Auto insurance up for reform in Newfoundland
October 5, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Newfoundland government is putting auto insurance reform on the table, releasing a discussion paper that proposes restrictions on the ability to make claims for pain and suffering as a result of minor accidents. Medical and financial claims would remain…
Future of airline insurance up for discussion
October 5, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterThe future of aviation insurance, as well as airport and air navigation facility coverage, are the subject of debate and speculation since the September 11 terrorist attacks. The National Post reports Canadian Transport Minister David Collonette says the government could…
The Risk of Terror: Attack on America: Impact on Aviation Covers
October 1, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterWhile the impact that the terrorist attacks will have on the international insurance and reinsurance industry will not be fully known for many years, the effect on aviation covers was almost instantaneous.
The Risk Of Terror
October 1, 2001 Sean van Zyl, EditorTerrorism, and the cost of terror, has taken the forefront of catastrophic loss concerns of the global insurance industry. Until September 11 of this year, when acts of terrorism perpetuated in New York City and Washington D.C. brought about destruction…
Government covers airline terrorism exposures
September 25, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterThe federal government has stepped in to offer temporary insurance cover to airlines and airports for acts of war and terrorism. The 90-day coverage is a stop gap measure to allow the industry to work out new coverage agreements with…
Insurers update numbers from terrorist attacks while liability debate looms
September 20, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterMore than a week after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, insurers and reinsurers are still trying to tally exposures. Munich Re, amongst the hardest hit, estimates losses could reach US$1.95 billion pretax, the largest single…
A.M. Best projects US$30 billion insured loss from WTC events
September 17, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterFinancial rating agency A.M. Best Co. expects that insured losses arising from the World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks will exceed US$30 billion. A.M. Best calculated the potential cost based on discussions with several of the major insurers and reinsurers…
Several insurers/reinsurers reveal WTC loss estimates
September 13, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterA number of global insurers and reinsurers have released early loss estimates totaling more than US$4 billion relating to the tragic devastation of New York City’s World Trade Center (WTC) as a result of terrorist attacks carried out this past…
WTC terror attack could produce insured loss of US$20 billion
September 12, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterThe tragic events which unfolded early Tuesday this week when two of four hijacked commercial jetliner planes were deliberately crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in Manhattan, New York City could produce an insured loss…
Commercial Liability Lines: Bright Sunshiny Days?
September 1, 2001 Sean van Zyl, EditorWith the sharp rise in property related insurance losses, particularly on personal auto which by far accounts for the lion’s share of premiums in Canada, many insurers have shown renewed interest in commercial liability lines. Recent acquisitions have resulted in specialty operators with dominating interests in specific liability classes, while some of the major general underwriters have created dedicated liability risk departments with the intent of pursuing new business. But, while the commercial liability landscape may appear at this point to be more inviting than the “dog eat dog” competitive environment on the property side, some within the industry believe that the “tail” of liability coverages will eventually sweep back in the faces of Canadian insurers similar to the adverse developments underway in the U.S. market.
Attak of th Black Mold
September 1, 2001 Glenn McGillivray, assistant vice president and head of corporatIn 1928, while working on the influenza virus, Alexander Fleming observed that mold had developed accidentally on a staphylococcus culture plate and that it had created a bacteria-free circle around itself. He was inspired to further experiment and later found that a mold culture prevented growth of staphylococci, even when diluted 800 times. He named the active substance penicillin. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Rehab Costs Insurers Look for New Treatments
September 1, 2001 Ian Campbell and Barbara Sulzenko-Laurie of the IBCRehabilitation healthcare costs associated with auto injuries have almost overnight become one of the biggest cost concerns for Canadian insurers. While the dramatic rise in treatment costs has much to do with attempts by the provincial governments over recent years to shift the spiraling healthcare cost burden onto the private sector, the greater injury to insurers lies in the myriad of unregulated service providers operating in the rehab sector and the ineffectiveness of the current “fee-for-service” payment system.