Operations

Why a hard market calls for soft skills

With a hard market tightening its grip on the insurance industry, brokers will need to be on their toes. They’ll be facing pushback from customers as premiums increase with little relief in sight as there are no signs of the hard market letting up, said Donna Ince, senior vice president of personal insurance at RSA. […]

By Adam Malik | June 10, 2019

3 min read

Operations

Is your client covered from business interruption arising from terrorism?

What if a terrorist attack interrupts your client’s business, but causes no actual injuries or damage to that client? Some insurers today are covering non-damage costs and loss of attraction. This could come into play if there is a terrorist attack and your client loses business because police cordon off several square miles, Paddy McConvey, […]

By Greg Meckbach | June 6, 2019

3 min read

Operations

Large commercial brokerage expands presence in benefits space

Yet another commercial brokerage has expanded its presence in the benefits space in Canada. Toronto-headquartered Navacord Corp. announced Tuesday the acquisition of Toronto-based Future Benefits Management Inc. (FBMI), effective June 3. Founded in 1995 and exclusively focused on group benefits, FBMI will be joining JDIMI Consulting, Navacord’s broker partner dedicated to group benefits and retirement […]

By Jason Contant | June 6, 2019

2 min read

Operations

Another small-town Saskatchewan brokerage gets bought by large U.S. firm

Hub International Ltd. has bought its second Saskatchewan property and casualty insurance brokerage in less than a month. Chicago-based Hub said Tuesday it has acquired Kamsack-based Cottenie and Gardner Inc. Kamsack is a town of about 1,800, situated near the Manitoba border about 250 kilometres northeast of Regina. Cottenie and Gardner’s offerings include home and […]

By Greg Meckbach | June 4, 2019

2 min read

Aon appoints president of commercial risk and health solutions in Canada

Aon plc has appointed Stéphane Lespérance as president of commercial risk and health solutions in Canada. In his new role, Lespérance will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the commercial risk and health solution teams in Canada, Aon said in a press release Monday. He will report directly to Christine Lithgow, until her retirement […]

1 min read

Brokerage fined for rebating premium to unhappy client

A Manitoba brokerage recently found itself in hot water with the regulator for rebating premium money to a dissatisfied client. Insurance Council of Manitoba ruled that Donbar Agency Limited, which operates as Crossroads Insurance, should not have rebated an unhappy client’s premium by $164 – the difference between an initial quote and the final policy […]

4 min read

Brokers concerned about blanket approach to binding authority restrictions

With wildfires raging in northern Alberta and Ontario, brokers are reporting some funky outcomes associated with insurers’ binding authority restrictions. Under the restrictions, brokers cannot bind coverage in areas under civil authority, forest fire alerts, flood alerts and certain earthquake exposures. “Like most insurers, we won’t bind any new risk located within 50 kilometres of […]

3 min read

BrokerLink makes third acquisition in May

BrokerLink has made its third acquisition in May with the purchase of Alberta independent insurance brokerage Thomson Schindle Green Insurance & Financial Services Ltd. (TSG). With branches in Medicine Hat, Calgary, Brooks, Bassano and Edmonton, TSG has been providing insurance services in southern Alberta since 1985. It offers personal and commercial lines as well as […]

2 min read

This ‘leading practitioner’ in insurance law is now a judge

CORRECTION NOTICE: In an earlier version of this story, Glen L.C. Noel was incorrectly identified as a lawyer representing Lloyd’s in Lawlor v. Royal. In fact, Noel represented Mary Lawlor in that case. Canadian Underwriter regrets the error. Glen L.C. Noel, a long-time partner with Atlantic Canada law firm Cox & Palmer, is now a […]

4 min read

This brokerage is the latest to get into employee benefits

A family-owned brokerage in New Brunswick has become the latest brokerage to get into the employee benefits space. Personal and commercial lines brokerage Vienneau Insurance announced earlier this week that it has expanded its commercial insurance offering by acquiring the employee benefits division of Dieppe, N.B.-based financial planning firm RoyByrns and Associates. Some traditional P&C […]

2 min read