In this session, Joel Atkins, a seasoned general insurance actuary, explains how underwriters and actuaries collaborate to shape underwriting strategy and individual policy decisions. He outlines the factors that define an insurer’s underwriting appetite—understanding risks, ensuring competitiveness and profitability, and managing aggregation risk. Atkins also describes how underwriters evaluate individual applications, balancing rules-based decisions with professional judgment for more complex accounts. Finally, he highlights the roles of MGAs, reinsurers, and ongoing monitoring to ensure underwriting strategies evolve over time.
Contributors: Joel Atkins, FCAS, CERA, CSPA, CPCU; Jon Forster, ASA, MAAA