Industry

It’s full steam ahead for brokerage M&A, now that the pandemic pause is over

After the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily paused brokerage mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in Canada earlier this year, it appears that the deals are once again moving forward at a steady pace. The markets’ reaction to the pandemic has been very interesting, observes Mike Berris, a partner at Smythe Advisory, a B.C.-based property and casualty insurance […]

By Jason Contant | September 18, 2020

3 min read

One thing an insurer will consider before investing in commercial surety bonds

Specific industry risk can play a major role in how much capital an insurer is willing to put forward for commercial surety bonds, a speaker said during a recent webinar. Industry risk is a “unique” underwriting consideration, Rob Dempsey, senior vice president of commercial insurance with Gallagher, said during the Sept. 15 webinar Using Surety […]

By Jason Contant | September 17, 2020

3 min read

What’s unique to this hardened real estate insurance market

At the same time insurers have a reduced appetite to take on real estate risks, real estate developers during a pandemic-induced economic recession have an aversion to investing a lot of money into risk-reduction measures. These twin dynamics are a recipe for a long and arduous hard market in real estate insurance lines, according to […]

By Adam Malik | September 17, 2020

3 min read

North American stock markets climb on continuing positive outlook for economy

TORONTO – North American stock markets climbed amid positive signals in Canada and elsewhere about the strength of a post-pandemic rebound. The good mood started with Chinese retail sales numbers moving back into positive terrain compared with a year earlier. Industrial production accelerated in the U.S., business confidence was stronger than expected in Germany and […]

By Jason Contant | September 17, 2020

3 min read