Canadian Underwriter

Rideshare driver calls his insurance company after a minor accident
News BrokersClaimsInsurance

Brokers: how to advise rideshare drivers on their deductibles

March 15, 2024 Philip Porado

Drivers working for rideshare and delivery companies must be careful when setting deductibles on personal auto coverage. And they need to make sure their personal insurers know they’re doing rideshare work and carry the appropriate endorsements. A lot of drivers

Rideshare driving checking on his app to get a new customer
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Do gig-driver clients have the right auto coverage?

March 11, 2024 Philip Porado

With accident claims up sharply post-pandemic, transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber, Lyft and others are aggressively managing the insurance coverage they offer to gig drivers to ensure they have a handle on fraud. “You’re going to get some claims

Car insurance application
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FSRA’s plans for auto coverage regulation

March 5, 2024 Philip Porado

Ontario’s auto insurers shouldn’t expect changes to the ‘take all comers’ or Unfair or Deceptive Practices Act rules, Michelle Dodokin, head of auto insurance supervision at Ontario’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), told a breakout session at Monday’s 2024 FSRA

Expensive car wrecked on a street
News ClaimsInsurance

Why complex cars create costly problems

February 28, 2024 Philip Porado

An acute shortage of semiconductors is a big contributor to rising auto claims costs for auto insurers. “That’s had a significant impact in certain types of cars,” says Paul Gilbody, president of ClaimsPro Canada. “A huge amount of electronics now

E-scooter accidents are going to cause problems for Canadian cities because of vague insurance rules and lax enforcement.
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Lax e-scooter insurance spells trouble for Canadian municipalities

February 12, 2024 Philip Porado

Based on what’s taking place in other jurisdictions, lawsuits over accidents involving e-scooters will likely rise in Canada – particularly in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, where some municipalities permit their use on public streets, park trails, or sidewalks. Municipalities

Food delivery driver in action
News BrokersClaimsInsuranceLegal

How accident claims hit rideshare drivers’ personal auto policies

January 26, 2024 Philip Porado

There seems to be a disconnect between drivers and their insurers about the ability to access personal auto coverage when driving for food delivery or rideshare companies like Uber, Lyft and others. While there’s no hard data to quantify a

Bad car crash
News BrokersClaimsInsurance

Do auto clients ask for trouble by hiking deductibles?

December 15, 2023 Philip Porado

During the recent renewal cycle, many personal auto customers opted to increase their deductibles to reduce their annual premiums. Now, those decisions are leading customers who’ve been in accidents to delay pursuing claims because they don’t have enough cash on

Minor car accident
News BrokersClaimsInsurance

How economic woes hike minor accident claims

December 13, 2023 Philip Porado

Current economic conditions have people stressed, and it’s showing up in personal auto claims, said Jesica Ryzynski, a claims specialist with Mitch Insurance. Minor at-fault accidents among insureds are taking place more frequently, she told CU, with many taking place

Carjacker with gun
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How new vehicle tech is changing the auto theft equation

December 11, 2023 Philip Porado

There’s a small upside to Canada’s current auto theft wave, industry sources have told Canadian Underwriter. Thieves’ adoption of technologies that can capture vehicle key fob signals means criminals no longer need to resort to violent methods like carjacking to

New vehicles at an auto dealership holding lot
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Can car dealerships manage insurance risks from vehicle thefts?

November 27, 2023 Philip Porado

Car thefts began rising across Canada in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been climbing ever since – fuelled by organized crime rings using new technologies to steal key fob codes and take vehicles while their owners are asleep.

New rules coming for insurance industry intermediaries
News BrokersInsuranceLegalTechnology

Is FSRA planning to license aggregators?

October 6, 2023 Philip Porado

Ontario’s insurance regulator has confirmed it is considering whether or not aggregators need to be licensed. Since August, when Ontario’s financial services regulator issued a report outlining concerns about auto insurers’ compliance with take-all-comers requirements, Canada’s P&C insurance industry has

Man riding in a fully autonomous automobile
News BrokersClaimsInsuranceTechnology

How auto insurance will navigate a world with self-driving cars

October 4, 2023 Tim Crljenica, Thomas Gold Pettingill LLP

Self-driving cars have been a part of visions of the future for decades, and what was once only imaginary has started to become reality. Not only do self-driving cars exist, but five U.S. states (Arizona, California, Michigan, New Hampshire and