Description: This is an article about genetics, diagnostic testing and related underwriting of insurance policies.

Description: The article warns actuaries that using predictive models in the underwriting process has a strong potential of inadvertently using variables that are prohibited by law.

Description: The life insurance industry has experienced dramatic changes since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020. Growing competition, a rise in online shopping, and the impact of COVID-19 have all led to an increase in contactless and completely digitized life insurance options. At Policygenius, we wanted to dig deeper into these big industry changes and better understand how they affect life insurance buyers. What our 2022 life insurance trend report found was a changing industry, making tremendous strides, and creating even better pricing and policy options for customers.

Description: Discussion of the need for financial underwriting and some history on industry practices. Also includes a discussion of how communications should take place between the underwriter and financial advisor to the insurance applicant.

Description: There are certain occasions when the knowledge we have gained in our jobs carries over into our personal lives. For instance, developing insurance products certainly helps when it comes time to buy an insurance policy. Recently, one of the authors had the experience of giving his 91-year-old grandmother, Nanny as she is affectionately called, an Extended Delayed Word Recall DWR test. This article will show that DWR tests are a powerful predictor of mortality in the elderly. As the population ages and more and more life insurance is being applied for at the older ages, having a DWR test in an underwriting arsenal is like comfort food for an actuary.

Description: A high-level summary of the results of Munich Re's recent Accelerated Underwriting Survey

Description: This article discusses new tools to underwrite faster, cheaper and better in order to be more profitable and also market to the middle market.

Description: This article provides a summary of “Insurance Coverage for ALL: And How Insurers Can Afford to Provide It”, a session at a recent SOA meeting.

Description: This article explores implications for the future of improving the application of existing underwriting techniques and and taking maximum advantage of new technologies.

Description: The sentinel effect in the underwriting process refers to the tendency for unhealthy individuals to apply for insurance coverage where testing is not performed. The article reports on evidence of the effect with respect to cocaine and tobacco use and HIV positive prevalence