Field Underwriting Guidelines

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS   What is the Life Insurance Underwriting Guide? The Life Insurance Underwriting Guide is designed to be a reference for our agents and advisors. It is intended to serve as a tool to make the underwriting process as smooth and fast as possible. The underwriting process-deciding who will be insured, and at what rate-involves teamwork between agents or advisors and Symetra. Feel free to discuss your questions and unusual cases with the underwriters. We look forward to hearing from you whenever we may be of service. What are the Preferred UW Guidelines? View the Preferred Underwriting Guidelines & Build Chart. How do I contact a Symetra Underwriter? The underwriting teams can be reached by e-mailing undwrt@symetra.com or by phone at 1-800-SYMETRA or 1-800-796-3872, from 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM Pacific Time. Are there restrictions to the beneficiary? If the beneficiary is a trust, provide the name and date of the trust agreement. If there are multiple primary beneficiaries, indicate each beneficiary's share of the proceeds in percentages, rather than in dollar amounts. As a service to your clients, we will prepare endorsements for complex beneficiary designations. Please explain the arrangement desired in a cover letter when submitting the application. When do I need to include a cover letter? Send a cover letter along with the application, when the purpose of the insurance is: Primarily cash accumulation Face amount over $1,000,000; or the Financial loss to the beneficiary is unclear Are there any restrictions on foreign residency? Residency in many foreign countries presents an extra risk due to local hazards. We may charge a higher premium or be unable to insure applicants who intend to reside abroad. Since conditions change frequently, please consult your Home Office Underwriter before submitting an application on anyone who expects to reside outside the United States. See also Underwriting. What is an APS? APS stands for Attending Physician's Statements, commonly known as medical records, they are requested on about 15% of applications. An APS provides additional medical information to the underwriter. See also Underwriting. What is an Inspection Report? Inspection Reports are used when the underwriter needs to obtain specific information directly from the applicant. An independent third party contacts the insured and asks specific questions. See also Underwriting. Format: Adobe® Acrobat®. If you cannot open the file, click here to download Acrobat Reader®.