CH 8 UNDERWRITING CONSIDERATIONS Flashcards
Under the CIDRA consumer must only
They must only answer,fully and accurately the questions that the insurer asks them
What’s the range of consumer insurance
Small shops and factories to large multi-national corporation with operation in many countries
The insurance underwriting process will always consist of an assessment of the following
- The major underwriting factors affecting claim experience for the particular class of b’ness
- The average claim per member of the group
- proposer’s characteristics in comparison with an average member
In essence what does the underwriter do
They are evaluating the hazard associated with the risk which is being proposed
What are the specific underwriting considerations for Motor Insurance
-Driver’s age
-Type and Make of vehicle
-Storage
-Driving record
-Type of use
-Geographical area
Cover required/extension required
-vehicle modification
Why is drivers age relevant specific underwriting consideration for motor
This is because certain age groups are more susceptible to claims than others
Which age group of drivers is more likely to be charged higher than the other
17-25 age group could be charged more that those 40-50 age group because they are less experienced and lack risk awareness
Why is type and make of vehicle relevant specific underwriting consideration for motor
Expensive/rare/unusual vehicles are more expensive and difficult to repair. Powerful vehicles will be more difficult to control in the hands of an inexperienced driver
why do commercial vehicles attract a higher premium
This is due to their frequency and nature of use,value,size and type of cargo that in result increase third party property damage/bodily injury risk
Why is Geographical area relevant specific underwriting consideration for motor
This due to some areas in the country have higher vehicle theft rates than the other/ where there are more vehicles on the road, there is more chance of an accident occurring
For Motor Insurance a poor claim history would mean
This would be evidence of poor moral hazard
What are the specific underwriting considerations for Health Insurance
- Occupation
- Age
- Family circumstances
- Lifestyle and physical condition
- Medical History
Why is occupation relevant specific underwriting consideration for Health Insurance
It’s actually a major factor for both personal accident and permanent health insurance (PHI)
General Practice for Health Insurance is to group occupation into how many groups, and they go by
To group them into 4/5 groups, and they range from no-low accident/health risks, and high/extra-hazardous risks
Why is it a general practice in Health insurance to group individuals in different groups
So as to impose premium according to the level of accident/health risks involved
What are examples of occupation with no/low accident/health risks
professional and administrative work
What are examples of occupation with high/hazardous risks accident/health risks
Coal miners
Who is Age a specific consideration for Health Insurance
As the age increases the risk also increases, but accident among young people is common thus they also represent a high risk as they are less aware and take more risks
Family circumstances is more common in
Its more required in specific financial details in Permanent Health Insurance (PHI)
Medical History is relevant specific underwriting consideration for Health Insurance
This is particularly important in Permanent Health Insurance policy, because the underwriter accepts a greater potential liability than accident only policy
What are some of the most important factors of house (the building) insurance are
- Construction
- Location
Why is construction an important factor in House/Building insurance for personal Insurance
Insurers are concerned with what the house is made of
Building lacking what type of construction material will result to an additional premium being charged
-Brick/stone/not roofed with slates/tiles/metal/concrete, it would increase a risk
With respect to the content of the building insurers will be concerned with
-Area
Occupation during the day
-Security
How will area of the contents make an insurer concerned
Some areas have high theft risks
How will Occupation during the day of the contents make an insurer concerned
Insures sometimes offer discount if property is occupied during the day or if the insured is part of a neighborhood watch scheme
For travel insurance what are the specific underwriting consideration
- Destination
- Purpose and duration of travel
- Group Policies
- Existence of pre-existing conditions
For Travel Insurance why is destination an underwriting factor
Medical expenses can be expensive in certain countries e.g USA
For Travel Insurance why is purpose and duration of travel an underwriting factor
So as insurer is aware if it a holiday/business travel
What are the main underwriting factors for Fire and Special Perils under commercial property insurance
- Use
- Types of goods stored on premises
- Construction and Material
- Safety Features
- Risk Management Features
- Number of floors and areas
- Method of heating and lighting
- Location relative to perils
For Theft Insurance what do underwriter require
- Trade
- Geographical area
- Any moral hazard of owner
- Theft precautions
- Nature and construction of the property
For glass insurance what is the insurers main consideration
- Use of the building in relation to the likelihood of glass being broken
- Geographical Area
For glass insurance what is the main concern for insurers
Vandalism when considering insuring large shop windows in town centers
For Money Insurance what does the insurer require
- How much money is handled(cash,cheques)
- Precautions taken in storing money and transporting money
- whether in a safe/strongroom
- how employees are paid
Why would an insurer consider how an employee is paid for money insurance
If employees are paid in cash then there is a great risk of a large amount of cash being on the premises
For Legal expense insurance what does an underwriter consider
- Proposer’s employment criteria( also current breakdown of staff according to sex/race)
- views and actions in respect of health and safety legislation
- occupation
For Business interruption what is an underwriter concern
How quickly a proposer can get their b’ness up an running again after an incident/interruption features
For Employers Liability what will the underwriter be mostly concerned about
They will be concerned about the trade and the occupation of the employee concerned
For Public Liability what will the underwriter be mostly concerned about
The major consideration is the proposer’s trade/b’ness
In public liability why is the insurers major consideration trade/business of the proposer
This is because of the nature of the cover meaning if the proposer has small or no contact to the public has less liability risk to the public arising and vice versa
In pollution liability what will the underwriter be mostly concerned about
- The Trade/b’ness
- The material used
- if there is adequate control to prevent the escape of pollution into the air/water
- Chemicals used
- Storage arrangement details
- Risk control measured
For product liability what will the underwriter be mostly concerned about
Similar to public liability, underwriter is concerned with the trade/b’ness
- quality control systems
- whether the products are being exported to north america
during the risk assessment of product liability underwriters will more specifically consider
- The final use of the product
- Its potential to cause bodily injury/damage to third party property
For Professional liability what will the underwriter be mostly concerned about
-The exact occupation,professional qualification/experience and degree of moral hazard
How are extended Warranty policies sold
They are sold at the point of sale,thus they are generally not underwritten as such
For Extended Warranty how will the underwriter set the premium accordingly
They will assess the likelihood of a product breaking down over a period of time
For Credit Rating what will an underwriter consider
They will consider a proposer’s credit worthiness in both accepting the risk and as a potential rating factor
Why is it difficult to quantify insurance fraud
This is because so much goes undetected
What is the first step towards eliminating fraud
Quantifying the effects of fraud