Tornado damage: View from the ground
September 25, 2018 by Jason ContantClaims adjusters are reporting a wide range of claims from the two tornadoes that tore through the Ottawa-Gatineau area Friday. “The tornado event is considered to be more like a ‘pocket storm,’” Kumar Sivakumaran, vice president of national operations with…
Insurer restricts trampoline insurance coverage after serious injuries
September 21, 2018 by Jason ContantIncreased losses due to significant trampoline injuries has resulted in restrictions on insurance coverage in Alberta. The Alberta Gymnastics Federation (AGF) provided an update on its trampoline coverage on Sept. 7. Due to a recent limitation endorsement, coverage is restricted…
How insurers can tell real online consumers from fake ones
September 17, 2018 by Jason ContantBeing able to quickly identify a “true” customer compared to a synthetic identity created by a cybercriminal can help insurers tailor offerings to the right customers early in the account creation process, a security engineer said Friday. “If you know…
Hub’s Top 3 trends for commercial brokers
September 16, 2018 by Jason ContantThere are indications the commercial insurance market in Canada is starting to see rate hardening, the president of Hub International Canada told Canadian Underwriter Friday. “It hasn’t all hit yet, so I want to be clear on that,” Tina Osen…
Liability risks from fuel storage tanks
September 14, 2018 by Greg MeckbachClients who make tanks for flammable and hazardous material cannot always obtain insurance covering the full range of product and pollution liability. Matrix Service Company, whose products include above-ground fuel tanks, said Wednesday its products can potentially expose it to…
Will Hurricane Florence affect reinsurance rates in Canada?
September 12, 2018 by Jason ContantAs the southeastern United States braces for Hurricane Florence – one year after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria caused widespread destruction in the country – the question of whether there is sufficient reinsurance capacity is again thrust into the spotlight.…
This storm preparation tip is a myth
September 12, 2018 by Greg MeckbachAs Newfoundland gets hit by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon and Hurricane Florence threatens the Carolinas, brokers can make a difference in advising homeowners what not to do as nasty weather approaches. “In Canada, there are not many hurricane-type…
This reinsurer says rates need to go up
September 10, 2018 by Jason ContantUnderwriting margins will need to improve by at least six to nine points in major western markets to deliver sustainable returns, according to the latest sigma report from global reinsurer Swiss Re. The report Profitability in non-life insurance: mind the…
Top 3 measures to mitigate home flood risk
September 7, 2018 by Greg MeckbachYour book of business could have lower water losses if you give homeowner clients just three pieces of advice. First, homeowners should figure out whether their home actually has a backwater valve, said Cheryl Evans, director of the home flood…
Summer storms in this Canadian region cost over $200 million in insured damage
September 6, 2018 by Jason ContantSummer storms across the Prairies have caused more than $200 million in insured damage so far this year. This brings total weather-related insured damage on the Prairies to $464 million since May 2017. The numbers from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification…
The ‘touchy topic’ in Canadian home insurance
September 6, 2018 by Greg MeckbachLack of flood coverage in high-risk areas raises the controversial question of whether owners of high-risk properties should have their insurance premiums subsidized. Overland flood coverage was generally unavailable on home insurance policies in Canada until 2015. Now dozens of…
How cannabis legalization could re-word home insurance policies
August 29, 2018 by Greg MeckbachIf carriers do what one insurance defence lawyer advises, your clients could get new exclusionary language in their home insurance policies as a result of cannabis legalization. Insurers who are concerned about the risk of fire and burglary arising from…