Chapter 12 Flashcards
what is mortality risk?
the likelihood that a person will die sooner than statistically expected.
define underwriting
the process of assessing and classifying the degree of risk a proposed insured or group represent and making a decision to accept of decline that risk
what is an underwriter
an insurance company employee who evaluates risks, accepts, or declines insurance application and determines the appropriate premium rate to charge acceptable risks.
define the term risk class
a group of insureds who represent a similar level of risk to an insurance company.
what is new business processing?
includes all the activities required to process applications for insurance products evaluate the risks associated with applications for life insurance and irssu policies
in some insurance companies, are sales and marketing acitivities also considered part of new business processing?
yes
what is a click-wrap?
a process where the person clicks a secure, I agree or accept, button on the electronic document.
what checks must an application go through before being underwritten?
- ensure application used is the correct form for the issuing juristiction
- application is complete and accurate
- the producer who submitted the application is properly licensed and appointed.
the main goal of many insurers is to achieve straight through processing (STP). Define this
the electronic processing of every step in the new business process without manual intervention.
Annuities are not underwritten, but typically go through a similar process. Name the steps.
- identify customer needs
- generate annuity illustrations
- submit application
- check for suitability,
- generate pending contract
what is suitability?
refers to where a particular insurance or annuity product is an appropriate purchase for an applicant based on the applicants needs and financial condition.
what is the purpose of verifying suitability?
the insurer attempts to reinforce tryst and loyalty.
what are the 3 responsibilities of the new business and u/w operations?
- assessing degree of risk a proposed insured represents
- assigning the risk to an appropriate risk class
- issuing a policy if the risk is accepted.
what is a jet unit?
A team authorized to immediately approve individual insurance applications that satisfy certain minimum qualifications.
What is the purpose of the cheif underwriter
manages underwriting department,
establishes u/w philosophy, g/l and producers,
what does the medical u/w director do?
updates company’s u/w standards
provides assistance to u/w concerning proposed insurers who have complex medical hx
what is antiselection?
the tendency of people who believe they have a greater-than-average likeligood of loss to seek insurance protection to a greater extent than do those who believe they have an average or less than average likelihood of loss
define persistency in terms of u/w
the retention of business that occurs when a policy remains in force.
What is an insurer’s underwriting philosophy?
a set of objectives for guiding all of an insurer’s underwriting actions.
generally reflects the insurer’s strategic business goals and includes its pricing assumptions for its products.
define underwriting guidelines.
these are the standards that specify the limits within which proposed insured’s may be assigned to one of an insurer’s risk classes established for each insurance product.
Name the four typical underwriting risk classes
- preferred
- standard
- substandard
- decline.
describe the underwriting process in 3 steps.
- field underwriting or teleunderwriting
- gathering additional information as needed
- making a decision.
what is the action of rating?
the process of approving an application but at a higher-than-average premium rate or with a modified type or amount of coverage.