Advisers will now be required to complete approximately thirty questions instead of around sixty questions on behalf of their client, depending on the smoker status of their client.
Commenting on this development, Peter Hamilton, Protection Management Director, UK Life said, "Having successfully launched our interactive underwriting system earlier this year, this latest development marks the next step in our ongoing commitment to make it easier for advisers to do business with Zurich".
Available with immediate effect, this latest enhancement currently applies to life only plans in those instances where the plan is due to cease before the age of 55yrs.
Continues Hamilton, "This enhancement comes at a time when mortgage advisers are increasingly looking for other opportunities aside from traditional mortgage business. We believe by simplifying the underwriting process and making it easier for advisers to receive an immediate underwriting decision at the point of application, we will encourage more advisers to consider writing protection business in the future."
John Malone, Managing Director, Premier Mortgage Service, said "As a facilitator in the mortgage and protection market, we completely and wholly endorse all simplistic and transparent processes to assist the intermediary for the benefit of their clients. Clients must at all times be covered for their borrowing not just for their secured commitments but their unsecured commitments as well.
All intermediaries with clients should now be reviewing what protection cover they have in place even though their client may have been made redundant, are between employments or in employment. It is pleasing to see Zurich, who is one of PMS's preferred protection partners, making such a commitment to the intermediary market."
