For brokers, the complaints about underwriters are familiar: black-box decisions, poor feedback on declined risks, legacy systems at larger insurers and claims that can drag on for years. Add a 24 to 48 hour turnaround culture, AI-fuelled expectations of instant service and clients who want cover bound almost immediately, and the broker-underwriter relationship starts to look less like a partnership and more like a pressure test. That is exactly why it is worth assessing the state of the relationship now: not simply to ask whether underwriters are performing, but whether the structure around them still allows brokers and carriers to work well together.
