How Economical returned to profitability
August 19, 2019 by Greg MeckbachEditor’s Note: In an earlier version of this story, Canadian Underwriter incorrectly reported Economical Insurance’s net loss in 2017. Canadian Underwriter regrets the error. Commercial premiums for Economical Insurance are down more than 10%, but that does not mean prices…
How Sonnet’s working out so far for Economical
August 13, 2019 by Greg MeckbachDirect writer Sonnet, launched three years ago by Economical Insurance, has doubled in size in one year. “We are getting a broader base of customers. It’s not just millennials,” Rowan Saunders, president and CEO of Waterloo, Ont.-based Economical, told Canadian…
Former Economical Insurance CEO joins another board
May 7, 2019 by Greg MeckbachKaren Gavan, former CEO of the first Canadian property and casualty insurer to start the demutualization process, is now on the board of directors of HSBC Canada. Gavan (pictured) was CEO of Waterloo, Ont.-based Economical Insurance from 2011 through 2016.…
Economical clears major hurdle to demutualization
March 20, 2019 by Greg MeckbachEconomical Insurance is a step closer to demutualization and becoming publicly traded on the stock exchange. An overwhelming majority (99%) of the insurer’s mutual policyholders voted Wednesday in favour of a demutualization proposal released in January. Several more steps are…
How much business Sonnet writes for Economical
February 22, 2019 by Greg MeckbachDirect writer Sonnet accounted for about 5% of Economical Insurance‘s premiums in 2018, the Waterloo, Ont. mutual reported Thursday. “While Sonnet requires additional scale to achieve profitability, we now have sufficient insights and experience to improve performance, and we have…
What could have happened to Economical if it had rejected demutualization
February 14, 2019 by Greg MeckbachAmalgamation with another insurer and going into run-off were among the options considered by Economical Insurance directors before the Waterloo, Ont. carrier started the demutualization process in 2015. Mutual policyholders of Economical are scheduled to vote March 20 on a…
Why Canada’s largest mutual insurer is not demutualizing
January 18, 2019 by Greg MeckbachUnlike Economical Insurance, Canada’s largest mutual insurer plans to stay that way. “Everybody says, ‘Because of what Economical is doing, are you going to demutualize?’ No,” Carol Jardine, president of the Canadian property and casualty operations of Wawanesa Mutual Insurance…
Economical wins insurance technology award for Vyne platform
September 26, 2018 by Jason ContantEconomical Insurance has won Insurance Nexus’ Canadian Insurance Carrier of the Year 2018 award for its Guidewire-based computer system Vyne. The carrier of the year award recognizes the insurer who has made the biggest advances in implementing analytics and artificial…