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Commercial Lines Property-Casualty Underwriting As A Gap Analysis Process

by Frank S.D. Alexander, B.A., M.ED., A.I.I.C.

146 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); contains colour inserts; catalogue #06-1682; ISBN 1-4120-9925-0; US$93.75, C$107.81, EUR77.01, £53.91

This book takes a fresh look at Commercial Lines Property-Casualty Underwriting as a gap analysis process. A process that strikes a fine balance between investing shareholder capital and satisfying customer needs.

This book is a complete "how-to" guide on Commercial Lines property-casualty Underwriting. Its primary purpose is to develop underwriting discipline and underwriting consistency as advocated by experts like Warren Buffett.

It presents the underwriter as an investor of shareholder capital. Someone who consciously seeks out profitable investments for shareholders.

To this end, it places the emphasis on profit for shareholders, balanced by satisfaction of customers' needs.

It emphasizes the importance of technical and non-technical skills and their impact on the underwriting process.

The anchor of the book is a patented underwriting decision-making model: The Alexander Underwriting Model®. It has at its centre shareholder value management, with a Commercial Lines Plan as context.

The process defined by the model begins with the customer and guides the underwriter through a gap analysis process to develop an understanding of the customer.
The process then moves to a gap analysis of all risk issues associated with the customer, as well as the safeguards necessary to achieve profit.
This naturally flows into proper pricing of a risk, a task made easy by the analyses performed in the first two steps.
It goes on to outline the authority, capacity and reinsurance requirements to further enhance profitability.
A product that properly balances price, quality and service emerges, culminating in the ultimate goal of profitable business results.

The book is an easy read and is easy to use. It deals with all the critical success factors so necessary for "hard" and "soft" market fluctuations. It is the perfect book for those who are already underwriters, as well as those intending on becoming underwriters.

It is a "must-have" for those wanting to develop underwriting discipline and underwriting consistency as espoused by luminaries like Warren Buffett.

Frank Alexander is a Commercial Lines Training Consultant. His work in insurance spans over 30 years and has allowed him to conduct workshops throughout Canada, from Halifax to Vancouver.

Frank has been an Underwriter, Commercial Lines Manager, Quality Manager and Regional Manager. He brings both a Strategic and Profit orientation to Commercial Lines Underwriting.

He holds a Masters Degree in Education from The Ontario Institute For Studies in Education and The University of Toronto.

He has done executive studies at The Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University in Chicago.

He is an Associate of The Insurance Institute of Canada, and has taught insurance courses for the institute, as well as through Seneca College.

Frank is a School Board Trustee, as well as a motivational speaker on a wide range of topics including:

• Leadership
• Strategic and Operational Planning
• Career Planning and Life Skills Development

Frank can be contacted at www.franksda@hotmail.com

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