Leeann Hansen

Tell us about your career journey. How did you get into life underwriting?

I’ve spent my entire career in life underwriting, about 36 years, so I’ve seen underwriting from all angles. I started on the case management side, where I learned about policy owners, beneficiaries, amendments, and compliance. That experience gave me a really strong foundation.

From there, I moved into underwriting at ING, where they had an underwriting training program that I applied for. That’s really where my underwriting career began. I moved into leadership roles when I was at AXA Equitable, and along the way, I developed a few underwriting training programs and procedures to help streamline underwriting for both underwriters and agents.

In 2007, I joined HOVIN, and that’s when I really became involved in the business side of underwriting.

In 2007, I joined HOVIN, and that’s when I really became involved in the business side of underwriting.

As EVP of Underwriting, what does your role actually involve day to day?

I oversee the underwriting and case management teams, so it’s really a mix of things. Day to day, I support production, mentor underwriters, perform audits, work with our clients, help onboard new clients, and review workflows and procedures to make sure we’re delivering high-quality underwriting results.

How do you balance leading underwriters with setting underwriting strategy?

I believe leadership in underwriting needs to be very hands-on. I want underwriters to feel supported rather than managed, so I stay close to production. At the same time, I need to step back and look at trends and processes, and explain the “why” behind what we’re doing.

When your staff understands how their work affects the bigger picture, they’re really helping to execute the strategy.

When your staff understands how their work affects the bigger picture, they’re really helping to execute the strategy.

What’s your take on AI in underwriting?‍

I think AI is a great tool. It can improve efficiency and make underwriting departments smarter. It handles simpler cases and straight-through processing, and it takes a lot of the noise away from underwriters.

That said, you still need experienced underwriters for critical decisions and judgment calls, especially on more complex cases.

When you’re hiring underwriters, what are one or two things you always look for?

Adaptability and good judgment are essential. We also look for experience, but because the industry is constantly changing, it’s really important to bring in underwriters who are willing to learn.

How do you think the advancement of AI will impact the skill set expected from underwriters?

AI is very good at bringing in data, detecting patterns, and raising red flags. That allows underwriters to spend more time on complex cases, the unusual cases, the ones we don’t want AI touching.

Underwriters will need to rely on ethics and fairness to make good judgment calls. Because of that, I believe good underwriters will become more valuable.

Underwriters will need to rely on ethics and fairness to make good judgment calls. Because of that, I believe good underwriters will become more valuable.

How do you develop the talent and skills needed to work effectively with AI?

‍Training is key, especially training in communication. Underwriters need a solid understanding of how the tool works, not just what it does. They need to understand the “how” and “why” behind the data, as well as the tool’s limitations.

Underwriters need a solid understanding of how the tool works, not just what it does. They need to understand the “how” and “why” behind the data, as well as the tool’s limitations.

They also need to know when human judgment still matters and when they may need to override recommendations coming from the tool.

How is underwriting at a firm like HOVIN different from underwriting at a traditional life carrier?

‍At a traditional carrier, you learn one system, one set of procedures, and one underwriting manual. At HOVIN, our underwriters go into many different carrier systems. They learn each carrier’s system, procedures, and underwriting guidelines.

Because we work with so many carriers, the pace is very dynamic. You’re not just learning one set of rules; you’re learning many. It really pushes underwriters to broaden their expertise.

What do you find most rewarding about leading underwriting teams?

Seeing people grow. Mentoring underwriters and helping them build confidence. The most satisfying part is watching everyone succeed together as a team.

Seeing people grow. Mentoring underwriters and helping them build confidence. The most satisfying part is watching everyone succeed together as a team.

How do you stay up to date with what’s changing in the industry?

Industry meetings, staying connected with our clients, and industry memberships. Reinsurers also have great online tools for keeping current. We try to take advantage of anything available to stay informed.

What excites you most when you think about the future of underwriting?

I think what’s most exciting is that underwriters are really going to be able to underwrite again. Our jobs will be less about approving or declining and more about negotiating complex cases, asking, “How can we structure this in a way that makes sense?”

Our jobs will be less about approving or declining and more about negotiating complex cases, asking, “How can we structure this in a way that makes sense?”

We’ll be making more judgment calls and working in the gray areas, reviewing cases that don’t fit neatly into an algorithm. That’s what excites me most, getting back to true underwriting.