Canadian Underwriter


News Brokers

This new statistic could prompt brokers to ask clients about house mates

February 20, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

The percentage of adults 25 and older who live with parents has nearly doubled over the past generation, Statistics Canada reported last week. In 1995, 5% of Canadians aged 25 to 64 (about 900,000 people) shared a residence with one

News Insurance

What can happen if client fails to insure valuable shipment

February 20, 2019 THE CANADIAN PRESS

HALIFAX – A top Canadian naval officer is out 50 rare coins he valued at $38,000 with little to show for it, after a Nova Scotia small claims court found FedEx Canada not liable for the full value of his

News BrokersInsurance

NFP Corp acquires Ontario P&C brokerage

February 20, 2019 by David Gambrill

NFP Corp., a global insurance brokerage and consultant, has acquired Ontario-based property and casualty brokers Mass Insurance Brokers Limited and Easyway Insurance Brokers Inc (collectively known as Mass). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. NFP announced the deal, which

News InsuranceMergers and AqcuisitionsTechnology

Opta acquires getClarity: linking property and risk data with consumer profiles

February 14, 2019 by David Gambrill

With its recent acquisition of getClarity, Opta Information Intelligence is expanding into the area of customer and prospect behaviour. Opta is Canada’s largest property data aggregator and a provider of risk intelligence and loss control services. Its solutions include iClarify

News InsuranceRiskTechnology

How your client’s directors could be blamed for cyber losses

February 14, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Cyber risk awareness is on the rise among corporate directors, who could face liability risk if they are accused of being lax on governance. “Corporate clients are more likely to be aware today, compared to a few years ago, of

News Commercial LinesInsurance

Insurer CEOs react to hardening commercial market

February 13, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

The pace of the hardening market in commercial lines has come as a surprise to some executives at Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer. “We have seen a shift in commercial lines that is pretty abrupt in the past six

News Insurance

Intact’s guesstimate of auto profitability improvement required by the industry

February 12, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

The Canadian auto insurance industry needs to improve its profitability by about 10 percentage points, executives with Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer suggest. Canada-wide and industry wide, personal lines auto has a loss ratio of about 75%, said Darren

News InsuranceLegislation / RegulationTechnology

OSFI provides guidance on reporting cyber incidents

February 12, 2019 by Jason Contant

Months after Canada’s mandatory data breach notification law came into effect on Nov. 1, 2018, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is now providing guidance on when to report cyber incidents to the financial regulator. In an

News BrokersMergers and Aqcuisitions

Hub continues expansion into employee benefits

February 12, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Hub International Ltd. has bought another Canadian employee benefits operation. Chicago-based Hub announced Tuesday it has acquired the assets of Toronto-based Firstbrook Pointon Benefits Incorporated. Tuesday’s announcement comes a month after Hub acquired Vancouver-based TRG Group Benefits and Pensions Inc. Firstbrook

News ClaimsLegal

Lawsuit over flooding, catch-basin access could reach Supreme Court

February 11, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

A property owner who was sued for more than $100,000 over laneway flooding is hoping to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. Marilyn Marks owns commercial property in the community of Tottenham, Ont., about 40 kilometres north of Toronto

News EngineeringInsurance

Why leaking sewers are contributing to higher flood risk

February 11, 2019 by Jason Contant

Brand new storm and sanitary sewers are leaking water at an unacceptable rate, putting individual homes at higher risk of flooding, a civil engineer said last week at the CatIQ Connect conference in Toronto. “We have allowable leakage, a little

News Insurance

Common misconceptions about business interruption insurance

February 8, 2019 by Jason Contant

One strong challenge to the broker channel, according to brokers, is consumer self-education about their insurance needs and options. Nowhere is this more evident than in the field of business interruption (BI) insurance, a very specialized coverage that is rife