30-60-90 day plan for underwriters
On this page
An underwriter decides which risks the company takes and at what price, and the results of those decisions often do not show up in the loss ratio for a year or more. That makes the first three months hard to judge by outcomes. What can be judged early is whether the underwriter follows the guidelines and filed rules, documents why each risk was accepted, priced or declined, refers what is above their authority, and treats agents and brokers in a way that keeps good business coming. A 30-60-90 day plan for underwriters should build those habits under a reduced authority letter, audit the files and widen authority in steps.
This plan is for the underwriting manager or chief underwriter hiring a property and casualty, commercial or specialty lines underwriter at a carrier or managing general agent. Notes for life and mortgage underwriting are at the end. The distribution side is covered in the 30-60-90 day plan for insurance agents, and the general structure is in the 30-60-90 day plan template for new hires.
Filed rules, unfair discrimination and adverse action
Insurance is regulated by the states. Rates, rules and forms are filed with or approved by state insurance departments, and an underwriter's decisions must follow what the company filed in each state. State unfair trade practices laws are often modeled on the NAIC's Unfair Trade Practices Act. As of October 2026, the model act treats as unfair discrimination, among other things:
- Refusing, canceling or limiting property or casualty coverage solely because of the geographic location of the risk, unless the action results from sound underwriting and actuarial principles related to actual or reasonably anticipated loss experience.
- Refusing, canceling or limiting coverage on a residential property solely because of the age of the property.
- Refusing or limiting coverage to an individual because of sex, marital status, race, religion or national origin.
- Refusing to insure solely because another insurer refused, canceled or did not renew.
Each state adopts its own version, often with changes. Where an underwriting decision is based in whole or in part on a consumer report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, at 15 U.S.C. 1681m, requires notice of the adverse action, which for insurance includes a denial, cancellation, higher charge or less favorable terms. Insurers using models and AI in underwriting should also know that the NAIC adopted a model bulletin on insurers' use of AI systems in December 2023, which a number of states have adopted, as the NAIC's implementation map shows. Confirm the rules in each state with the company's compliance team. This is not legal advice.
The 30-60-90 day plan
30-60-90 day plan — [Name], Underwriter, [company]
Reports to: [underwriting manager] Start: [date]
Lines: [commercial property / GL / auto / specialty]
States: [list] Distribution: [agents / brokers / wholesale]
Systems: [policy admin / rating] Authority: [see letter]
DAYS 1-30 — Guidelines, systems and shadowing
Goals:
- Read the underwriting guidelines, rating manual and
referral rules for each line
- Learn the policy and rating systems on practice files
- Sit in on referral and pricing discussions
- Review a sample of recent files by senior underwriters
- Underwrite simple new business and renewals at a
reduced authority, each file reviewed before binding
Deliverables by day 30:
- Reviewed files with findings logged by type
- Written summary of the book's appetite by line
Check-in: day 30, with [underwriting manager]
DAYS 31-60 — Reduced authority, post-bind audit
Goals:
- Write within the reduced authority letter without
pre-review; refer anything above it
- Take a renewal book segment (example: one territory
or one class of business)
- Meet the top agents or brokers in that segment
- File audit on a sample of bound files
Deliverables by day 60:
- Audit findings reviewed; referrals appropriate
- Renewals worked before their deadlines
Check-in: day 60
DAYS 61-90 — Wider authority
Goals:
- Authority increased in a step if audits support it
- Own the segment's renewals and new business
- Present a short review of the segment: mix, rate
adequacy and accounts to watch
Deliverables by day 90:
- Updated authority letter
- Segment review discussed with the manager
Check-in: day 90 — full reviewWhat to measure
Judge the first quarter on process and reasoning, not on loss results that have not developed. The standards below are examples only.
| Measure | Why it matters | Example standard (example only) |
|---|---|---|
| File audit findings | Shows guideline and rule adherence | Falling from the first audit to the second |
| Documented rationale on each decision | Supports pricing, regulators and later review | Present on every audited file |
| Referrals above authority | Shows judgment about limits | No bound file above authority without approval |
| Quote turnaround | Agents send business where answers come quickly | Tracked by line against the team |
| Quote-to-bind ratio | Signals appetite fit and pricing | Tracked, not targeted, in the first 90 days |
A filled example
Underwriter: Thomas Reilly (invented), four years as a personal lines underwriter, joining a regional carrier as a small commercial underwriter.
Day 30: Reviewed files showed he priced property well but missed the guideline requirement for loss runs on contractors. He wrote a short appetite summary for the four classes he would handle.
Day 60: Wrote within a reduced authority letter and took the renewal book for one territory. The first post-bind audit found two files without a written reason for a schedule rating credit. He added a note template to his workflow.
Day 90: The second audit was clean on rationale and referrals, and his authority was raised one step. His territory review flagged a group of accounts with growing payroll and no updated exposure information.
What "on track" looks like
| Checkpoint | On track | Worth a direct conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Day 30 | Guidelines learned; reviewed files improving | Binding before review during the first month |
| Day 60 | Writing within authority; appropriate referrals | Splitting risks to stay under authority |
| Day 90 | Clean audit; authority widened | Rationale missing on credits and declinations |
Working with agents and brokers
Underwriters depend on the distribution partners who submit business, and partners judge an underwriter by speed, consistency and clear reasons for a decline. Introduce the new underwriter to the top producers in their segment by day 60 and ask them to explain what the company wants and does not want. A clear decline with a reason keeps a producer sending business; a slow, unexplained one does not. The interview guide for insurance roles covers the agent, underwriting and claims roles that work together on a book.
Reading the inherited book
A new underwriter rarely starts with a blank desk. They inherit accounts written by someone else, sometimes under different guidelines, with renewals arriving in the first weeks. Before the first renewal, ask them to sort the segment by premium and loss history, read the files of the largest accounts and note any account written outside current guidelines, missing exposure information or credits without a documented reason. That list becomes the agenda for conversations with the manager and the producers. Changes to terms on inherited accounts should be explained to the producer early, not discovered by the insured at renewal.
What the company owes the new underwriter
- Current written guidelines and referral rules for each line and state.
- A written authority letter and the criteria for increasing it.
- Timely file reviews and audits with specific findings.
- Access to actuarial or pricing support for questions about rate adequacy.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Full authority on day one | Errors found after losses | Reduced authority widened by audit |
| Judging the first quarter on loss ratio | Rewards luck and the inherited book | File quality and rationale first |
| Decisions outside filed rules | Regulatory findings in a market conduct exam | Rules and filings reviewed in month one |
| Declines without reasons | Producers stop submitting | Written reason with every decline |
Adapting the plan
- Life and health underwriting: replace exposure review with medical and financial underwriting, and add the company's rules on medical information and privacy.
- Mortgage underwriting: replace insurance guidelines with investor and agency guidelines, and audit conditions and income calculations instead of rating.
- Large commercial and specialty lines: extend the reduced authority period and add account visits with senior underwriters.
Underwriters work closely with claims; the 30-60-90 day plan for claims adjusters shows how the other side of the policy is onboarded, and the claims adjuster screening questions help where one manager hires for both teams.
Questions people ask
How much authority should a new underwriter get?
Less than the role will eventually carry. Start with a written authority letter at reduced limits, with referrals above them, and widen it in steps based on file audits rather than time served. Experienced hires may start higher, but the first audit should still come before the first increase.
What legal rules affect insurance underwriting decisions?
State insurance law, which in many states draws on the NAIC Unfair Trade Practices Act. The model act treats certain decisions as unfair discrimination, such as refusing to insure solely because another insurer refused, or refusing or limiting coverage because of sex, marital status, race, religion or national origin. Where a decision relies on a consumer report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires an adverse action notice. This is not legal advice.
Should a new underwriter be judged on loss ratio?
Not in the first 90 days. Loss ratio takes months or years to develop and depends on the book they inherited. Judge the first quarter on file quality, guideline adherence, appropriate referrals, turnaround time and the documented reasoning behind each decision.
What should a new underwriter do in the first week?
Read the underwriting guidelines and rating manual for their lines, learn the policy and rating systems, sit in on referral and pricing discussions, and review a sample of recent files written by experienced underwriters. They should also meet the agents or brokers who send the most business.