Nicky Bray: Underwriting during a pandemic

How has Covid shaped underwriting? At first, it was a case of identifying those customers who had been to China or Italy - areas where the virus was circulating. As it spread, we had to change tack; travel was no longer the issue. Who was likely to catch the virus and what did it mean for life expectancy and ability to work? How long would recovery take and what complications could follow? We stopped offering terms to anyone showing symptoms. Initially, we postponed applications for three months after an applicant has fully recovered, which we have reduced to one month for critical illne...