Graduate Development - Personal Lines

A Career in Personal Insurance

Personal lines insurance is an intensely competitive business. At Westfield, we distinguish ourselves through highly developed relationships with our independent agency force. In the Graduate Development Program, you'll learn the business of personal lines and master underwriting skills to prepare you for a successful career.

Personal lines underwriting involves:

• Portfolio management – ability to impact territory results
• Networking and building relationships with insurance agents
• Developing and monitoring agency business plans
• Conducting education and training for our agency force
• Decision making on the acceptance of new and renewal business

Day in the Life of a Personal Lines Market Underwriter

8:00 A.M. Check e-mail and voice messages and return three phone calls from agents with questions about coverage. Spend a few minutes reading through e-mail and responding to those that can be handled quickly.

8:30 A.M. Access WesCom workbasket to review applications submitted online by agents. Review applications and make decisions of whether we should issue the business, modify to issue, or decline.

9:15 A.M. Received two paper applications in my inbox, one for dwelling fire and one for an umbrella policy. We make decisions of whether to issue the endorsement, modify to issue, or decline.

10:00 A.M. Review an endorsement that was entered on the WesCom system and referred to an underwriter. This endorsement request exceeded the authority of a senior account examiner and needed an underwriter's review.

10:45 A.M. Check the loss log for claim activity...review two accounts that required an underwriter review, one for a large loss and one for a driver that was not listed on the policy.

11:00 A.M. While I'm in the claims mode, check the claims risk analysis reports to analyze risks, trends, and make decisions on whether to renew the policy with no action, renew with modifications, or nonrenew the account(s).

11:30 A.M. Lunch with an associate underwriter I am mentoring.

12:30 P.M. Check voice messages received during lunch and return 4 phone calls from agents with questions.

1:15 P.M. Check e-mail and respond.

2:00 P.M. Meeting with other underwriters to work on our territory's business plan, which tracks written premium growth, new business submissions, retention, cross-selling, up selling and loss ratio.

3:00 P.M. Return phone call from agent received during business plan meeting.

3:15 P.M. Catch up on reviewing applications submitted online through WesCom today.

4:00 P.M. Work on a pre-visit report for an agency visit scheduled for next week. The reports consist of preparing items for discussion, SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), business plan items- growth, retention, profitability, and competition- information gathering and sharing with appropriate parties.

5:00 P.M. Time to head home!