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What is a personal lines underwriter and how to become one
The personal lines underwriter is in charge of the front line underwriting of an assigned territory. He/She evaluates personal auto, property, and liability risks. He/She investigates and gathers information necessary to pre-underwrite or underwrite an account and helps in training new staff. Furthermore, he/she produces new business and retains renewal business by marketing through insurance carriers. Also, he/she prepares quotations and rates and negotiates with company underwriters and producers for price, terms, and coverages to suitably structure and bind accounts.
For this role, you will need at least a bachelor's degree and at least three years of relevant work experience. You must possess communication, decision-making, attention to detail, organization, and interpersonal skills. You must be proficient in Microsoft Office. Also, you must be familiar with the preferences of insurance markets for this role. Personal lines underwriters earn an average salary of $52,976 per year. This varies from $41,000 to $69,000.
What's a day at work look like for a personal lines underwriter?
Robert Hoyt, Ph.D.
Department Head and Dudley L. Moore Jr. Chair of Insurance, University of Georgia
Avg. Salary $69,706
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate -4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%
Asian 5.70%
Black or African American 9.16%
Hispanic or Latino 9.81%
Unknown 2.48%
White 72.48%
Genderfemale 56.95%
male 43.05%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Personal lines underwriter career paths
Key steps to become a personal lines underwriter
Explore personal lines underwriter education requirements
Start to develop specific personal lines underwriter skills
Skills Percentages Insurance Policies 11.84% Underwriting Decisions 8.70% Loss Ratio 8.55% Strong Analytical 6.06% Inspection Reports 5.23% Complete relevant personal lines underwriter training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New personal lines underwriters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a personal lines underwriter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real personal lines underwriter resumes.Research personal lines underwriter duties and responsibilities
- Review individual mortgage origination/post origination documentation and perform database research.
- Review individual mortgage origination/post origination documentation and perform database research.
Prepare your personal lines underwriter resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your personal lines underwriter resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a personal lines underwriter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable personal lines underwriter resume templates
Build a professional personal lines underwriter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your personal lines underwriter resume.
Apply for personal lines underwriter jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a personal lines underwriter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first personal lines underwriter job
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Average personal lines underwriter salary
The average personal lines underwriter salary in the United States is $69,706 per year or $34 per hour. Personal lines underwriter salaries range between $43,000 and $111,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do personal lines underwriters rate their job?
Personal lines underwriter reviews
Remote work, banking hours and benefits
Remote work opportunity
High pressure environment, constant scrutiny of job performance
I was fortunate to start via an underwriting training program with a large insurance company. These are difficult to get into now and companies aren't as committed to training. The training offered me a great overview of the industry & various product lines. This offered me flexibility as I learned new products and specialty programs. I enjoy a 9-5 role, great benefits, good bonuses and travel. You also meet many people with variety of education and professional backgrounds and interests and make great long term friendships. The industry welcomes and needs people with many talents. I've enjoyed working remote and with small teams in the office.
Industry goes through high & low pricing cycles with, making lots of money or struggling to make budget. This puts direct pressure on underwriters to produce new business in a crowded space promoting the same basic products. I see younger underwriters now with business degrees, advanced degrees & industry certifications promoted quickly with little experience. Underwriting/computer systems are often dated and inefficient. We spend too much time sitting and looking at double monitors with lots of eye strain.
Updated January 8, 2025
