PACICC to meet insolvency threat head-on
May 12, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterIn an era of insurer financial instability, the Property & Casualty Insurance Compensation Corp. (PACICC) is ready to step beyond its role as a compensation mechanism for policyholders of defunct insurers, to take a more proactive approach to insolvency.While 2003…
CSIO AGM Stresses Single-Entry Tech Solution
May 1, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterBob Fitzgerald, chairman of the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO), says that the realization of a single-entry, real-time technology solution in information exchange between brokers and insurers is critical to the future success of the property and casualty…
Corporate scandals still on the minds of risk managers: Lloyd’s survey
April 25, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterAn overwhelming majority of risk managers feel that the U.S. market has not seen the last of the major corporate scandals, according to a survey by Lloyd’s.A full 89% of risk managers, responding to a survey conducted at the Risk…
U.S. insurers post 9.4% ROE for 2003
April 14, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterU.S. property and casualty insurers showed a strong comeback in 2003, posting a return on equity (ROE) of 9.4%, according to new date from the Insurance Services Office (ISO) and Property Casualty Insurance Association of America (PCI). However, this was…
Regulators consider subjecting all U.S. insurers to Sarbanes-Oxley provisions
March 17, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterRegulators in the U.S. are getting an earful from insurers at the prospect that all insurance companies, whether publicly-traded or not, could be subject to Sarbanes-Oxley.At the annual meeting of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the plan, which…
Risk Managers Look for the Right Price
March 1, 2004 Vikki SpencerAt the end of 2003, two commercial insurance surveys came out suggesting the market turn risk managers had been praying for was on its way. First, the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) benchmark survey (inclusive of U.S. and Canadian…
Communicating Value
March 1, 2004 Vikki SpencerAs Nancy Chambers gears up for her term as president of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS), she knows risk managers are in the midst of a difficult insurance market and increasing expectations from the highest corporate levels. Chambers follows a long line of Canadian RIMS presidents and says she will build on the successes of the past to forge new channels of communication for risk managers and their partners.
The Portal: Reloaded
February 1, 2004 Craig HarrisAfter numerous launch delays, the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) believes that its long-awaited Internet portal is ready to go live. However, while proponents of the portal talk of a new industry-wide commitment to comparative rating, single sign-on and new business transactions, others say the execution of the project remains riddled with bugs, design flaws and delays. Is the portal real, or is it merely an elaborate illusion?
Reconfiguring CSIO
February 1, 2004 Vikki SpencerWhen David Patrick took over the top spot at the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) eight months ago, it was an organization in need of an overhaul. Its major undertaking, the internet portal to link brokers and insurers, was over budget and off track. But, Patrick relishes the role of the “turnaround artist” and says with the renewed support of all within the insurance industry, the CSIO portal will become reality.
OSC releases corporate governance guidelines for comment
January 23, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) has released for discussion new guidelines for accounting and disclosure for publicly-traded companies. The guidelines follow a Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) announcement last fall that provincial securities regulators would now set the standards for corporate…
Almost 40% of private companies anticipate d&o-based suit in 2004
January 23, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterNearly two in every five privately-held U.S. companies anticipates lawsuits aimed at their directors and officers from shareholders, customers or vendors this year, notes a new study sponsored by New Jersey-based Chubb Group.The survey of private company risks, conducted by…
US insurer income jumps 320% in first nine months of 2003
January 6, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterU.S. property and casualty insurers saw their net income jump an impressive 320.6% to US$21.1 billion for the nine months ending September 30, 2003, versus the US$5 billion posted for the same period a year earlier. Equally welcome was a…