Ontario brokers tell us their phones aren’t ringing off the hook with calls from drivers wanting to take advantage of the province’s new option to decline direct compensation- property damage (DCPD) coverage on their auto policies. “I actually thought that there would be a ton of phone calls on it. I thought a lot of […]
By Phil | April 18, 2024
3 min read
Quebec brokerages PMA Assurances and PMT ROY Assurances et services financiers have merged under the name Ellipse Agence en assurance de dommages inc., creating what the firm is calling the province’s largest damage insurance agency distributing Intact Insurance products exclusively. PMT ROY said in a press release Monday the consolidation of the two authorized agencies […]
By Jason Contant | April 18, 2024
2 min read
BrokerLink aspires to increase its direct premiums written (DPW) by more than $1 billion over the next year-and-a-half. In 2023, BrokerLink surpassed $3.5 billion in DPW. “Our ambition is to be $5 billion by the end of 2025,” president Joe D’Annunzio tells Canadian Underwriter. “We’re on track to reach our objective and will continue working […]
By Jason Contant | April 16, 2024
3 min read
Alberta Insurance Council (AIC) has announced Amina Deiab as its new chief executive officer, effective April 22. Deiab is AIC’s second permanent CEO since the provincial licensing and regulation body for insurance brokers and adjusters launched 35 years ago. She will succeed Darlene Hyde, who held the interim CEO position since Aug. 2023, following […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | April 16, 2024
2 min read
Three-quarters of brokers believe their organizations must address diversity to be a successful business. Yet, this number is waning — from 91% in 2022 to 84% in 2023, and to 75% in 2024, according to a recent Canadian Underwriter survey. CU‘s 2024 Brokerage DEI survey collected responses from 291 brokers and was made possible […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | April 15, 2024
3 min read
Technological breakthroughs in commercial lines are helping brokers win over Canadian business owners seeking insurance coverage. Brokers can do three things to stand out in this crowded, competitive market. They can standardize their data capture, simplify their quoting and submission process, and consider expanding their access to more insurers. Opportunities knock It’s a good […]
By Phil | April 11, 2024
4 min read
A polarized social and political climate means one-third of employees at P&C brokerages across Canada avoid conversations about controversial subjects while at work, Canadian Underwriter’s 2024 Brokerage DEI survey finds. The survey asked respondents about numerous aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues faced by insurance brokerage firms. The research, now in its third year, was made […]
By Phil | April 8, 2024
3 min read
Barbara Bellissimo is the new president and CEO of HSB Canada, part of Munich Re. She succeeds John Mulvihill, who retired after a 34-year-long tenure with HSB Canada. Bellissimo’s insurance career began in 1986. She’s since held multiple positions in the property and casualty insurance sector — including chief agent and senior president at State […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | April 8, 2024
2 min read
Brokerage candidate shortages are one of the major drivers of M&A activity — but there’s still a way for small brokerages to compete in the talent war, one P&C recruitment expert tells CU. As competition for talent upticks across Canada, so does M&A activity, Stefan Rolfe, director of insurance at Impact Recruitment observes. According to Impact’s […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | April 5, 2024
2 min read
Supporting an industry-wide effort to bring new talent into the Canadian property and casualty industry, the Insurance Institute of Canada today introduced its ‘Accelerated Competence Series,’ a program of five new learning modules for industry hires. “The Accelerated Competence Series will address the need to expedite the onboarding of new hires so they can function […]
By David Gambrill | April 4, 2024
3 min read