It does happen.  And when it does, it’s a major financial migraine for policyholders. During the 2008 financial meltdown, large global powerhouse insurers were brought to their knees, requiring financial assistance from the government to get them off life-support.  (Remember AIG in the US; ING in the Netherlands?) Although the Canadian insurance industry was largely  more...

You’ve had the experience: opening your vehicle insurance renewal policy, and groaning as you digest the cost to maintain coverage for another year – and on an asset of declining value. But the value of the car itself is of less consequence in calculating the premium than you might think. The Auditor General of Ontario  more...

According to a new US study* occupants may be safer in a hybrid vehicle than in a conventional gas-powered model. Statistically, the study found that injuries sustained from a collision were 25% lower  for occupants of hybrids. According to the study, this is “good news for green-minded drivers who don’t want to trade safety for  more...

With gold hovering around $1700 an oz., a client recently had some jewellery reappraised.  To his surprise, the gold bracelet purchased some years ago for $1,000 was now valued at $5800. To many of us, that is good news: a luxury buy that appreciates in value!  But of course petty thieves and break-and-enter types know  more...

The policyholder Hubert Thomas was described by the court as an “an elderly gentleman with very limited formal education”.  Shortly after Christmas 2007, Thomas’ home sustained fire damage resulting from a wood-burning stove. What made a bad situation much worse is this: although he had purchased an insurance policy, the insurer refused to pay the  more...

We’ve heard it from advertisers for years: using a specific product will make you look younger, feel happier, express more confidence, __________________(you fill in the blank)… But some recent cases have caused advertisers to be more cautious about stating what their products will do. Example #1: in September, Reebok agreed to pay $25 million in  more...

With the advent of electronic records has come heightened concerns about breach of privacy (see “Has our obsession with privacy gone too far?”). One step beyond breach of privacy – particularly in the age of social media – is the potential for defamation. Defamation is the false or unjustified injury to the good reputation of  more...

The reforms to vehicle insurance in this province put in place by the provincial government have run for a full year (starting September 1, 2010). And except for the very small percentage of policyholders who have initiated changes to their basic policy, this means that every driver, passenger, and pedestrian now has less healthcare coverage  more...

Everybody buys an insurance policy for protection – the right to recovery when the unforeseen happens. However, insurance policies also extend entitlements to the insurer.  When insuring property against physical damage, the insurer has the right of subrogation. In its most common usage, subrogation refers to a situation where an insurance company attempts to recover  more...

Canada’s most frequent re-occurring natural hazard is one to which other parts of the world are now encountering with greater frequency. Flooding. As referenced previously in TheRiskFactor, flooding is particularly painful in Canada because overland flooding is not covered by Canadian homeowners’ insurance policies. Coverage can be purchased for plumbing overflow and sewer-back, and many  more...