PPS Mutual Underwriting Initiatives

Niche insurer, PPS Mutual, has announced an update to its underwriting processes designed to ‘optimise’ its members’ experience.

Intended to reduce the application process by several weeks, but without applying any additional risk to the existing insurance pool, a key component of this update revolves around changes to the insurer’s ‘quick check’ medicals process.

According to a release from PPS Mutual, which specialises in offering coverage to the white collar professionals market, changes applying to all existing and new policies include the removal of the insurer’s quick check medical requirement for prospective members aged 35 or under, who are requesting Income Protection cover up to $15,000 per month.

This process update includes removal of the need for insurance pool members of any age to undergo testing for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV according to the following application limits:

• Life insurance up to $20 million
• TPD insurance up to $5 million
• Trauma insurance up to $2 million
• Income protection insurance up to $30,000 per month

When assessing an applicant’s financial situation when proposing for IP cover, PPS Mutual notes it has also removed the need for the member or prospective member to complete a full financial questionnaire. They will now only be asked to provide information that is relevant to the risk assessment. Third-party sign offs on financial questionnaires have also been removed for members wanting to insure for IP cover.

Providing background to these changes, PPS Mutual’s Head of Underwriting and Claims Management, Marcello Bertasso, noted that following an extensive study of all the quick check medicals, the insurer found the rising costs of these assessments ultimately impacted the amount of profit returned to its members:

“Furthermore, a similar review of our underwriting book considering their financial risk profile found that no additional insights were added by the required questionnaires or third-party sign offs,” he said.