Does your claims app verify the car crash photos you’re getting?
December 8, 2017 David Gambrill, Editor-in-ChiefA car crashes into a hydro pole. The driver takes pictures of the damage on a mobile device and sends the photos to the insurer through an app to start a claim. How does the insurer know the photos have…
New Brunswick moves to protect innocent co-insureds
December 7, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterNew Brunswick tabled amendments to the province’s Insurance Act Wednesday to protect innocent co-insureds in cases of intimate partner violence and property damage. Most home insurance policies exclude payment for loss or damage caused by an intentional or criminal act…
Government farm insurer not asking for documentation to support claims
December 7, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterAn Ontario government-owned insurer should be requiring farmers to submit supporting documentation when paying production loss claims arising from harsh weather or disease, the auditor general recommended in a report tabled Dec. 6 in the legislature. Guelph-based Agricorp, a crown…
Why the Sedgwick-Cunningham deal is good for adjusters
December 6, 2017 Jason Contant, Online EditorSedgwick Claims Management Services Inc., a global provider of technology-enabled risk and benefits solutions, announced on Wednesday it has signed an agreement to acquire Cunningham Lindsey, a global loss adjusting, claims management and risk solutions firm. Both companies have a…
New federal law may make cyber a must-have
December 4, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorThis may be a prime time for brokers to start selling cyber insurance to commercial clients. There is still no word on when Canada will have nation-wide mandatory breach notification, but a legal cyber specialist says companies should start to…
Catastrophes likely to have “muted” effect on Canadian reinsurance pricing
December 4, 2017 Jason Contant, Online EditorReinsurance rates in Canada will likely not decrease and there may be some “upward movement in certain regions” following the historically massive catastrophes in the third quarter, MSA Research president and CEO Joel Baker suggested Monday. The catastrophes – including…
A researcher’s take on ICBC’s low customer satisfaction scores
December 1, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorBritish Columbia’s monopoly auto insurer has little incentive to improve customer satisfaction, and an opposition party member is slamming the ruling New Democratic Party for not implementing recommendations made in July immediately after taking power. Insurance Corporation of British Columbia…
P&C People: Who’s doing what
November 30, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterIndemniPro shakes up Quebec leadership IndemniPro, an independent claims adjuster, has announced two organizational changes in Quebec. After a 16-year career with IndemniPro, Suzie Godmer, senior vice president of the company’s Quebec and Atlantic Canada regions, has decided to leave…
Condo insurance: who’s responsible for dryer vent condensation?
November 30, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterA strata corporation is partly on the hook for water damage to a condo unit arising from a buildup of water in a dryer vent, but there is no indication the damage is covered by the strata company’s insurance. Adding…
GRC coverage mix-up lands brokerage in hot water with regulator
November 29, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterEditor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Keith Jordan as a broker who had been found in violation of the Council’s Code of Conduct. In fact, Jordan was the operating agent for HUB at the time…
The curious case of who pays for a building flood claim
November 28, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorA negligence lawsuit after a flood—against a company in charge of watching building automation systems—was recently tossed out of court because of the terms of the lease agreement. A plumbing firm paid settlements to tenants after a building flood, and…
MPP seeks “accident forgiveness” for public emergency claims
November 27, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorAn effort to forbid Ontario insurers from terminating a policyowner’s contract on the basis of a claim arising from a declared public emergency highlights concerns over the lack of a government backstop for home flood coverage, an Insurance Bureau of…