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Toronto, ON (May 15, 2025) – Canadian Broker Network (CBN), Canada’s leading network of independent insurance brokers, is pleased to welcome its newest member, Harvard Western Insurance, headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan. “We believe there is great value in collaborating with progressive brokerages that share our vision, and we look forward to our mutual success,” said Dave Pettigrew, President & CEO of Harvard Western Insurance. “We are thrilled to welcome Harvard Western Insurance to the CBN Community,” said Lorie Phair, President of CBN. “Their addition not only strengthens our community but also exemplifies our commitment to fostering the growth and success of independent brokers in Canada.” About the Canadian Broker Network Canadian Broker Network (CBN) is an alliance of Canada’s leading independent insurance brokers. With over 30 member firms, 100 offices, 4,000 employees, and representing more than $3.5 billion in property-casualty premiums, CBN provides national reach with a local touch. CBN member brokers offer expertise across personal, commercial, employee benefits, life, and financial services, ensuring Canadians receive the highest standard of quality products, risk management advice and service. CBN also provides independent, employee-owned brokerages with a unique way to grow and innovate their businesses by leveraging the collective wisdom, experience, and...
By Trent Victor, Director of Safety Research & Best Practices, Waymo — The path to Vision Zero requires reducing severe crashes and improving the safety of those most at risk. Our latest research paper shows that the Waymo Driver is making significant strides in both areas. By reducing the most dangerous crashes and providing better protection for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users, Waymo is making streets safer in cities where it operates. The paper, accepted to be published in the Traffic Injury Prevention Journal, expands on our Safety Impact Hub research, providing a deeper analysis of Waymo’s performance across 11 different crash types compared to human drivers. It also offers new insights into Waymo’s positive impact on serious injury crash rates. Types of crashes used for the Waymo Driver and human benchmark comparisons The research finds that, compared to human benchmarks over 56.7 million miles and regardless of who was at fault, the Waymo Driver had: Safer interactions with vulnerable road users (VRUs) with substantial reductions in crashes involving injuries among pedestrians (92% reduction), cyclists (82% reduction), and motorcyclists (82% reduction). 96% fewer injury-involving intersection crashes, which, according to NHTSA, are a leading cause of severe road harm...
Toronto, ON (May 13, 2025) – CSIO is pleased to announce a Standards Certification Rating Program that recognizes insurer and BMS vendor achievements in the adoption of CSIO Data Standards to benefit their broker partners and customers. The Standards Certification Ratings reflect an organization’s commitment to comprehensive Data Standards that respond to business needs. Developed by CSIO’s Standards Governance Advisory Council, the Rating criteria is designed to ensure organizations are advancing Data Standards through the achievement of CSIO Certifications. These include eDocs, Commercial Lines Data Standards, Compliance, and API Security Standards, and a current version of CSIO’s EDI and XML Standards. Insurers are assigned a separate Rating for personal and commercial lines while BMS vendors receive one overall Rating. Organizations that successfully programmed CSIO Standards and achieved all the criteria are eligible for the highest Rating, Platinum. CSIO congratulates the following Platinum Insurers: Wawanesa Insurance (Personal and Commercial) Definity Financial Corporation (Personal) Gore Mutual Insurance Company (Personal) Northbridge Insurance (Commercial) “We’re proud to be the first insurer to receive the highest CSIO Standards Certification Rating for both Personal and Commercial Lines,” said Glenn Hemming, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Wawanesa. “This achievement not only reinforces our commitment to...
Article 0 Comments Alphabet’s Waymo is recalling more than 1,200 self-driving vehicles to update software and address risks of collisions with chains, gates and other roadway barriers after U.S. auto safety investigators opened a probe last year. The recall affects 1,212 Waymo vehicles operating on the company’s fifth-generation automated driving system software, the company said. Waymo has over 1,500 vehicles on the road across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin, Texas, and is running more than 250,000 fully autonomous paid rides a week. It plans to add service in Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C. Waymo said it was aware of 16 collisions with chains, gates and other barriers between 2022 and late 2024. But the incidents did not result in any injuries, according to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA opened an investigation into the performance of Waymo self-driving vehicles in May 2024 after reports of its robotaxis exhibiting driving behavior that potentially violated traffic safety laws. The agency said several incidents under investigation “involved collisions with clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid.” The investigation remains open. The issue has been resolved with a software update to its...
Insurers can now collect and disburse payments across the U.S. and Canada through a single payments platform, the DreamPay Insurance Payment Hub, leveraging J.P. Morgan Payments’ capabilities Toronto, ON (May 1, 2025) – Dream Payments is pleased to announce it has launched the DreamPay Insurance Payment Hub — a two-way insurance payment network operating seamlessly across North America, leveraging J.P. Morgan Payments’ capabilities. For the first time, insurers can accept premiums from policyholders in both the U.S. and Canada, and issue claims payments to individuals and businesses of every size, using digital or physical methods, all in one platform. A Network That Reaches Everyone, Everywhere With the DreamPay Insurance Payment Hub, insurers now gain access to the most expansive insurance payment network on the continent. The platform connects to over 350 million individuals and more than 30 million businesses across North America. From policyholders in Toronto to service providers in San Francisco, insurers can initiate and receive payments across every relevant rail — from real-time payments and ACH in the U.S., to EFT and cheques in Canada — and even reach any address on the continent for physical check delivery. Purpose-Built for Insurance Carriers Insurers aren’t just looking for a...
Nearly half of all cyberattacks resulted in stolen data or credentials Identity abuse was the preferred entry point Asia Pacific represented more than one-third of attacks in 2024 Armonk, NY (Apr. 30, 2025) – IBM is pleased to announce the release of its 2025 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, highlighting that cybercriminals continued to pivot to stealthier tactics, with lower-profile credential theft spiking, while ransomware attacks on enterprises declined. IBM X-Force observed an 84% increase in emails delivering infostealers in 2024 compared to the prior year, a method threat actors relied heavily on to scale identity attacks. The 2025 report tracks new and existing trends and attack patterns – pulling from incident response engagements, dark web and other threat intelligence sources. Some key findings in the 2025 report include: Critical infrastructure organizations accounted for 70% of all attacks that IBM X-Force responded to last year, with more than one quarter of these attacks caused by vulnerability exploitation. More cybercriminals opted to steal data (18%) than encrypt it (11%) as advanced detection technologies and increased law enforcement efforts pressure cybercriminals to adopt faster exit paths. Nearly one in three incidents observed in 2024 resulted in credential theft, as attackers invest in multiple...
/ ThinkAdvisor provides financial advisors, registered investment advisors and wealth managers with comprehensive coverage of the products, services and information they need to guide their clients in making critical wealth, health and life decisions.
Article 0 Comments It looks like California’s largest homeowners insurer is getting a large rate increase following billions of dollars in losses from the Los Angeles wildfires and pullback on writing new policies in the state. Administrative Law Judge Karl Seligman recommended approval of State Farm interim rate hike on Monday. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara still must make the final approval. Specifically, State Farm’s non-tenant HO-3 line would get a 17% increase, a 15% increase in its renter/condo line and a 38% increase in rental dwelling, while the carrier committed to refraining from a new round of nonrenewals through the end of 2025. The agreement also stipulates that parent company State Farm Mutual will make a $400 million capital infusion into State Farm. Related: In The Wake of Devastating LA Fires, Residents Begin to Rebuild The interim rates remain temporary, and are subject to a full hearing process. S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday lowered its financial strength and issuer credit ratings on State Farm General Insurance Co. to ‘A+’ from ‘AA’. The ratings remain on CreditWatch with negative implications, according to an announcement from S&P. “The rating action indicates uncertainties related to capital support from the State Farm group,...
/ ThinkAdvisor provides financial advisors, registered investment advisors and wealth managers with comprehensive coverage of the products, services and information they need to guide their clients in making critical wealth, health and life decisions.
