Claims

Hurricane Ida downgraded to tropical storm

Hurricane Ida is losing momentum as it heads towards the Gulf Coast, with hurricane warnings for U.S. gulf coast states being changed to tropical storm warnings. The National Hurricane Center issued an advisory on Nov. 6 indicating that Ida had reached hurricane intensity. By Nov. 7, winds were 165 km-h and Ida was upgraded to […]

By Canadian Underwriter | November 9, 2009

1 min read

Claims

Swiss Re calls for country risk officers to coordinate international responses to risk

In response to risks that span across geo-political boundaries — climate change, global economic recession, political risks, etc. — Swiss Re is calling for the establishment of ‘country risk managers’ to help prioritize and co-ordinate holistic risk management approaches.Country risk managers would take responsibility for national and international co-ordination of risk perceptions and management strategies, […]

By Canadian Underwriter | November 2, 2009

2 min read

Claims

Milking the ‘Cash Cow’

2009 Annual Toronto Fraud Forum; Ontario's no-fault accident benefits system offers multiple opportunities for fraud. Claimants need more incentives to get healthy and out of the system.

October 31, 2009

6 min read

Claims

Hope fading for exemption to federal privacy legislation related to insurance investigations

For insurance defence counsel, hope is receding that federal privacy legislation related to insurance investigations and surveillance will be aligned in the future with the comparatively more straightforward provincial privacy legislation found in B.C. and Alberta.John Beardwood, partner in Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP’s Toronto office, made the observation in an address to Insurance Bureau of […]

By Canadian Underwriter | October 30, 2009

2 min read

ICBC to appeal Cdn$12.5-million jury award

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) is appealing a B.C. Supreme Court decision to award a woman Cdn$12.5 million in damages, an ICBC representative has told Canadian Underwriter.After a five-day trial, a jury awarded the insured Cdn$6.5 million in personal damages, $5.6 million for loss of future earnings and $335,000 for future care, the […]

1 min read

IBC to pilot new tool to assess municipal climate change risks

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has approved Cdn$1-million pilot project for a new municipal risk assessment tool that will help insurers assess climate change risks.The new tool is intended to collect key data that will help insurers better understand the risk of future water and other climate-related claims.The federal government has picked up half of […]

2 min read

Insurer’s suspicion of potential litigation not enough to allow plaintiff to pierce insurer’s solicitor-client privilege: Ontario court

An insurer’s suspicion about the potential for litigation is not enough of a reason to grant plaintiffs access to insurer documents subject to solicitor-client privilege, the Ontario Superior Court has ruled.In Kavanagh v. Peel Mutual Insurance Company, the court upheld the law of privilege in Ontario as set out in General Accident Company et al […]

2 min read

Court upholds denial of claim for abandoned possessions

The Ontario Superior Court has upheld the insurer’s denial of a claim for allegedly stolen possessions that were moved into storage after a plaintiff abandoned his home.In Harris v. Home Trust Company, Steven Harris entered into a policy with Meloche Monnex, which insured the household goods within Harris’ home. In July or August of 2004, […]

2 min read

Insurers should increase disclosure of climate change initiatives: ICLR director

All insurers should make the effort to answer the same eight questions about climate change initiatives that the U.S. regulator requires insurance companies in its jurisdiction to answer annually, said Paul Kovacs, founder and executive director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. Kovacs spoke at the Autorité des Marchés Financiers’ Rendez-Vous in Montreal on […]

2 min read

Only a matter of time before Nova Scotia cap is scrapped, premier suggests to brokers

Nova Scotia’s Cdn$2,500 cap on claims payments for minor auto injuries will be scrapped, it’s just a matter of when, the province’s new premier has suggested to the Independent Broker Association of Nova Scotia (IBANS).Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, a personal injury lawyer, swept into power in June 2009 with a mandate to eliminate the […]

2 min read