Kate Mccaffery

A former billing specialist has admitted that he acted as an insurance agent in numerous automobile insurance registrations between 2022 and 2024. During the period, Chintankumar Narendra Thakkar collected at least $10,000 in fees from his activities as an unlicensed insurance agent.

New research from Blue Cross notes that there is a considerable amount of invisible work women need to do to navigate, coordinate and advocate for care when there is a medical need. In an interview with Insurance Portal, Pacific Blue Cross president and CEO, Sarah Hoffman says the research reveals the unique opportunity that insurers have to play a positive role, beyond simply being claims reimbursement engines.

Nearly two out of three women report having difficulty addressing certain health issues with their doctor, according to a new study from Blue Cross. However, 53 per cent of women have experienced a chronic illness, while 71 per cent report having to repeatedly reconstruct their health histories with each appointment.

In British Columbia, the baseline penalty for failing to complete 15 requisite hours of continuing education (CE) is $1,000 for each year the agent is without sufficient credits. When agents acknowledge their misconduct and accept that remedial action is warranted, this penalty is often cut in half.

According to this year's annual Market and Trends Report, legal and litigation costs now account for 58.2 per cent of premiums that drivers in Alberta pay. And although comprehensive vehicle damage claims associated with severe weather events, like hail, were down year-over-year, inflationary pressures have raised the cost of repairing vehicles for these claims by almost 27 per cent in recent years.

The Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) has published its decision and reasons for sanctioning Cairine Bruce after the level 3 broker, first licensed in 1976, falsified insurance documents to satisfy a mortgage lender’s inquiry about a building which had been uninsured for more than two years.

Climate change is irreversible, and although the industry is currently well-positioned to absorb recent losses, according to reports, others say it is past time to involve the public – homeowners in particular – in flooding and wildfire mitigation efforts.

Patterns of risk today differ materially from those which occurred in the past and climate shocks are introducing unexpected correlation across lines of business previously assumed to be independent.

As insurers and reinsurers gathered in Monaco for the annual Rendez-Vous de Septembre (Sept. 5-9) to discuss market trends and set upcoming renewals, two reinsurers and an affiliate research institute sent out dispatches. They noted the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and non-peak perils – that is those, like hailstorms, which fall short of the most severe natural disasters.

Interest in life insurance in Canada would appear to be healthy, with year-over-year application activity up 12.1 per cent in August 2026 when compared with August 2025 figures. On a year-to-date basis, August was also up 14.2 per cent when compared with the same period in 2025. Month-over-month, however, application activity dropped 1.9 per cent.