Usually it’s because your case has been referred
to a specialist insurance underwriter, or because further information
is required about you.
There are several reasons why delays can occur. Some of
them can be ironed out by the efficient approach at Brokers Online. Some
are an inevitable result of a process that involves specialist insurance
underwriters and requests for information from doctors.
The business of completing your application details can
be streamlined by Brokers Online. If you complete the forms on the phone
- 01625 416 280 - you’ll save several days of delay while the forms
are posted back and forth. Instead, Brokers Online will electronically
transmit your details to the Insurance Company.
In some instances, your application may be passed to a specialist
underwriter to consider, in which case some level of delay is inevitable
and there is little that can be done about it. If the underwriter considers
your details and decides to approve your application without any further
information, the delay is probably going to be about 2 weeks. (Remember
that if you are in a hurry you should let Brokers Online know on 01625
416 280 and they may be able to move things along.)
In around 1 in 7 cases the Underwriter will ask for additional
information. In most cases this will be health-related information, but
it could also be about your job or your hobbies. If the Insurance Company
requires more information about your job or other pastimes, you’ll
be sent a supplementary questionnaire in the post. You’ll need to
complete and return this as soon as you can.
If the query relates to your health, the Underwriter has
several alternatives. He might write to your Doctor for more details or
he may ask you to have a “mini-medical”, or even a full medical.
(The Insurance Company will cover the costs if a medical is required.)
We’ve found that Insurance Companies ask for additional medical
information in around 1 in 10 cases. It is fairly routine, and not something
to be worried about.
However, as you may have suspected, the process of requesting
additional medical information does tend to slow down the application
procedure. Busy doctors don’t always get round to dealing with requests
from Insurance Companies straight away! Delays of around 6 to 8 weeks
are quite common at this stage. But remember to call Brokers Online on
01625 416 280 if you need to hurry this along.