Brett Laker helps life insurers figure out how dangerous their clients are.
Laker is the head of North America at UnderwriteMe, a life insurance underwriting technology firm that is owned by Pacific Life's reinsurance arm.
Your clients might turn to life insurers to protect loved ones' financial well-being, and to use life insurance and annuities in retirement income planning arrangements.
Life insurers use systems from UnderwriteMe to predict whether applicants are more likely to die much sooner than expected or live longer than expected.
Laker has been in his current post since May 2021, and at Pacific Life since 2011. Before that, he worked in underwriting at Manulife Financial and Sun Life Financial. For much of that time, he handled applications for corporate-owned life insurance and reinsurance.
Much of the COLI was underwritten on a guaranteed issue or simplified issue basis.
He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Guelph.
Laker answered questions via email about how he got into the world of life insurance underwriting technology, what the underwriting systems have in common with amoebas, and the reality that an underwriting system — like an amoeba — must squeeze some things out.
The interview has been condensed and edited.
THINKADVISOR: What took up the most time and energy last year, and what did you learn from that?
BRETT LAKER: We launched our official North America expansion in 2021 and recently completed our first U.S. client implementation, with one of the largest carriers in the market.
In addition to that focus, we have spent a great deal of time meeting with potential customers, third-party data providers and even competitors to discuss and learn more about what people feel are the current and future needs for underwriting.
It has been a year of education, understanding and, ultimately, revelation.
Through it all, I was reminded how supportive and collaborative our industry can be, as we contribute different pieces to serving the needs of the greater life insurance ecosystem while bringing protection to those that need it.
What are you focusing on the most right now?
Underwriting has been going through a renaissance over the past five to 10 years, but COVID really put a lens on the inefficiencies and gaps that we still need to close to improve the consumer experience without sacrificing proper risk assessment.
We are focused on improving the underwriting automation process to increase "straight-through processing," or STP, rates.
The challenge here is being able to accomplish this even when electronic health records or attending physician statements are required.
By using a combination of our Underwriting Engine and a medical records text-mining tool, we want to make it easier to use multiple evidence sources to provide proper, focused risk selection, whether that be through STP or providing better tools for underwriters.
