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KRS Insurance Partners with Acera Insurance 0

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KRS Insurance Partners with Acera Insurance

Calgary, AB (Jan. 30, 2024) – Acera Insurance Services Ltd. is pleased to welcome its newest partner, KRS Insurance Brokers Ltd. Based in Newmarket, Ontario, KRS Insurance has been providing industry-leading coverage for pet care and beauty service professionals across Canada for more than 20 years through its well-established PROfur and PROtique programs. “I’m pleased to welcome this highly specialized team to Acera Insurance,” says Bruce Rabik, Chief Operating Officer, Acera Insurance. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to expanding not only the industries we serve across Canada, but also our team’s depth of knowledge and expertise.” As the largest independent, employee-controlled brokerage in Canada, Acera Insurance offers the utmost certainty in the specialized personal insurance, commercial insurance and group benefits solutions it provides. “By partnering with Acera Insurance, our team looks forward to further enhancing and expanding the distinct coverages and services that Canadian pet care and beauty service professionals rely on,” says Chris Ingoe, President, KRS Insurance Brokers, which operates under the PROfur and PROtique brands. This partnership will serve the evolving needs of the growing pet care and beauty service industries across Canada. According to Statistics Canada, there were more than 4,600 Canadian businesses in the pet care...

CES 2024 And The Tech Revolutionizing Human Security 0

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CES 2024 And The Tech Revolutionizing Human Security

By Heather Turner, ReSource Pro — The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has long been a beacon for groundbreaking innovations, showcasing the latest advancements in technology across various industries. This year was no different, but one topic stood out in particular. A major focus at CES 2024 was the new technologies addressing human security needs, from personal health and public safety to agriculture and economic stability. In fact, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organization behind CES, is a partner in the Human Security for All (HS4A) global campaign, which aims to cultivate collaboration and innovation across all industries and countries to improve the human experience. Aligned with this initiative, the 2024 event showcased many solutions to help individuals, businesses, and governments create safer and more sustainable living for all. Here are a few notable examples: Digital Health: The convergence of technology and healthcare was evident in the selection of personal health monitoring devices at CES. Exhibitors highlighted wearables capable of tracking vital signs, monitoring sleep patterns, and even detecting potential health emergencies, which can help to save lives, as well as reduce costs. There were also technologies that provide individuals with greater access to care and more control over their...

CBN Announces the Addition of Two New Members 0

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CBN Announces the Addition of Two New Members

CBN Announces 2024 Membership Expansion with Addition of its Newest Member Toronto, ON (Jan. 10, 2024) – Canadian Broker Network (CBN), Canada’s leading network of independent insurance brokers, is pleased to announce its continued 2024 expansion as it welcomes two new members from Manitoba and Quebec. Kilgour & Bell Insurance, Winnipeg, MB “We look forward to the new opportunities that CBN will provide and the chance to collaborate with our talented counterparts across Canada to further the success of the independent broker community”, says Joel Davison, President of Kilgour Bell Insurance. OVC Assurance, Saint-Hubert, QC “We are proud to be a part of a solution-oriented group that shares the desire to improve the industry”, says Hugo Lamarre, Marketing Director at OVC Assurance. “We have witnessed many great ideas from the other members and are committed to contributing to the group with our own expertise”. As new members in our network, they get the power and potential from their CBN peers, their new strategic partners. “We are excited to welcome both organizations to our expanding CBN community”, says Andrew Kemp, Chairman of CBN. The Canadian Broker Network is continuing with its growth plans. “If you’re an independent broker looking for a...

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Lingering Inflation Risks Keep Fed Officials in Wait-and-See Mode on Rate Cuts

Article 0 Comments The Federal Reserve entered 2024 within spitting distance of its inflation goal. But that’s not quite close enough for policymakers. The risk that inflation could remain stuck above their 2% target is guiding Fed officials’ preference to keep interest rates where they are for now, even as investors have clamored for cuts. Fresh inflation data released Tuesday underscored their reason for caution: Consumer prices excluding food and energy rose more than expected in January, a sign that businesses still have the ability to raise prices, especially in the services sector. If officials were looking for more evidence that pricing power has been wrung out of the economy, they didn’t get it in Tuesday’s inflation report. A slew of risks and uncertainty around their outlook — from a persistently strong economy to geopolitical tensions — are now weighing more heavily on their rate-cut timing decision and prompting them to approach it slowly. “They want to get this right and they are willing to be late rather than even on time,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. What’s giving them pause? Policymakers have outlined a few key risks: Hot Economy Fed officials’ economic forecasts released...

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Jason Fichtner Among New Members Named to FINRA Foundation Board

FINRA Foundation’s mission is to “empower Americans with the knowledge, skills and tools to make sound financial decisions throughout their lives.” The foundation’s work ultimately helps its parent organization achieve its broader mission of protecting investors and promoting market integrity. “We are delighted to welcome Jonathan, Ellen, Jason and Paul to the FINRA Foundation board,” said Gerri Walsh, president of the foundation. “Together with current directors Menekse Gencer and Peggy Ho, they bring a wide range of skills, expertise and perspectives. I am thrilled to have Jonathan at the helm to provide a bridge between the FINRA Foundation and FINRA, championing our efforts to help people build and protect wealth.” Pictured: Jason Fichtner 

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Viewpoint: The Cyber Risk Pendulum

Article 0 Comments Privacy risk is so 2014, right? Ten years ago, numerous retail and healthcare companies were hit with data breaches related to the exposure of credit card or healthcare data. Given many data breach claims, which included fines by state attorney generals and the payment card Industry, the cyber insurance market focused on privacy risk. This focus remained until 2017, when ransomware claims developed into more substantial matters, triggering large business interruption losses for carriers. Underwriters accordingly focused on ransomware exposure to minimize the potential for business interruption claims. However, in 2024, with new state privacy laws and renewed interest from the plaintiffs’ bar, carriers are once again seeing privacy claims, based on biometric, pixel, or chat technology. While ransomware has not gone away, attacks have evolved from network encryption to the theft and ransom of consumer or confidential corporate information. The cyber pendulum has swung back to privacy risk. Stephanie Snyder Frenier While all 50 states have data breach notification laws, many states have passed comprehensive privacy bills following the model set by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). According to the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and...

Hub International Acquires Mitchell Sandham Inc. 0

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Hub International Acquires Mitchell Sandham Inc.

Acquisition Enhances Commercial and Personal Insurance and Employee Benefits Services in Ontario Chicago, IL (Feb. 12, 2024) – Hub International Limited (Hub), a leading global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, is pleased to announce  that it has acquired Mitchell Sandham Inc. and its subsidiary, Mitchell Sandham Group Benefits Inc. (collectively, Mitchell Sandham). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, Mitchell Sandham is one of the oldest and largest independently owned insurance brokerages in the Greater Toronto Area providing commercial and personal insurance, and employee benefits services. “Mitchell Sandham has a strong reputation in the market for delivering outstanding client service and building a high-achieving sales team,” said Susan Murphy, President of Hub Ontario. “We are excited to have them join Hub. They will help us continue to advance our growth strategy in the region.” “After experiencing exceptional growth over the past 10 years, we began the 12-month journey to find a strategic partner that will help us accelerate our growth into the future,” said Aaron Nantais, CEO of Mitchell Sandham. “Joining Hub will give our clients and employees enhanced resources and expertise, including a broader geographical reach across Canada and the US.” “I was...

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Morgan Stanley Seeks to Offer Mutual Fund ETF Share Classes

Morgan Stanley Investment Management has joined a growing list of investment firms seeking approval to include ETF share classes for its mutual funds, a structure long employed exclusively by Vanguard Group. The asset manager filed an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Jan. 29 seeking approval for the dual-fund structure, which only Vanguard is currently permitted to do, multiple news outlets note. Morgan Stanley’s application, if approved, could potentially become far more significant to Wall Street than the recent landmark debut of bitcoin spot ETFs, and could reshuffle trillions in assets, Bloomberg reported. Ben Johnson, Morningstar’s head of client solutions and asset management, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that six firms have now filed ETF-as-a-share-class applications: Morgan Stanley, Dimensional Fund Advisors, Fidelity, First Trust, F/m Investments and Perpetual US Services (PGIA).

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Dartmouth Basketball Players’ Labor Victory Only Start of Path to Union Deal

Article 0 Comments A ruling that gives the Dartmouth basketball team the right to unionize has far-reaching implications for all of college sports — from the quaint, academically oriented Ivy League to the big-money football factories like Michigan and Alabama. But it’s not time to cut down the nets just yet. Although last Monday’s ruling by a National Labor Relations Board official put the players on the path toward a union, they have a long way to go — years, maybe — before they would be able to sit down with the school and negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. Dartmouth has said it will appeal the regional official’s decision to the full NRLB; another loss for the school there could send the case into the federal courts, where an outcome is unlikely before most of the current players have picked up their diplomas and moved on to jobs that are unlikely to include professional athlete. Only then would the two sides sit down and decide what the players are worth. And others will be watching. “We are excited to see how this decision will impact college sports nationwide,” Dartmouth players Cade Haskins and Romeo Myrthil said in a statement on...

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Super Bowl 2024 Highlights NFL’s Aging Billionaire Problem

What You Need to Know The NFL was responsible for 93 of the 100 most-watched TV broadcasts last year, and brought in nearly $20 billion in revenue. Growth has created succession-planning challenges — and could force the doors open for investors driven by financial imperatives. Bringing in institutional owners and private equity investors could help teams raise capital and give minority partners a way to cash out. When she was nine years old, Virginia McCaskey attended the first NFL playoff game, at Chicago Stadium in December 1932. The Chicago Bears, coached by her father, George “Papa Bear” Halas – the team’s founder and owner — beat the Spartans of Portsmouth, Ohio, by a score of 9-0 to become the then 12-year-old league’s champions. Moved indoors because of a blizzard, the game, a precursor to the annual championship now known as the Super Bowl, was played in front of about 11,000 people on a 60-yard field using dirt and manure left over from a traveling circus. One punt hit the stadium’s organist. Two years later, a radio station owner paid $7,952.08 (about $180,000 in today’s dollars) to buy the Spartans and move them to Detroit, where they now play as the Lions. Now, the 101-year-old McCaskey owns...