Insurance Underwriters

Who is an Insurance underwriter?

Insurance Underwriters assess insurance applications and determine whether to grant insurance and under what terms. They assess insurance forms and determine coverage amounts and premiums.

What does an Insurance Underwriter do?

• Underwriters are the primary link between an Insurance company and an Insurance agent.

• They use computer software programs and determine the eligibility of an applicant.

• They take particular information about a client and enter it into a program.

• The program presents recommendations on coverage and premium and underwriters evaluate these applications and then makes the final decision.

Eligibility

You can become an Insurance Underwriter after completing Bachelor's (preferably in Finance). However, some employers may hire you as an underwriter without a degree if you have relevant work experience and computer proficiency. To become a senior underwriter or underwriter manager, you need to obtain certification.

What are the skills required?

Underwriters must be able to utilize information from a variety of sources and solve complex problems. If you want to pursue Insurance underwriters as your preferred option, you need to have certain skills such as:

• Analytical skills

• Decision-making skills

• Detail Oriented

• Interpersonal skills

• Math skills

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What is the career scope for Insurance Underwriters?

Insurance Underwriters are responsible for analyzing the risk factors which appear on an application. Simple and general types of Insurance like automobile insurance can rely on automatic guidance by the Insurance risk assessment software.

If you desire, you can choose insurance as your preferred option after high school. More difficult and involved Insurance types such as worker's compensation need the underwriters to rely on their analytical insight and their experience.

An Insurance Underwriter works in Insurance Agencies or for organizations that offer Insurance services to various insurance companies and policyholders. They can get employed in agencies that are owned and operated by a bank, mortgage companies, and real estate firms. The different fields an Insurance Underwriter can work in are as follows:

• Automobile and property Underwriters

• Bond Underwriters

• Insurance Analyst

• Insurance Writers

• Underwriting account representatives

How much does an Insurance Underwriter make?

• Average Salary for an Insurance Underwriter in India is Rs 331,827/yr

• Average salary of an Insurance Underwriter with 1-4 years of experience is Rs 303,420/yr

• At Senior level (5-9 years of experience) Insurance Underwriter in India makes Rs 550,000/yr

Who are the major recruiters?

Insurance jobs in India have drastically increased with the liberalization of the Insurance sector and the advent of new private companies. All these job opportunities are because of new businesses and global companies appearing in the Indian market. The major recruiters for Insurance Underwriters in India are:

• PNB Metlife

• United India General Insurance

• Max Life Insurance

• Life Insurance Corporation(LIC)

• Metlife

• Zurich

Top colleges offering courses on Insurance Underwriter

If you wish to become an Insurance Underwriter then a degree in Insurance would help you to pursue a career in Insurance Underwriting. With the liberalization and globalization of our economy, India has taken rapid strides and has emerged as a good market for many students.

To qualify as an underwriter you can take the exam which is conducted by the Insurance Institute of India and is called the Licentiate Exam.

You can also opt for other Insurance Colleges, and we have listed the top colleges below:

• Chandigarh University, Chandigarh

• Jaipur National University, Jaipur

• Amity University, Noida

• Bharathiar University, Coimbatore

• School of Insurance Studies, Jodhpur

• Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi

Employers often expect underwriters to become certified through various coursework. Insurance courses are important for keeping up to date knowledge on insurance policies and frameworks.

What are the books and study materials available?

The role of an Insurance Underwriter needs knowledge and experience. You have to know the fundamentals of insurance which are the potential risk, premiums and valuation strategies. So, we have listed a few books which will help you.

• Insurance and Behavioral Economics, Prof Howard C Kunreatheur.

• Insurance by James Stevens

• Applied Insurance Analytics by Patricia L Saporito

• Insurance Economics by Peter Zweifel

• Modern Law of Insurance by K.S Murthy

• Insurance Law in India by K.B Agarwal

Interesting facts

No Insurance Company underwrites Jackie Chan's productions. Therefore, he trains his stuntmen, takes lead in stunts and pays all medical expenses out of his own pocket.