Our Thoughts
Current

Gender discrimination

So, the worst has happened. The European Court of Justice has torpedoed gender as one of the fundamental, actuarially based pricing factors for insurance products, from motor cover to annuities.


Click here to read more


Modern risk appraisal

The ECJ decision prompts one think more deeply about the basis for risk appraisal. As it happens we had been doing that anyway, and we wrote an article for the January 2011 issue of Underwriter e-Alert .


Click here to read more


Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA)

Are you aware of LADA?  We think you should be.
Click here to read more

Neurasthenia

Despite being dropped from Western medicine since the 1980s, diagnosis of neurasthenia continues to be used in Asia. With symptoms synonymous with CFS, should Neurasthenia as a diagnosis make a comeback in the Western world?
Click here to read more

Phone facts - a global perspective on teleunderwriting

This article, written by Susie Cour-Palais and Hank George, was originally published in the May 2010 edition of Contingencies.  Now, with kind permission from Contingencies, we have been able to reproduce the article for visitors to our website.
Click here to read more

Underwriting manuals and tele-interviewing

Tele-interviewing plays an increasing part in the underwriting process. However, given that the resulting information can be significantly different from traditional methods, can current underwriting manuals effectively support the decision making process?
Click here to read more

Tele-interviewing: a worldwide perspective

We attended the 2010 ICLAM conference in Cape Town, where Susie presented some highlights of the worldwide tele-interviewing survey we carried out with Hank George.
Click here to read more

Tele-interviewing: interview with Sermos

An interview with Stephen Dalton who runs the specialist consultancy firm Sermos. Find out about him and about what makes Sermos special. Click here to read more

Defining occupations: time for modernisation

More reflections on how occupations are classified for rating purposes. The evidence for a new approach stacks up. Click here to read more

Technology - its impact on underwriting and claims

Susie Cour-Palais reviews where we are where we are going in her presentation to the Medicals Direct Panorama conference in October 2009. Click here to read more

Chronic pain... and chronic regional pain syndrome

Unfamiliar with causalgia and algodystrophy? There are plenty more like these two. Learn more about chronic pain syndromes, how they overlap and how they link with other diagnoses. Article on chronic regional pain syndrome added 1 November 2009.

Click here to read more

Underwriting occupations

We argue a case for assessing occupation risk on the basis of what applicants do at work, not their job title. You know it makes sense. Click here to read more

Underwriting manuals – strategic dilemmas parts 1, 2 and 3

Our current thoughts on underwriting manuals and the importance of strategic direction in creating user benefits.
Click here to read part 1

Click here to read part 2

Click here to read part 3

Scope for innovation

There is so much scope to do risk management differently and create better value for consumers. Peter Maynard's presentation at LUCID 2009. Click here to read more

Cardiovascular risk calculators

A critical appraisal by Gary Bundock. His presentation to the Association of Medical Underwriters in February 2009. Click here to read more

The value of innovation

The ability to innovate effectively and consistently is important. Even in an economic downturn... Click here to read more