System and method for administering insurance policies issued before comprehensive underwriting

• US 8,571,897 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2010
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential Financial Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential Financial Incorporated)
• Inventors: Reynolds, Leslie Ann, Roscoe, Michael J., Lindquist, Greg D., Rasmussen, Kimberly Ann, Williams, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vezeris, James A
• Application Number:
  US12/958,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A computer system for administering applications for life insurance has a processor and a memory storage device in communication with the processor. The processor is configured to receive data indicative of an application and an initial premium payment from a proposed insured for life insurance; based on the received data, determine whether the proposed insured is eligible for life insurance issued before completion of comprehensive underwriting; responsive to a determination that the proposed insured is eligible, generate an output signal having data indicative of a decision to respond to the application by issuing a policy and by commencing a comprehensive underwriting process. The processor may be configured to receive data indicative of a result of the comprehensive underwriting process and based on the result of the comprehensive underwriting process, provide an output signal indicative of policy changes.

Claims

1. A computer system for administering applications for insurance, comprising:

a processor;

a memory storage device having stored data indicative of criteria for eligibility for issue of a life insurance policy prior to comprehensive underwriting, in communication with the processor;

the processor configured to;

receive data indicative of an application by a proposed insured for life insurance for issue prior to comprehensive underwriting;

determine, based on the received data, whether the proposed insured is eligible for life insurance for issue prior to comprehensive underwriting;

responsive to a determination that the proposed insured is eligible, generate an output signal having data indicative of instructions to issue a life insurance policy on the life of the proposed insured, and an output signal having data indicative of instructions to commence comprehensive underwriting of the proposed insured, insured;

provide to an insurance process administration computer system data relating to the issued initial policy for determining insurance data associated with the issued initial policy;

receive data indicative of a result of the comprehensive underwriting process;

based on the result of the comprehensive underwriting process, determine terms of a final issued policy; and

provide to the insurance process administration computer system data relating to the final issued policy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the insurance process administration computer system is a reinsurance administration computer system, the insurance data associated with the issued initial policy being risk associated with the issued initial policy to be ceded to a reinsurer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the insurance process administration computer system is a policy owner reporting computer system configured to print policy documents.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the policy owner reporting computer system is configured to print first selected documents responsive to receiving data indicative of the initial issued policy, and to print second selected documents responsive to receiving data indicative of the final issued policy.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first selected documents comprise documents relating to riders effective upon issue of the policy.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second selected documents comprise documents relating to riders effective after completion of comprehensive underwriting.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the insurance process administration computer system is a commissions and accounting computer system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the commissions and accounting computer system is configured to determine a first commission amount responsive to receiving data indicative of the initial issued policy, and to determine a second commission amount responsive to receiving data indicative of the final issued policy.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the comprehensive underwriting process is mandatory.

9. A computer-implemented method for administration of insurance, comprising:

receiving by a processor, and storing by the processor in a memory device in communication with the processor, data indicative of an application and an initial premium payment from a proposed insured for life insurance for issue prior to comprehensive underwriting;

based on the received data, determining by the processor whether the proposed insured is eligible for life insurance issued prior to comprehensive underwriting;

responsive to a determination that the proposed insured is eligible, generating by the processor an output signal having data indicative of a decision to respond to the application by issuing an initial policy and commencing a comprehensive underwriting process, and providing to an insurance process administration computer system data relating to the issued initial policy for determining insurance data associated with the issued initial policy;

receiving by the processor data indicative of a result of the comprehensive underwriting process;

based on the result of the comprehensive underwriting process, determining by the processor terms of a final issued policy; and

providing to the insurance process administration computer system data relating to the final issued policy.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining by the insurance process administration computer system, responsive to receiving the data relating to the initial issued policy an amount of risk associated with the issued initial policy to be ceded to a reinsurer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining by the insurance process administration computer system, responsive to receiving the data relating to the final issued policy, an amount of risk associated with the final issued policy to be ceded to a reinsurer.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining by the insurance process administration computer system, responsive to receiving the data relating to the initial issued policy, first selected policy documents for printing and delivery to the insured.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining by the insurance process administration computer system, responsive to receiving the data relating to the final policy, second selected policy documents for printing and delivery to the insured.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first selected documents comprise documents relating to riders effective upon issue of the policy, and the second selected documents comprise documents relating to riders effective after completion of comprehensive underwriting.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining by the insurance process administration computer system, responsive to receiving the data relating to the initial issued policy, a first commission amount, and determining by the insurance process administration computer system, a second commission amount responsive to receiving data indicative of the final issued policy.

24. The method of claim 9, wherein the comprehensive underwriting process is mandatory.

16. A computer system for issue and administration of life insurance policies, comprising:

a processing module, comprising a processor, for operable to;

receive data indicative of an application and an initial premium payment from a proposed insured for life insurance for issue prior to comprehensive underwriting; and

determine, based on the received data, whether the proposed insured is eligible for issue of life insurance issued prior to underwriting;

an administration module, comprising a processor, operable to;

responsive to a determination by the processing module that the proposed insured is eligible, administer a mandatory comprehensive underwriting process; and

determine risk data based on a result of the mandatory comprehensive underwriting process; and

an issuance module, comprising a processor, operable to issue a life insurance policy to the proposed insured prior to the mandatory comprehensive underwriting process and responsive to the determination by the processing module that the proposed insured is eligible.

17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising a communications module operable to provide to an insurance process administration computer system data relating to the issued policy responsive to issue and responsive to the determination of the risk data.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the insurance process administration computer system is a computer system operable to generate policy documents, and the communications module is further operable to provide data relating to the issued policy responsive to issue and responsive to the determination of the risk data to a reinsurance administration computer system.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the communications module is further operable to provide data relating to the issued policy responsive to issue and responsive to the determination of the risk data to a computer system operable to determine commissions.

20. A computer-implemented method for issue and administration of life insurance policies, comprising:

receiving by a processing module, comprising a processor, data indicative of an application and an initial premium payment from a proposed insured for life insurance for issue prior to comprehensive underwriting;

determining by the processing module, based on the received data, whether the proposed insured is eligible for issue of life insurance issued prior to underwriting;

administering by an administration module, comprising a processor, responsive to a determination by the processing module that the proposed insured is eligible, administering a comprehensive underwriting process;

determining by the administration module risk data based on a result of the comprehensive underwriting process; and

issuing by an issuance module, comprising a processor, a life insurance policy to the proposed insured prior to the comprehensive underwriting process and responsive to the determination by the processing module that the proposed insured is eligible.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the determined risk data comprises a rating classification.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the data indicative of an application comprises data indicative of a first death benefit amount requested for a period prior to comprehensive underwriting and a second death benefit amount requested for a period after completion of comprehensive underwriting.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the comprehensive underwriting process is mandatory.