In simple terms, field underwriting is gathering enough information about the life insured to be able to determine their insurability before they actually apply for cover.

This generally means understanding, whether there are elements of their health, occupation, family history, or other circumstances which could impact the willingness of an insurer to offer cover on standard terms.

Successful field underwriting therefore relies on an understanding of the client’s circumstances and the underwriting approach of the insurer, bridged by a base level of understanding of medical terminology and medical conditions.

Having this understanding enables you to make a judgement of your client’s insurability before they even apply, which can help you narrow down your selection of suitable insurers (to those you believe are more likely to give you cover, on the best terms, perhaps because they specialise in particular occupations, or underwrite some health conditions – e.g., mental health or diabetes – more generously than others).

Knowing which health conditions are likely to attract a loading or exclusion is also important, as it will help you set client expectations from the outset. Understanding how loadings and exclusions work, and in the circumstances in which their removal can be requested, is also important.

Pre-assessments go hand in hand with field underwriting and involve getting an indicative sense of how a client is likely to be underwritten by an insurer. This can allow you to narrow down your choice of insurers as well as indicate those aspects of your client’s situation which may require more clarification and information gathering. Pre-assessments can therefore improve your efficiency as well as manage your client expectations.

Each life insurer tends to approach pre-assessments differently, in terms of their process, their responsiveness, and their accuracy. Pre-assessments do not represent ironclad offers of cover, nor definitive rejections. But they can help identify possible ‘speed bumps’ in the process of getting your client covered.

Essential to a smooth process is honesty and openness on the part of your client, and this means your pre-assessment information gathering needs to be rigorous. You don’t want the fact that your client drinks 10 beers every night to only come out when they actually apply for cover – there should be no surprises. In this sense the level of detail sought by insurers in their personal statements and – where applicable – their supplementary questionnaires, is a good benchmark.