The commercial underwriting process at an insurance company is highly manual and inefficient. Underwriters spend much of their time on non-core tasks due to outdated systems, incomplete data intake, and disorganized workflows. Key challenges include distracting manual processes, lack of data-driven risk management capabilities, and producer engagement issues due to unstructured communication methods. The underwriting cycle lacks consistency and relies heavily on paper files, multiple data re-entry steps, and subjective underwriter decisions. There is an opportunity to modernize systems and processes to allow underwriters to focus more on strategic tasks and decision-making.

1. 1
P&C Commercial Underwriting: As Is State
Business Challenges
• Underwriters are distracted from core underwriting by non-core activities, account maintenance tasks, and manual
processes. Lead UW spends most of the day at desk manually processing submissions & renewals.
• Sr. level Underwriters desire to spend more time in the field, building agent relationships, marketing and portfolio
offerings.
• An unstructured decision support model allows for highly subjective underwriter decisioning versus disciplined.
• Manual case/underwriting model vs. a balance between automated straight through processing.
• Significant UW audit risks because audit information is documented on sticky notes placed on folders for later
referencing.
• DOS rating application
• Weak system capabilities.
• Duplication of account management information is not prevented in the current system and has
lead to embarrassing multiple quote accepted responses from multiple Uws with varying quote
price responses.
• Lack of capabilities for pre-qualification / quick decline increases time and risks decreases data
quality
• Lack of data driven insights – no underwriting performance management and measurement
approach prevents key insights around productivity, internal and external partner servicing,
compliance, activity based costing, corporate leakage, etc.
• Rekeying of same information occurs multiple times throughout the UW Lifecycle
• No system supported workflow management tool
• No BI or data visualization tools – only a pivot reporting service
• Submission and work intake processes are not consistent; different intake formats (Producers submit information
differently and with varying quality in their support documentation)
• Inaccurate or incomplete data being sent from Producers sending submissions and requesting quotes.
• Significant time is spent in collecting and waiting for case data from Producers, external parties (ex. Loss reports)
and internal operations teams – ex. Product Operations, Marketing, Claims - (missing info, ordering docs, etc.)
1. Inefficient
Underwriting
Operating Model
4. Antequated
Systems &
Capabilities
2. Incomplete and
Inaccurate Intake
Data
• Paperwork piles drive the underwriting teams’ monthly work queue activities vs. a workflow management system.
This causes heavy backlogs in their analyses and needed paperwork follow ups, among others.
• Work intake to policy issue is not a streamlined process which impacts processing time and productivity loss.
• Manual workflow management challenges task routing, task sharing and handling capabilities and increases the
amount of interactions among hand off points and servicing partners.
3. Disorganized
Manual
Workflows
Challenge Description

2. 2
• Risk selection, modeling and management capabilities are subjective and not through analytics and
comprehensive data inputs. UW’s gut reactions based on experience and comfort levels with limited, select
lines of business.
• No tools to allow for the use of spatial and geolocation data and its characteristics for enhanced exposure
management. This constrains risk management, especially for property portfolio offerings.
• The UWs are unable to conduct advanced data mining and predictive modeling because of their DOS system’s
shortcomings. This confines their risk segmentation insights and pricing accuracy which leads to major
segmentation issues. The UWs find themselves writing mostly lines of business they are comfortable with and
not ones they can offer but don’t know enough about.
• Limiting the LOB submissions approvals to a select LOB or few, challenges both revenue and the UW
company’s brand because of the notoriety of LOB expertise. This demotivates Producers to submit specifically
to them and instead they send simultaneous submissions to shop around.
• The UWs are also not relying on internal information sources – instead they mine competitor applications to
find subjective factors to apply to their pricing calculations.
• They are also applying a DOS rating tool workaround when pricing results exceed their UW Authority limits.
5. Lack of Data
Driven Risk
Management
6. Absence of
Location &
Exposure
Management
7. Restricted
Pricing
Accuracy
• Producer engagement is hindered because of the lack of streamlined data collection processes. The
Underwriters and Underwriter Assistants don’t have system oriented means of providing regular updates /
alerts to the Producers or the Producers staff. This results in poor customer service and turn around times.
• The UWs are in a remote location which confines them to not being able to see their Producer partners in
person as often as they need to in order to foster strong relationships.
Additional Challenges Description
8. Challenged
Agent
Collaboration
• Inability to leverage mobile devices, unified collaboration technologies or user portals for data collection and
real-time assessment of activities such as risk profiling due to legacy system restrictions
• Productivity hampered for underwriters because of lack of innovative technology capabilities
• UW analyses such as UW worksheets for reinsurance audits are the conduits for storing and capturing
pertinent account/policy information
9. NonExistent
Mobility or CRM
tools
P&C Commercial Underwriting: As Is State
Business Challenges

3. 3
Commercial Underwriter Team Processes
(As Is)
1. Intake process: Jeff and Lucy, Underwriter
partners, receive Producer submissions with requests
to quote in their Outlook inbox.
7) Quote Through Bind processes:
7a) If, after 30 days, no Request to Bind
response is received by the Producer, the
Uws close the quote in the DOS UW rating
tool and add all correspondence into an
account, non renewed folder to be filed
away for future referencing.
2) Appetite and Segmentation Management processes:
2a) Jeff or Lucy determine whether to quote by using a
DOS UW rating tool to subjectively consider with
limited info. their: appetite for risk, pricing scenarios,
and assess whether business for this account has
already been quoted for another Producer or for the
same Producer previously.
DOS Underwriting
Rating Tool
start
React Manage Support Learn
Serve
If Yes, the Submission to Rate process begins.
If No, they prepare a form-based email and send a
decline to Quote response to the Producer
2b) If another active submission for a different Producer
is found, they send a response back to the Producer
indicating that s/he needs a broker of record letter to
receive a quote to ensure that they don’t accidentally
quote a competing Producer a different price.
4) Document Management processes:
4a) Yes submission cases are printed and placed into an
organized stack of papers for the Underwriting team (incl. an
Underwriter Assistant) to manage their monthly work queue
activities.
4b) A Producer notice is sent advising s/he will receive a quote
in 30 days.
5) Quote Response Packaging processes:
5a) The UWs input narrow rating criteria into the rating tool to
get the base rate and apply factors, discounts, credits to
develop the premium
5b) If the UW does not have UW Authority, Joe, the UW
Director, is sent an approval request. If received, the Rate to
Quote process begins.
3) Submission to Rate processes:
Otherwise, 2 decision courses::
6) Rate to Quote processes:
6a) The UWs search for writing company quote templates in
their directories and re-keys required info for the account and
Producer, tweaks additional info, reopens the Producer
submission email and adds, attachments and
customizes the response and replies.
6b) The Producer Quote response email is printed
and added to a stack of quotes awaiting a response
that remain valid for 30 days.
7b) If a Producer response is received, the
Uws begin Negotiating on coverage terms,
price, etc.
7c) If manuscript endorsements are added, a
sub-process of approval with Legal and the
Uws’ superiors is required.
7d) A binder document (pdf) is provided to the
Producer via email to provide to the customer.
It is an assurance that the insured has a
guarantee of coverage for a set period of
time while the Insurer/Uws wait on receiving
subjectivity proof of compliance from the
insured.
7e) UW prepares an Invoice from their
Guidewire billing system
7f) Uws rekey information into an Excel file
used for reporting, auditing purposes. Along
with creating & stacking a bind file folder for
tracking awaiting subjectivities paperwork.
Guidewire Billing
System
8) Bind to Issuance processes
8a) Once subjectivity info. Is received, it’s filed in the
bind folder and the UW composes an UW worksheet for
auditors. Simultaneously the UWA prepares the policy
documents while all wait for subjectivity proof s.
8b) Policy documents & attachments sent to the Producer and
materials are updated & filed away until renewal time.
End

4. 4
Flow of Underwriting Submission to Rate/Quote to Bind to
Policy Issuance processes
Policy Applications Received
From Producers (via Outlook)
Underwriter Reviews
Submission/Request for
Quote
Need
Additional
Information?
Obtain and Review
Additional Information Preferred or
Standard
Risk?
Yes No
NoYes
Approve Submission w/preferred or standard risk
Insurable at
Substandard
Rate?
Approve submission with
Substandard Rating
Send Packaged Quote to Producer requesting Bind Response
Policy Becomes Issued
Producer provides Binder document and Billing Invoice to Customer
Customer
Accepts Rated
Policy?
No Policy In Force
Decline Submission/Application (a form based email
response)
No
Yes
Yes
START
END
Send note to Producer that they’ll receive a quote response in 30 days
Insurer Sends Binder Document & Invoice to Producer
1. Intake Process
2. Appetite and Segmentation
Management Process
3. Submission to Rate
Process
Above UW’s
Authority
Limits?
Yes
Obtain Director
Approval
No
Active
Submission for a
different
Producer found?
Yes
No
Note Sent to Producer
requesting Broker of Record
letter-to be able to quote
6. Rate to Quote Process
No
Yes
No
Broker of
Record Letter
Received?
Broker Request
to Bind
Received?
Customer
Subjectivities Docs
Received ?
Yes
No
Yes
No
4. Document Management
Process
5. Quote Packaging
Process
7. Quote through Bind Process
8. Bind through Issuance Process

5. 5
Intake Process (As-Is)
Underwriter
Customer
END
NoYes
Apps involved –
Email: Outlook Inbox
3. Reviews
Submissions/Renew
als/Policy Changes
7. Awaits
Insurer
Decision
Addtnl
Info
needed?
START
1a. Customer
requests a new
insurance
quote
Producer 2a. Sends mass emails to his/her list of
available companies based on the
market of the insured to see who is
willing to write a policy for the customer
and gain a ballpark price
1b. Customer
requests to renew
their existing
policy (renewal)
6. Awaits UW
Decision
4. UW reaches out to
Producer/Producer’s staff
to obtain needed info
Addtnl
Info
received?
Yes No
Appetite and Segmentation Management
Process for UW to determine whether or not
to quote
5. UW Logs
Producer
Request made
but not quoted
Agreed SLAs
?
Actual UW productivity:
~5 policy changes (if any) p/day. 10 to 25% of policies are updated annually.
~ 25 submissions a day, instantly declining 60% and processing 40% to quote – mostly title business;
however, would like to broaden their market segment and lift their reputation for being able to write
other classes of business.
The UW binding ratio from quote is roughly 25% which is 4% from submission to bind.
Agreed SLAs
?
1c. Customer
requests a
policy change
2b. Sends email
to UW to advise
of Policy
Change
They hope over time to develop an
understanding of who the good
brokers are and who continually
send terrible business. This will
help the UWs prioritize their work
for quality brokers and ignore
submissions from those that do not
send good business.
Each submission arrives with
varying degrees of detail and
information.
The Insurance company
doesn't have enough
influence to force a pattern on
the various Producers or
require them to fill in their
carrier application up front

6. 6
Appetite and Segmentation Management processes (As Is):
Underwriter
START
Does quote fit into
insurer’s Target
market and size?
END
No
Yes
No
Yes
1. Determine
whether or not
to bother
quoting
4. Send Request
to Producer to
Obtain a Broker
of Record Letter
2. Check customer
account and Producer
details in DOS UW
Rating Tool
If the Insurer’s UW decides to
quote, the Producer receives an
email alerting them of a 30 day
window to respond
Broker of
Record Letter
Received?
Is their another active
submission for a different
Producer?
DOS Underwriting
Rating Tool
Additional future business
from the Producer is
usually lost when this
happens because of
paperwork & response
times which can cost the
Producer the sale
Has any UW from
the Co. already quoted
business for the customer
account for another Producer
or for the current Producer?
Multiple monitors involved
One monitor typically to manage the active software
used for the current submission.
Second monitor for reading their inboxes and files.
Involves manually analyzing ungrouped system
records to assess whether duplicate quote
responses are a risk
5. Decline Submission
Yes
No
Submission to Rate
Process
Limited decision data for whether to write the business or not include:
-A confined subset of hazard codes, ex.title insurance companies or architects.
-The number of the customer’s prior claims.
-A combination of revenue and the prior year’s insurance premium to see if the
UW thinks s/he can offer a better price
A manually composed
form-based email response
3. Manually sift through system records,
stacks of papers to assess prior actions
Yes
No
6. UW prints submission &
places into a paper based
work queue stack
7. Manual email is
composed to advise
Producer s/he will
receive a quote
response in 30 days
Producer
UW applies Risk Appetite, Risk Eligibility, Knock Out Rules.
Considers: target market, target size and prior submissions
from previous producers/brokers
Risk of different UWs
sending varying quotes to
the same Producer is high
because the DOS rating
application doesn’t allow
for grouping submissions
from same accounts
together
This ensures that the UW doesn't accidentally quote
a competing broker a different price

7. 7
Submission to Rate and Document Management processes (As Is):
START
Need higher UW
Authority to go
outside approved
price to match
market? END
No
Yes
1 Pull a “Yes” submission that the Insurance Co.
is willing to write from out of this month's
Underwriting team’s work queue paperwork pile
2. Key in rating information into 2
screens from the DOS rating
application
Quote Response
Packaging and Rate to
Quote Processes begin
Limited submission to rate decision data inputs include:
-Only a few key criteria used for rating: typically the amount of revenue and classification will
determine the base rate.
-Afterward a series of factors apply based on prior acts, retroactive coverage and years in business.
-Roughly 5 to 7 subjective factors, debits and credits the UWs can apply in order to develop the
premium to a price they believes will fit the market and the risk.
This type of data is typically found by the UWs on competitor’s applications
DOS Underwriting
Rating Tool
3. Route to
UW Director
for approval
Apps involved –
Email
UW Director
Underwriter
4. Receive request
for Higher UW
Authority from UW
via email
5. Approve /
Reject
6. Email UW
to inform of
the decision
7. Check for
UW Director
decision
UW Authority
received?
Yes
No
Submission to Rate process entails leveraging a Document management model
that consists of manually moving papers being worked on into various, organized
piles that the team manages. Files or file folders have post it notes attached to
them to track work that needed to be done with checklist boxes for the team to be
able to see what remains
8. Decline Submission
Prone to
Error
Prone to
Error
Rate pricing problematic
as inputs used are
subjective. & incl. lax UW
guidelines, UW gut feel &
external paper based
competitor bid info.

8. 8
Quote Response Packaging and Rate to Quote processes (As Is):
START
END
1 Quote Response Packaging: Create a quote
template document from personal computer
1a. Search for appropriate writing company using the
PC’s directory that houses them.
Quote through Bind
Processes begin
DOS Underwriting
Rating Tool
Producer
Underwriter
3. Receives Quote
Package from the
Insurance
Company via email
4. Decides w/i 30
days whether to do
business with the
insurance company
5. Presents the quote
to the customer and
reviews the terms
Apps involved - Microsoft
Word and PC OS directories
1b. Rekey the information needed for the account and
the broker.
1c. Rekey the information needed for the account and
the broker.
1d. Add quote options to the page.
1e. Sifts through the explorer Window to scan the Insurance
company’s standard subjectivities (from their UW Guidelines)
and tweaks any changes to them.
1f. Scans through the inbox for the original email, reopens
and begins the reply by attaching the quote and manually
inserting some standard text.
1g. Adds marketing documentation, their standard
application as well as any supplemental application forms.
1h. Manually customizes the note to the Producer
and sends the email back
6. Email UW a
Request to
Bind (Yes)
decision
Customer
Agrees to Quote
terms?
Yes
No
6. Reject Quote
2. Rate to Quote Processes: Prints off all the
information, assembles and places it into a stack
of papers to be managed for the month.
Throughout the month as the UWs
receive requests to bind, they will
move from this pile to their bind pile.
At least 75% of the requests will not
come back to bind.
Later they will close those out.
Microsoft Word, Outlook,
PC Operating System
Rate to Quote processes cont’d

9. 9
Quote through Bind processes (As Is):
START
END
Bind to
Issuance
Processes
begin
Producer
Underwriter
1. Receive the
insurer’s
quote terms
from the UW.
2. Review the
quote terms &
price with
customer. If
agreeable,
send Request
to Bind to UW
4. Receive from the
UW the customized
customer quote with
negotiated terms.
1a. Change the Quote status in the DOS app
to "not taken up"
6. Gather any
Subjectivities
from Customer
and send their
Proof to UW
Yes
No
Request to Bind
Notification Received
from Producer?
No
No
1. If Request to Bind is not received within
30 days from sending the quote package,
close the Quote in the DOS application
1b. Input the Reason in the DOS app that the
Quote was not taken up
2. Create an Account Named file folder to
hold all the email communication, quotes and
other documents
2a. Create another folder titled Non Renewed
and place the Account named file folder into
it.
2b. File the Non Renewed folder away for
later referencing
Yes
Bind Terms or
Price Negotiation
needed?
1. Depending on negotiation needed, may have to resend
to the Producer to send to the Customer a customized
application to:
- build entirely new endorsements to the policy
- assess whether optional wording on any endorsement
will need to be adjusted
-If manuscript endorsements need to be added,
An Approvals Sub process of Superiors and Legal
approver processes ensues
2. Issue a Binder Document (an agreement that the
company will issue a policy document as long as
Customer subjectivities are met. In the meantime, the
insured has a guarantee of coverage for a set period of
time while awaiting the proof)
Custom Application
Received from the
Producer/Customer?
Yes
6. Reject Quote
No
Proof of Subjectivities
received from the
Producer/Customer ?
No
2a. Create a Binder Document
2b. Sifts through the pc’s explorer Window to find and
select the appropriate insurance (writing) company’s
standard Binder document template
2c. Re-keys all the information on the binder, lists the
agreed coverages and endorsements and modifies the
standard subjectivities as needed
2d. Convert the binder to a pdf and attach it to the
Producer response email that will be sent to the
Customer
3. Create a customer invoice by rekeying appropriate
information into the Guidewire billing application
Guidewire Billing
System
4. Create an Excel spreadsheet that is connected to
a pivot table reporting service.
5. Create a binder folder and move it into a Binder
stack of folders in the monthly work piles.
Yes
3. Receive
UW response
and if
negotiations
are needed,
await
customized
paperwork.
5. Review the
customized
quote terms &
price with
customer. If
agreeable, send
notice to UW

10. 10
Bind to Issuance processes (As Is):
START
END
Producer
Underwriter
1. Receive Issued
Policy and
supporting
materials from UW
2. Review
issued policy,
marketing
materials &
Insurer Invoice
with Customer
Proof of Customer
Subjectivities Received
from Producer?
No
1. Retrieve hard copy file folder from folder stacks and
checkmark on that folder’s post it note that the
subjectivities documents were received.
2. Shift workflow tasks focus to UW analysis and draft an
Underwriter Worksheet (used, in part, for reinsurance
auditor purposes).
Customer Policy email
received from UWA?
Yes
No
Yes
Underwriter
Assistant
1. Shuffle through hard copy file folders from the month’s work queue folder stacks and look for any post it notes that
have been check marked to indicate that the account’s/case’s subjectivities documents have been received.
2. Create the policy document
2a. Sift through the pc’s explorer window to find and select the appropriate insurance (writing) company’s standard
policy document template and rekey all pertinent information.
2b. Add the endorsements and combine all the policy information together in the Word doc and convert it to a PDF.
2b. Manually inputs appropriate account/case information –
ex. any deviations from the standard base rate,
actions taken to endorse or change coverages.
2. Send the issued policy back to the Producer
along with any marketing material
3. Manually gather the policy and all of the
electronic information and file away in a file folder
until the policy’s renewal term.
4. Update the reporting spreadsheet created for the
pivot reporting service (see Quote through Bind
UW’s Step 4) with the completed policy data.
3. Evaluate whether any work can resume from the monthly
work queue backlog
3. Producer
collects the
Customer’s
premiums and
signatures. Sends
to appropriate
Insurer divisions
2c. Send the policy information to the Underwriters.
Customer
Agrees to Quote
terms?
Yes
No
3. Policy Not
Issued/Not In Force
4. Policy Issued/ In Force