Insurance Underwriter Career Specializations
The Insurance Underwriter will normally specialize in a particular type of policy.
Some choose the health, others accident or injury policies while others focus on
corporate insurance underwriting.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
An Insurance Underwriter will with the assistance of computer programs and sometimes
the reports from lost control representatives, assess the risk of ensuring an applicant
and then often assign an appropriate premium. The Insurance Underwriter will make
this determination based on a large number of factors and must have the ability
to collate seemingly unrelated information into a valid risk assessment whole.
Work Environment
Most often the Insurance Underwriter will be employed within an office and maintain
a standard 40 hour work week. Only in very exceptional cases is travel or extra
hours required.
Employment Outlook and Opportunities
Insurance carriers employ the majority of all underwriters, though some underwriters
worked in insurance agencies or in insurance service agencies. A very small number
of Insurance Underwriters might work or real estate firms or mortgage companies.
Job growth is projected to be slower than normal due to the constantly improving
software being utilized in the profession. The Insurance Underwriter profession
experiences a high degree of turnover as the professionals advance to other opportunities.
However, though job growth is predicted to be slow their will continue to be a demand
for new Insurance Underwriters because of the turnover in the industry.
How much does a Insurance Underwriter make - Insurance Underwriter Salaries and
Wages
Earnings for Insurance Underwriters with 1 to 4 years experience are generally
within the range of $36,463 to $51,408 annually.
Earnings for Insurance Underwriters with 5 to 9 years experience are generally
within the range of $40,778-$61,214 annually.
Earnings for Insurance Underwriters with 10 to 19 years experience are on
average in the range of $40,388-$67,851 annually.
How to Become a Insurance Underwriters
Education for Insurance Underwriters
For the graduate just out of school applying for entry level jobs as an Insurance
Underwriter, they will find that many companies have a preference for persons with
degrees in finance or business administration and experience in accounting. The
graduate should also have a familiarity with computers and accounting software may
also be beneficial. Though most software packages used by Insurance Underwriters
are company specific and will be learned on the job.
The Insurance Institute of America offers a training program for entry level underwriters.
It also offers an Associate in Commercial Underwriting - ACU designation, the ACU
dates the nation is appropriate for persons interested in underwriting business
insurance policies. The API - Associate in Personal Insurance designation is appropriate
for a person underwriting personal insurance. With the advances in software used
by the Insurance Underwriter on a daily basis continuing education software is a
necessity.
Other Qualifications
An Insurance Underwriter should be very detail oriented and have an analytical mind
that is capable of taking disparate facts and forming a conclusion based upon them.
The underwriters also be comfortable with computers and be willing to learn new
software packages regularly. The Insurance Underwriter career is not for everyone
but can be very rewarding for the right person.
Career Advancement
Career advancement for the Insurance Underwriter is influenced by two factors. The
first factor is time on the job and experience in underwriting, and the second factor
is obtaining appropriate certifications or designation to be eligible for advancement.
For the individual interested in pursuing a suitable program for Insurance Underwriter
degree there are handy links provided upon this site to view the educational opportunities.
Insurance Underwriters Resources
NHU National Association of Health Underwriters
CPU Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society