Why the hard market reminds Fairfax CEO of 2001
August 14, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSteep price increases that have hit brokers’ commercial clients will not continue for the long term, but the current hard market is reminiscent of the period after Sept. 11, 2001, when two planes destroyed the World Trade Centre in New…
Toronto strip club employee may have exposed up to 550 to COVID-19: officials
August 14, 2020 Jake Kivanc - THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO – A Toronto strip club where as many as 550 people may have been exposed to COVID-19 last week was not following public health guidelines, officials said Friday. Toronto Public Health said the Brass Rail strip club in the…
Why A.M. Best sees the global reinsurance market as ‘stable’
August 13, 2020 by Jason ContantMonths into the COVID-19 pandemic, reinsurance industry observers are seeing a mixed forecast ahead and it’s too early to tell how the pandemic will affect rating actions, according to a recent A.M. Best webinar. “Obviously, the situation has gotten complicated…
How the UK pandemic business interruption test case could play out
August 13, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe industry will likely learn next month the outcome of a business interruption coverage test case arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the verdict is likely to be appealed, a Bermuda insurance CEO suggests. The British Financial Conduct Authority filed…
Brokers urged to remind clients: Home policies won’t cover ‘pandemic pods’
August 13, 2020 by David GambrillAs schools across the country prepare for re-opening in September, skittish parents who are not in favour of in-class learning for their children are setting up so-called “pandemic pods” to home-school small groups of children in the home. But brokers…
What COVID has taught Aon about leveraging technology
August 12, 2020 by Greg MeckbachFor large commercial brokerages, video conferences can work at least as well as in-person meetings when placing business for large accounts, if Aon PLC’s recent experience is any indication. “With the investment we have been making in technology, we are…
Why this BrokerLink exec thinks COVID could accelerate brokerage M&A
August 12, 2020 by David GambrillBefore the pandemic, hard market conditions and the increasing digitization of brokerages were already reasons for some broker principals to ponder selling the business and moving on, but the novel coronavirus may have further accelerated the pace of M&A, says…
This insurer is allowing some COVID-19 support measures to expire
August 10, 2020 by Jason ContantThe Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) announced Friday that three of the temporary measures it introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are set to expire in the coming weeks. The B.C. Utilities Commission had approved ICBC implementing the…
As provincial economies re-open, insurers eye their auto claims frequencies
August 10, 2020 by David GambrillAs if it weren’t enough with all of the recent news reports about natural catastrophe losses in Alberta, and claims against insurers for business interruption losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is another, more familiar risk looming on the…
Aviva Canada’s approach to navigating the economic recession
August 7, 2020 by David GambrillWhether or not an economic recovery in Canada is just around the corner — speculation of which is fuelled by the developments in researching a COVID-19 vaccine — Aviva Canada is committed to sticking to its three-year financial targets established…
How job-protected leaves could affect your brokerage’s re-opening plans
August 7, 2020 by Adam MalikBrokerage principals shouldn’t be rigid when it comes to dealing with employees who are skeptical about returning to the office and decide to extend or take a leave, an employment lawyer advised. A key observation management needs to make about…
Financially, which of your clients are hurting the most?
August 7, 2020 by David GambrillCanadian construction and real estate development companies appear to be hurting the most during the pandemic, according to bankruptcy records kept by the federal government. Twenty-seven Canadian companies have been granted creditor protection since the novel coronavirus was declared a…