Pioneer, the income protection (IP) provider has launched a signature-less application process across its whole product range.
Previously, online customers were required to send in a signed declaration before the policy started. According to Pioneer, clean cases will now go on risk the same day as the the electronic application is received and adding a signature will only be necessary if further medical information is needed.
Pioneer is the latest provider to get rid of the need for a wet signature. Friends Provident, Bupa and Axa have also discarded it for standard online applications. According to advisers, this action will obviously be of benefit to the environment and will also enable quicker processing for customers.
Intermediary sales director Paul Wood said: "We believe IP should be regarded as a necessity; without an income everything else becomes irrelevant. With the introduction of signature-less online applications we hope to see a reduction in the time it takes to process applications and, because of this, an increase in uptake of the product."




