The common commercial property exclusion one carrier is addressing
October 9, 2018 by Greg MeckbachRadioactive contamination and extended business interruption are among the new products that brokers can offer Canadian manufacturers later this fall, The Sovereign General Insurance Company announced. Nuclear risks are normally not included in property and casualty insurance policies, though some…
Settling claims in-house was one reason this MGA got acquired
October 7, 2018 by Greg MeckbachTotten Insurance Group Inc. might start offering brokers quotes within 24 hours on certain lines, the company’s president told Canadian Underwriter Friday. Totten, a Toronto-based managing general agent, recently acquired Saint John, N.B.-based MGA Anderson McTague & Associates Ltd., a…
Is this the beginning of the end of a soft commercial market in Canada?
October 4, 2018 by Jason ContantThe commercial insurance market in Canada may be starting to see indications of premium rate hardening, Hub International Canada president Tina Osen told Canadian Underwriter recently. “It hasn’t all hit yet, so I want to be clear on that,” Osen…
Regulatory guidance should recognize broker independence, insurers say
October 4, 2018 by Greg MeckbachWhen it comes to market conduct in the property and casualty industry, the regulations should recognize that brokers are independent, an Insurance Bureau of Canada spokesperson says. A guidance paper explaining regulators’ “overarching expectations” on market conduct for brokers, agents…
How SSL Endeavour is streamlining access to the Lloyd’s market
October 3, 2018 by David GambrillSSL Endeavour in Canada is streamlining access to the Lloyd’s market by rolling out its Advantage claims management platform, allowing Canadian coverholders and TPAs to input claims data directly into London’s central systems. Streamlining the claims process is a priority…
Hub subsidiary Totten buys MGA in Atlantic Canada
October 3, 2018 by Greg MeckbachAnderson McTague & Associates Ltd., a New Brunswick-based coverholder in the Lloyd’s market, has been acquired by Toronto-based Totten Insurance Group Inc., a subsidiary of Hub International Ltd. Totten Insurance is a managing general agency founded in 2002 by H.…
What changed for insurance industry under the new trade deal?
October 1, 2018 by David GambrillAside from the name change from NAFTA to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), what changed for Canada’s property and casualty insurers under the new free trade agreement announced Monday? Not a whole heck of a lot, it would appear. Regulations…
Working around the workarounds
October 1, 2018 Lisa Kerr, president, Zynamic SolutionsThere is a lot of room to improve the current process for buying commercial insurance in Canada. In a brokerage, fully half of the 24 common touchpoints involved in processing a single new commercial policy could be removed through automation,…
Managing your client’s M&A risk with A.I.
October 1, 2018 by Greg MeckbachMergers and acquisitions come with risks for buyers, and one law firm uses machine learning to help clients manage at least some of those risks. One risk to a buyer is when the target company has liabilities – such as…
How to bring up the marijuana discussion with clients
September 28, 2018 by Jason ContantBrokers need to know what their client’s habitational lease or contract states about marijuana use to provide their best advice, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario said Thursday. Kevin O’Hare, IBAO’s education supervisor and instructional designer, said brokers need to…
How this province is limiting the scope of cannabis risk
September 27, 2018 by Jason ContantOntario will soon introduce legislation defining the scope of recreational marijuana use, just weeks before the federal government is scheduled to legalize pot on Oct. 17. The governing Progressive Conservative Party is introducing a tightly-regulated regime in which municipalities will…
Must-have for insurers to underwrite overland flood
September 26, 2018 by Greg MeckbachArtificial intelligence and data analytics is one reason some Canadian insurers are underwriting residential flood coverage, speakers said Tuesday during an industry conference. “Here is an opportunity that we took to really look at the massive data sets we worked…