version of this story, Glen L.C. Noel was incorrectly identified as a lawyer representing Lloyd’s in Lawlor v. Royal. In fact, Noel represented Mary Lawlor in that case. Canadian Underwriter regrets the error. Glen L.C.…
Why off-road vehicles could get more mileage in Ontario
May 27, 2019 by Greg MeckbachIf you insure off-road vehicles in Ontario, some of those machines could soon be driven more frequently on the road. Bill 107, which would ease restrictions on driving off-road vehicles on municipal roads, passed second reading and was referred Tuesday…
What you will be insuring in 10 years (hint: not so much auto)
May 27, 2019 by Adam MalikExpect to write less auto coverage with the rise of autonomous vehicles in 10 years’ time, and more coverage related to climate change, property lines, and emerging risks. Thanks to the progress expected of autonomous vehicles, auto insurance will plateau,…
How Chuckegg Creek Wildfire could affect Canadian insurers
May 23, 2019 by Greg MeckbachThe wildfire affecting northern Alberta is much larger than the one that devastated Slave Lake in 2011 but property losses seemed minimal on Thursday afternoon. “At this point we are hearing there are no major structures that have been lost,”…
Aviva loses $7-million coverage dispute over sexual abuse liability
May 23, 2019 by Greg MeckbachCanada’s top court said today it will not hear an appeal from Aviva Canada of a ruling in favour of a New Brunswick church diocese. L’Évêque catholique romain de Bathurst, a diocese that oversees Roman Catholic parishes in the northeastern…
New cyber insurance platform offers quotes using single piece of data
May 23, 2019 by Jason ContantWhile online quote and bind systems have historically been cumbersome, one specialist insurer will soon offer a cyber insurance platform with single-question quoting capabilities. Using a single piece of client data, brokers will be able generate a cyber insurance quote…
Insurtech launches exclusive line of insurance
May 22, 2019 by Jason ContantAn insurtech that positions itself as the first Canadian company to specialize exclusively in tenant insurance has launched after months of research and development. Montreal-based Allset launched last week, using a “matching” algorithm to compare the tenant’s needs to over…
Why your clients may not be covered when there’s an active wildfire
May 21, 2019 by Jason ContantWith wildfire season already underway in Alberta and British Columbia, brokers will be looking at how insurance can help their clients mitigate any losses. But brokers and clients alike may not know that the ability to bind coverage could be…
New spyware infects phones through missed calls
May 14, 2019 Frank Bajak And Raphael Satter - THE ASSOCIATED PRESSSpyware crafted by an “advanced cyber actor” infected multiple targeted mobile phones through the popular WhatsApp communications program without any user intervention through in-app voice calls, the company said. The Financial Times identified the actor as Israel’s NSO Group, and…
How much will the eastern Canada flooding cost?
May 10, 2019 by Jason ContantTotal economic losses from the recent flooding in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick are expected minimally to reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars (U.S.), Aon’s latest catastrophe report said. The flooding event has already been declared a catastrophe…