A presentation at a recent underwriting gathering was billed as being focused on the use of predictive analytics in contexts other than risk appraisal.

Feedback from several attendees suggests it was just the opposite, centered largely on their deployment in underwriting.

So much for the verisimilitude of at least some session descriptions!

Fact is, insurers are presently being inundated with risk screening options no one would have imagined possible a decade ago. The developers of some of these tools are aggressively promoting their deployment in the underwriting process.

Bilirubin is a potent antioxidant and antiinflammatory agent. While bilirubin levels tend to be lower in cigarette smokers, the adverse effects of low/below normal bilirubin impact both smokers and nonsmokers.

High normal/elevated bilirubin has been convincingly linked to a significantly lower risk of circulatory diseases, diabetes and other prevalent medical impairments. Conversely, low normal/below normal bilirubin levels are now a well-established marker for increased risk of these diseases and their complications. 

It is a widely held notion that one does not have to know the job to manage people who do the job.

This certainly makes sense for most blue collar and clerical occupations.

Does the same rationale apply to non-underwriters (defined as individuals that have never been underwriters) managing underwriting professionals?

At our study groups, this is recognized as an increasingly important question, in part because the number of individuals with no underwriting background who oversee new business departments is increasing.

What are the areas of potential concern here?