Commercial Property Rates Dropping: RIMS Survey
February 1, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterCommercial property rates fell 8.8% in the last quarter of 2003, marking the first major rate decline since 2000, according to the quarterly survey by the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and Advisen Ltd. Risk managers report not only…
CIAB survey shows commercial p&c rate softening
January 26, 2004 by Canadian UnderwriterA survey of U.S. agents and brokers shows that one-third of accounts saw either flat or lower premiums in the fourth quarter of 2003. The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB) survey is the latest indication that premium increases…
Mid-Sized Commercial Brokers: Holding the Line
October 1, 2003 Craig HarrisBrokers serving the bigger Canadian commercial risk pool outside of the mega international corporations say that rising insurance industry profitability has not softened the tough approach of insurers to pricing, terms and availability of coverage. But, with many commercial clients across the corporate earnings spectrum suffering through their third consecutive year of premium increases, there is acknowledgement by insurers of growing “market rate fatigue”, brokers add, which is bringing about a slow softening to the pricing of property risks with even a few new underwriters looking to venture into the broader commercial marketplace.
Commercial Liability: One Bad Apple
August 1, 2003 Vikki SpencerWith out of control losses on auto having dominated the attention of insurance companies over the past year, a new menace in the form of commercial liability risks has slipped under insurers’ underwriting radar. Adverse reserve development in the liability line was almost $250 million last year. At a time when insurers are struggling with the auto product and trying to regain profitability in a weakened investment environment, they can ill afford to be shoring up liability reserves. But, as the U.S. style of litigation creeps northward, already seen in the growing acceptance of class action lawsuits and contingency fees in Canada, it is clear commercial liability insurers have more than prior years’ losses to worry about. While the industry has its eye on auto, a “bad apple” may have slipped into the barrel in the form of commercial liability, with the potential to wreak havoc on a weakened industry.
“Kick-Starting” Competition in B.C.
June 1, 2003 Sean van Zyl, EditorThis year’s annual general meeting and conference of the Insurance Brokers Association of British Columbia (IBABC), which was recently held in Victoria, focused on implementation of increased competition in the province’s optional auto insurance marketplace. Also included in the association’s top priorities in the year ahead is facilitating increased underwriting capacity in commercial lines, where the province’s brokers have most experienced the effect of the “hard market” cycle.
U.S. commercial pricing shows signs of stability: CAIB
April 22, 2003 by Canadian UnderwriterBrokers and agents in the U.S. are reporting signs of more stable pricing in the commercial p&c market, according to a survey by the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB). In its quarterly “Market Index”, the CIAB finds premiums…
Risk Managers Sing the Hard Market Blues
March 1, 2003 Vikki SpencerRisk managers are suffering from a case of the blues. Premium hikes, vanishing capacity, tighter terms and increased expectations from insurers are creating havoc for risk professionals. As they descend on Chicago for this year’s Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) Conference, the air is filled with apprehension over when the bleeding will stop. Consensus is, while some price and capacity stabilization has occurred, by and large risk managers need to buckle in for a bumpy 2003.
Commercial rates continue to climb: U.S. brokers
January 23, 2003 by Canadian UnderwriterA majority of commercial accounts saw premium increases during the fourth quarter of 2002, according to U.S. brokers. In the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB) quarterly survey, more than 66% of small and mid-size accounts and 59% of…
Reinsurance Strategies 2003: Keeping the Boat Afloat
November 1, 2002 Sean van Zyl, EditorWhile the underlying tone of last year’s reinsurance treaty negotiations in the aftermath of 9/11 was “price! price! price!” – with an average upward rate adjustment of about 40% having been implemented across the Canadian marketplace – the 2003 renewals are likely to be driven by a tightening of coverage terms and increased use of exclusions, say CEOs partaking in CU’s annual “Reinsurance Strategy Outlook”. That said, pricing will most definitely be a factor in the upcoming treaty renewal round, with certain classes of business such as liability – which has incurred significant losses primarily as a result of the hemorrhaging auto markets – likely to face rate adjustments of between 40% to 80%. Exclusions on emerging perils such as asbestos, mold and nuclear will also feature dominantly in the renewals. Overall, the CEOs say, expect reinsurers to apply detailed underwriting as international pressure continues to restrain capacity until the tumultuous waters of the marketplace return to a profitable calm.
U.S. brokers concerned with insurer solvency
October 29, 2002 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Commercial Insurance Market Index for the third quarter 2002 shows brokers and agents in the U.S. are worried about insurer solvency. In a poll, the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers noted that 86% of respondents are concerned about…
Cover Story: Danger: Asbestos Exposures
September 1, 2002 Sean van Zyl, EditorRecent multi-million dollar reserving adjustments disclosed by prominent insurers in the U.S. with regard to asbestos-related exposures have occupied financial headlines. As well, the storm clouds surrounding asbestos liability appear to be building up on several frontiers: a new wave of “non-product” liability litigation is feeding into the U.S. courts while a recent U.K. court decision applying to multiple-employer responsibility to worker exposure to asbestos has opened up what many in the insurance industry believe is a “Pandora’s Box” with global ramifications. In response, several industry financial rating agencies have issued bearish reports on the potential exposure property and casualty insurers face under a new wave of asbestos litigation, suggesting that the U.S. industry alone could be under-reserved by billions of dollars. Is the Canadian market immune?
Q2 rate survey shows heightened distress in U.S. commercial market
August 1, 2002 by Canadian UnderwriterRates are up, capacity is down and alternative risk management mechanisms are increasingly being used, says the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB). In releasing its Commercial Market Index for the second quarter of 2002, which includes July 1…