Recent Alberta storms: Two Cat tornadoes and record-breaking hail
August 8, 2022 by Jason ContantTwo tornadoes in southern Alberta that damaged homes and vehicles in July have been declared catastrophes by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) confirmed to Canadian Underwriter Monday. The July 7 tornado near Bergen and…
Hail as big as tennis balls, softballs and eggs fell in Alberta: Environment Canada
August 3, 2022 The Canadian PressEnvironment and Climate Change Canada says hail ranging from the size of a pea to a softball fell in central Alberta on Monday. Sara Hoffman, who is a meteorologist with the agency, says although the storm that passed through the…
How the hail peril is changing
September 8, 2021 by Jason ContantOnce confined mostly to “hail alley” regions such as south and central Alberta, Texas and Colorado, hailstorms are now doing damage across North America in plenty of regions considered low-risk, says a new white paper from RIMS, the risk management…
This weather event resulted in 7,200 claims
September 7, 2021 by Jason ContantAn intense storm that swept through parts of Regina and elsewhere in Saskatchewan last week has resulted in more than 7,200 claims to date, the province’s government auto insurer said Tuesday. The Aug. 31-Sept. 1 storm brought golf ball-sized hail…
Look back, but not too far: Why some perils need a new approach
June 14, 2021 by Jason ContantThe insurance industry needs to look at the “more recent past” and take a shorter-term view of catastrophic perils to see their effects going forward, Swiss Re told Canadian Underwriter recently. “When we’re looking at recent events, including the 2020…
How COVID-19 has affected repair of vehicles from hail
February 12, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe COVID-19 pandemic has created some barriers to repairing vehicle and property damage – including a shortage of auto body parts, and a labour shortage impacted by Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) recipients who are reluctant to return to work,…
The Alberta hail cat has not stopped biting
November 23, 2020 by Greg MeckbachInsurers are still receiving new claims from the June 2020 Alberta hail storm that is estimated to have cost the industry more than $1 billion. “We are actually still seeing some new losses reported from the June storm today,” said…
How much these four Alberta cats cost insurers in 2020
September 10, 2020 by Greg MeckbachFour Alberta catastrophes this year have cost insurers a grand total of about $2 billion, the Insurance Bureau of Canada confirmed this week. A hailstorm June 13, affecting mainly northeast Calgary, topped the list as it caused about $1.2 billion…
How many claims the Calgary hail storm caused
July 16, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe industry is dealing with more than 70,000 claims arising from last month’s hail storm in Alberta, but it’s not clear yet how much of the bill will get picked up by reinsurers, the Insurance Bureau of Canada reports. The…
How ‘actual cash value’ could be affecting some Alberta hail victims
June 26, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf some Alberta homeowners are only getting a small fraction of the cost to repair properties damaged in the recent hail storm, that could be the result of choosing a policy that only covers actual cash value, Insurance Bureau of…
Auto total loss claims escalate after Calgary hail storm: IBC
June 24, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe industry is expecting well over 20,000 claims from the recent Alberta hail storm, and some vehicles were wrecked badly enough that they have to be written off, the Insurance Bureau of Canada reports. “We are hearing from several consumers…
How pandemic could complicate claims adjusting after Alberta hail storm
June 22, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe COVID-19 pandemic could complicate the movement of adjusters if help is needed from south of the border to deal with the aftermath of the recent southern Alberta storm. “I think customers by and large are recognizing that it’s complicated…