The aftermath of ‘firm action’ in Lloyd’s market
February 8, 2019 by Greg MeckbachEight Lloyds syndicates have closed and some clients insured by the London market are seeing premiums increase four-fold, the head of a major Bermuda insurer suggests. “After some firm action by Lloyd’s in (2018), we saw the closure of eight…
Intact’s appetite for cross-border mergers
February 8, 2019 by Greg MeckbachIntact Financial Corp. is not ruling out the possibility of buying a commercial brokerage or managing general agent in the United States. “We are doing a lot of work to understand the opportunities in distribution in the U.S. and will…
Why brokers hail the D/X Initiative as “the start of the revolution”
February 7, 2019 by David GambrillA “watershed moment” of industry cooperation could lead in April to what brokers are heralding as the most significant technology breakthrough in broker-carrier connectivity in decades. Representatives of every broker association across the country met in Toronto on Jan. 29,…
Top court won’t hear appeal of controversial waiver decision
February 7, 2019 by Greg MeckbachA 2018 Court of Appeal for Ontario ruling on waivers, described as “great news” for liability insurers, is now final. The Supreme Court of Canada announced Thursday it will not hear an appeal of Schnarr v. Blue Mountain Resorts Limited,…
Why it’s taking so long for a Canadian national flood program
February 6, 2019 by David GambrillCanada’s insurers are optimistic that a national flood program will be in place to protect high-risk properties sometime in the not-so-distant future, although it doesn’t appear to be likely before the next federal election scheduled for Oct. 21, 2019. “We’ve…
Has Intact noticed the impact of pot legalization on auto claims?
February 6, 2019 by Greg MeckbachRecreational cannabis has been legal for nearly four months, but it’s too early for Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer to tell whether it’s having an impact on auto claims frequency. Senior managers with Intact Financial Corp. were asked Wednesday…
How clients can cash in on demutualization
February 5, 2019 by Greg MeckbachEconomical Insurance clients looking forward to cashing in on demutualization might have to hold on to their shares in the company for nearly six months. In Economical’s demutualization proposal, one restriction on common shares (issued as a benefit to demutualization)…
The “perfect storm” conditions for commercial rate increases
February 4, 2019 by Jason ContantThe past few years have created a perfect storm leading to an increase in commercial insurance rates, Signature Risk Partners Inc. says in a white paper released last week, entitled Hard Commercial Insurance Market on the Way. One factor is…
What stopped this $800,000 subrogated pollution claim
February 4, 2019 by Greg MeckbachA subrogated claim could go off the rails if the client is bankrupt. The Supreme Court of Canada announced Thursday it will not hear a subrogation case involving Desjardins, which applied last year for leave to appeal Douglas v. Stan…
BrokerLink adds three Alberta locations
February 4, 2019 by Greg MeckbachAnother Edmonton-based brokerage has joined Intact Financial Corp.’s BrokerLink unit. Bridge Financial Insurance Ltd. joined BrokerLink effective Feb. 1. The announcement comes less than a month after Challenge Insurance, also of Edmonton, joined BrokerLink. “By joining BrokerLink, we know our…
What commercial brokers are saying about the worrisome market turn
February 4, 2019 by David GambrillWhether the industry faces a hard market or simply a “market correction,” commercial lines premiums are definitely on the rise, Canadian commercial brokers reported in an online poll by Canadian Underwriter. And they are starting to get concerned about it.…
MSA Research hires former Guarantee VP as COO
February 1, 2019 by Greg MeckbachMarilyn Horrick, a former executive with The Guarantee Company of North America, is now executive vice president and chief operating officer of MSA Research Inc. The appointment took effect Friday. Toronto-based MSA’s reports include financial information on most of Canada’s…