SCOR INNOVATION PODCAST

SCOR’s Life & Health Underwriting & Claims publication is celebrating its 10th birthday. Over the last decade, SCORacle has brought the latest innovation and change in underwriting and claims practice to SCOR’s UK & Irish market clients. From advances in medicine and healthcare to changes in legislation affecting the industry and technology advances to achieve improved customer outcomes, SCORacle has consistently delivered thought-provoking content. In this episode David Ferguson, Underwriting and Claims Development Manager interviews Phil Cleverley, Chief Underwriter and Paul Blyth, Head of Underwriting and Claims Proposition. Listen to them discuss the concept for SCORacle, the early editions, and how it has evolved over the last 10 years to produce more than 30 editions and 135 articles, as well as the challenges the industry has faced and their thoughts for the most important advances and challenges for the industry over the next 10 years.BIOS:David Ferguson, Underwriting & Claims Development ManagerDavid joined SCOR in December 2014 and has more than 25 years of experience in life and health reinsurance in the UK and Irish market. He has worked for different insurers across a range of roles including premium administration, underwriting and claims, research and development and automated rules development for claims engines.  His current role as Underwriting & Claims Development Manager is to support the implementation of SCOR’s underwriting and claims strategy and framework for Life underwriting and claims best practice.  He has an interest in advances and innovations in medical tech and their impact on the Life and Health industry. He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and holds both the Institute's Underwriting and Claims diplomas. He is currently Chair of the Digital Technology and Innovation Practitioner Group at the Investment & Life Assurance Group.Paul Blyth, Head of Underwriting  & Claims PropositionPaul is Head of Underwriting & Claims Proposition in the UK and Ireland at SCOR. His key responsibilities are maintaining and enhancing relationships with SCOR’s key clients in both Underwriting and Claims in the UK and Irish markets. With 20+ years’ experience in claims, he develops and delivers training to clients on a regular basis, coordinates the UK team's webinars and newsletter, SCORacle, where he has contributed a number of articles over the years, some of which have been translated for other markets including Korea and Japan.He has represented SCOR many times when presenting at various industry events such as FOCUS (where he was vice chair), Health Insurance Society, Select 74, Health Claims Forum, and the Health, Care and Protection Conference. He has a particular interest in cancer and neurology and has issued a number of publications over the years, which include topics such as Proton Beam Radiation Therapy, Immunotherapy, Rare Cancers, Neurodendocrine Tumours (NETs)/Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GISTs)/Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PM) and many more. Phil Cleverley, Chief UnderwriterPhil has been working in the insurance industry for over 40 years with the majority of that time spent in underwriting. He joined SCOR Global Life as Chief Underwriter in December 2009 having previously worked at Swiss Re, GE Insurance Solutions and United Friendly Insurance. Phil was one of the first people to gain the Diploma in Medical Underwriting and has been a long-time member of the Educational Council for the Assurance Medical Underwriting Society that provides the material for the Chartered Insurance Institute subject Life and Disability Underwriting. He has been a member of many working parties within the Association of British Insurers and has been heavily involved in the production of the Statements of Best Practice/Minimum Standards for Critical Illness, ABI Guidance on the Disability Discrimination Act and Application Form Design. He is also a past Chair of the ABI Genetics Working Party.

In this second episode about Fraud in Insurance, Robyn Wallner, Underwriting Solutions in the US, and Paul Blyth, Head of Underwriting Claims & Propositions in the UK, discuss innovative solutions with host David Ferguson, Underwriting and Claims Development Manager from the UK. Innovative technology, trends analysis, databases, heat maps, artificial intelligence, and more are being used to identify fraud in underwriting and claims to stay ahead of the fraudsters using many of the same tools. Part 1 of this series discusses fraud risks and mitigation and is available here. Host David FergusonDavid joined SCOR in December 2014 and has more than 25 years of experience in life and health reinsurance in the UK and Irish market. He has worked for different insurers across a range of roles including premium administration, underwriting and claims, research and development and automated rules development for claims engines.   His current role as Underwriting & Claims Development Manager is to support the implementation of SCOR’s underwriting and claims strategy and framework for Life underwriting and claims best practice.  He has an interest in advances and innovations in medical tech and their impact on the Life and Health industry. He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and holds both the Institute's Underwriting and Claims diplomas. He is currently Chair of the Digital Technology and Innovation Practitioner Group at the Investment & Life Assurance Group. Guest Paul BlythPaul is Head of Underwriting & Claims Proposition in the UK and Ireland at SCOR. His key responsibilities are maintaining and enhancing relationships with SCOR’s key clients in both Underwriting and Claims in the UK and Irish markets. With 20+ years’ experience in claims, he develops and delivers training to clients on a regular basis, coordinates the UK team's webinars and newsletter, SCORacle, where he has contributed a number of articles over the years, some of which have been translated for other markets including Korea and Japan.He has represented SCOR many times when presenting at various industry events such as FOCUS (where he was vice chair), Health Insurance Society, Select 74, Health Claims Forum, and the Health, Care and Protection Conference. He has a particular interest in cancer and neurology and has issued a number of publications over the years, which include topics such as Proton Beam Radiation Therapy, Immunotherapy, Rare Cancers, Neurodendocrine Tumours (NETs)/Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GISTs)/Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PM) and many more.Guest Robyn WallnerRobyn Wallner works at SCOR in the role of Vice President, Underwriting|Partnerships. She has more than three decades of insurance and financial services experience including individual life and disability income underwriting, underwriting guideline development, compliance oversight, product development, reinsurance, technology development/underwriting rules/engines development, vendor negotiation, claims review and analysis, underwriting representation for litigation, quality oversight, co-creation of solutions with distributors, carriers, TPAs, and insurtechs, new business administration and underwriting leadership, and Chief Underwriter.Robyn has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from College of St Benedict. She also holds the Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU); Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI); and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations as well as Emergency Medical Technical (EMT) certification. In her free time, Robyn enjoys volunteering as an EMT and Alpine Ski Patroller, playing pickleball, golfing, hiking, and spending time with her husband, Steve, and three children, Paige, Megan, and Matthew.

How big is the global insurance fraud problem and how can we mitigate the fraud risk? The latest SCOR Innovation Podcast episode features David Ferguson, Underwriting and Claims Development Manager from the UK, interviewing Robyn Wallner, Underwriting Solutions in the US, and Paul Blyth, Head of Underwriting Claims & Propositions in the UK. Join us to hear a comparison between the fraud issues on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, as the experts discuss fraud trends, factors constituting fraud in different markets, and more.  Host David FergusonDavid joined SCOR in December 2014 and has more than 25 years of experience in life and health reinsurance in the UK and Irish market. He has worked for different insurers across a range of roles including premium administration, underwriting and claims, research and development and automated rules development for claims engines.   His current role as Underwriting & Claims Development Manager is to support the implementation of SCOR’s underwriting and claims strategy and framework for Life underwriting and claims best practice.  He has an interest in advances and innovations in medical tech and their impact on the Life and Health industry. He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and holds both the Institute's Underwriting and Claims diplomas. He is currently Chair of the Digital Technology and Innovation Practitioner Group at the Investment & Life Assurance Group. Guest Paul BlythPaul is Head of Underwriting & Claims Proposition in the UK and Ireland at SCOR. His key responsibilities are maintaining and enhancing relationships with SCOR’s key clients in both Underwriting and Claims in the UK and Irish markets. With 20+ years’ experience in claims, he develops and delivers training to clients on a regular basis, coordinates the UK team's webinars and newsletter, SCORacle, where he has contributed a number of articles over the years, some of which have been translated for other markets including Korea and Japan.He has represented SCOR many times when presenting at various industry events such as FOCUS (where he was vice chair), Health Insurance Society, Select 74, Health Claims Forum, and the Health, Care and Protection Conference. He has a particular interest in cancer and neurology and has issued a number of publications over the years, which include topics such as Proton Beam Radiation Therapy, Immunotherapy, Rare Cancers, Neurodendocrine Tumours (NETs)/Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GISTs)/Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PM) and many more.Guest Robyn WallnerRobyn Wallner works at SCOR in the role of Vice President, Underwriting|Partnerships. She has more than three decades of insurance and financial services experience including individual life and disability income underwriting, underwriting guideline development, compliance oversight, product development, reinsurance, technology development/underwriting rules/engines development, vendor negotiation, claims review and analysis, underwriting representation for litigation, quality oversight, co-creation of solutions with distributors, carriers, TPAs, and insurtechs, new business administration and underwriting leadership, and Chief Underwriter.Robyn has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from College of St Benedict. She also holds the Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU); Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI); and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations as well as Emergency Medical Technical (EMT) certification. In her free time, Robyn enjoys volunteering as an EMT and Alpine Ski Patroller, playing pickleball, golfing, hiking, and spending time with her husband, Steve, and three children, Paige, Megan, and Matthew.

Behavioral economics research has shown that small details can have a large impact on how a person behaves. As life insurance transitions to using digital and streamlined processes, we must rely more on application form responses. However, traditional application forms can be complicated, confusing, and difficult for applicants to answer easily. Behavioral science concepts applied to redesigned application form questions create a better customer experience and improve the accuracy and honesty of information disclosed. Join us for this episode of the SCOR Innovation Podcast to hear how the research results support the business case for innovating policy application questions to promote better disclosures in life insurance applications. See the full research results in this report. Access the interactive dashboard to explore detailed results data. Katherine McLaughlinKatherine McLaughlin is VP, Pricing and Innovation. She works with clients to stay ahead of changing market conditions and new product developments while crafting solutions that achieve their business objectives. Prior to this, she has held various actuarial roles including Data Analytics, Client Solutions, Experience Analysis, and Pricing. She holds a BSBA in Actuarial Science and Finance from Drake University and has been with SCOR for 15 years.Aisling BradfieldAs Head of Behavioral Science with SCOR’s global research function, Aisling focuses on improving our understanding of policyholder behavior and applying behavioral economics research to gain insights into customer interaction with insurance at all points of the customer journey. Aisling graduated from University College Dublin, receiving a bachelor’s degree in actuarial and financial Studies. She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland, having qualified as an actuary in 2014. Aisling completed an executive education course in behavioral economics at London School of Economics in June 2019. Aisling is based in Ireland and started working in pricing with SCOR in 2010, later moving into policyholder behavior.