Canadian Underwriter


News BrokersMergers and Aqcuisitions

Intact’s appetite for cross-border mergers

February 8, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Intact Financial Corp. is not ruling out the possibility of buying a commercial brokerage or managing general agent in the United States. “We are doing a lot of work to understand the opportunities in distribution in the U.S. and will

News Claims

Freight train involved in fatal derailment started on its own: TSB

February 6, 2019 Lauren Krugel - THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALGARY –  A Canadian Pacific freight train parked on a frigid night in the Rocky Mountains began to move on its own before a derailment that killed three workers and sent 99 grain cars and two locomotives hurling off the

News InsuranceMarkets / CoveragesReinsurance

Hard market? Not so fast.

January 16, 2019 by Jason Contant

The Canadian insurance industry is not at the beginning of a hard market, says Phil Cook, a P&C industry consultant and CEO of Omega Insurance Holdings. “There are some commentators out there that will say we are at the beginning

News ClaimsInsuranceLegal

How boating accident sparked dispute between insurers

January 11, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

A court decision released this past Wednesday clarifies what should happen if your client is sued and covered by more than one insurance company. Melissa Shawbonquit filed a lawsuit after she was injured in a boating accident in July 2016.

News InsuranceLegal

How these proposed lawsuit rules could benefit insurers

December 4, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

If proposed rules affecting Ontario lawsuits are brought into place, insurers could be paying much less for plaintiffs’ expert witnesses, a lawyer suggests. Ontario has what it calls a “simplified procedure,” which is intended to make it simpler and cheaper

News ConstructionRestoration

Condo deductible dispute arises from 60-gallon flood

November 19, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

When a store on the main floor of a condo building suffered $25,000 in losses from a flood, the strata corporation was on the hook for the $5,000 deductible. The strata corporation tried to recover the $5,000 deductible from a

News BrokersInsuranceMarkets / Coverages

Large commercial brokerage reports ‘stealth’ firming in casualty lines

November 13, 2018 by Jason Contant

A recent report from commercial brokerage Willis Towers Watson has confirmed what Canada’s largest insurer is saying: the commercial insurance market is showing signs of firming as casualty losses mount. “The seemingly ‘stealth’ firming within the casualty market comes as

News Insurance

Towerhill Insurance Brokers sold to BrokerLink

November 12, 2018 by Jason Contant

Editor’s Note: George Longo, president and CEO of commercial brokerage Towerhill Insurance Brokers, sold his Towerhill retail brokerage business to BrokerLink, as reported on Nov. 12, 2018. In a statement to his clients, Lloyd’s syndicates and colleagues, Longo said he

News AdjustersClaimsInsurance

How business interruption claims could play out in the legal marijuana space

November 8, 2018 by Jason Contant

Supply challenges associated with marijuana legalization in Canada will lead to potentially costly business interruption (BI) and contingent business interruption (CBI) claims, an adjusting firm told Canadian Underwriter Tuesday. Because it’s an emerging market, there are a limited number of

News Earnings / RatingsInsurance

Why Intact will not chase growth by lowering rates

November 8, 2018 by Jason Contant

As both personal and commercial markets continue to show signs of hardening, Intact Financial Corporation will not pursue growth by lowering rates as 2019 approaches. “We’re not chasing growth by lowering rates as we move into 2019,” Darren Godfrey, Intact’s

News AdjustersClaimsInsuranceMarkets / Coverages

Why marijuana plant value is so important for adjusters

November 7, 2018 by Jason Contant

Claims adjusters handling recreational cannabis claims will need to consider the value of the plant at any given time in the growing process to determine actual loss, an independent adjusting firm said Tuesday. Potential cannabis greenhouse loss is much greater

News Appointments

New Allianz head of global liability has Canadian roots

October 10, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

Ciara Brady, who previously worked in Toronto for both Swiss Re and Chubb, becomes head of global liability for Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty effective Jan. 1, AGCS announced Tuesday. Brady will work out of Zurich and succeed Michael Hohmann