Bank and insurer dividend hikes, share buybacks won’t return during lockdown: OSFI
January 11, 2021 The Canadian PressTORONTO – The superintendent of one of Canada’s financial regulators won’t consider allowing banks and insurers to hike dividends, offer share buybacks or increase executive compensation until COVID-19 lockdowns have subsided. Jeremy Rudin from the Office of the Superintendent of…
Regulator’s pilot project to start scenario-testing for climate change risks
January 7, 2021 by David GambrillCanada’s solvency regulator has introduced a pilot project in 2021 to conduct scenario testing of the impact of various climate-related risks on financial institutions’ bottom lines. “The first step of the pilot project is to develop a Canada-relevant set of…
OSFI releases new (and softer) proposed rule on high-limit policies
December 3, 2020 by David GambrillCanada’s solvency regulator has come out with a softer version of its proposed rule regarding the property and casualty insurance industry’s issuance of high-limit policies. The new version is in response to the industry’s previous concerns about the massive $21-billion…
OSFI draft guideline tightens oversight of Canadian branches of foreign insurers
November 4, 2020 by David GambrillCanada’s solvency regulator has released a new draft guideline that tightens the regulator’s oversight of foreign insurance and bank branches in Canada. Among other changes to existing regulations, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is requiring local…
What the new reinsurance rules could look like for Canada
February 27, 2020 by Greg MeckbachCanada’s federal insurance regulator will probably impose a policy limit rule, but one that will look different from a controversial rule initially proposed in 2018, a lawyer familiar with insurance solvency rules told Canadian Underwriter. “There has not really been…
One positive trend in the P&C industry’s third-quarter results
November 28, 2019 by David GambrillCanada’s federally-regulated property and casualty insurers appear to be getting a handle on their property lines claims ratios, although auto lines are still in trouble, according to third-quarter industry results released by the country’s solvency regulator, the Office of the…
OSFI, industry step back from the brink on proposed new reinsurance rules
October 29, 2019 by David GambrillIt appears that there has been a proverbial “last-minute call from the governor” regarding controversial new rules proposed by Canada’s solvency regulator as part of its reinsurance review. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) has made it…
$30-billion sticker shock for OSFI’s proposed reinsurance rules
September 24, 2019 by David GambrillCanada’s property and casualty industry would have to post an additional $21 billion to $30 billion in capital to insure Canadian risks if the country’s solvency regulator moves forward with proposed new rules as currently drafted, the industry warns. On…
What could drive reinsurers away from some markets
December 10, 2018 by Greg MeckbachReinsurance is extremely important but could get too expensive in certain areas, industry leaders said at a recent event. Some insurance companies today are “dialing up their reinsurance protection – property and cat risk in particular in the United States,”…
Claims whack-a-mole: what’s going on in property lines?
September 25, 2018 by David GambrillAs if mounting auto insurance losses aren’t enough, the industry now has a new emerging issue to worry about this year – an alarming spike in home and commercial property claims. Catastrophe losses and fire are among the chief culprits…