Aviva has reduced GP reports requested for life insurance applications by 60 per cent.
The insurer claims this has been achieved by getting extra medical information using nurses and underwriters to speak to customers. The initiative, called Improving Customer Underwriting (ICU), places the attention on underwriters making faster and better decisions which are often impeded by collecting doctors reports.
Richard Verdin, protection director of Aviva, said that although the insurer will continue to need doctors reports for some applicants to provide the fairest and most competitive terms, these initiatives will keep these to an absolute minimum.
He commented: "One of the main delays experienced when setting up life insurance policies is gaining evidence from a customer's doctor, which in a large number of cases doesn't even change the underwriting decision. This can be slow, due to the level of other work GP's have and providing this information understandably can be less of a priority to a GP."




