Upgrading your PAS? Why a policy administration system alone won’t transform underwriting and what modern insurers need instead

Why policy administration system upgrades aren’t enough: how insurers can improve underwriting efficiency and hit ratio

Policy administration systems are designed to manage the insurance policy lifecycle, including handling issuance, renewals, endorsements, and compliance. They’re highly effective systems of record, but they weren’t built to drive underwriting efficiency or profitable growth.

Modern underwriting requires dynamic decision support that helps underwriters:

• Focus on submissions that align with appetite
• Prioritize deals with a high likelihood to bind
• Balance portfolio goals, rate, retention, and the right new business

PAS platforms can’t deliver real-time triage, appetite guidance, or winnability scoring - and they aren’t meant to. That’s why insurers often continue to see gaps in underwriting performance, even after a PAS upgrade.

How RiskOps improves underwriting efficiency, hit ratio, and portfolio alignment

RiskOps connects your underwriting strategy to daily action by operationalizing selection strategies, appetite guidelines, and portfolio goals within the underwriting workflow.

Instead of static guidelines buried in spreadsheets or PDFs, RiskOps surfaces real-time recommendations directly in your underwriters’ queue. Submissions are triaged automatically based on appetite, winnability, and portfolio impact, so your team focuses on what matters most.

Learn how Velocity Risk leveraged RiskOps

Velocity Risk combined its proprietary appetite scoring with Federato’s winnability model to shift from a first-in, first-out process to a matrix-based triage system. The results:

• 89% reduction in time to quote
• 3.7x increase in the percentage of high-appetite bound policies

Watch the video below to hear more from Velocity Risk

The best technology stack for modern insurance underwriting

RiskOps and PAS together form the foundation of a modern insurance underwriting stack. When integrated, they help carriers and MGAs:

• Prioritize the right deals at the right time: focus on submissions that are both in appetite and winnable
• Operationalize portfolio strategy: move beyond static goals and actively guide underwriters toward profitable growth
• Continuously improve: use feedback loops to refine strategy based on what’s working in the market
• Drive profitable growth: Improve hit ratios, reduce reinsurance costs, and strengthen financial performance

Get more from your PAS with Federato RiskOps

Your PAS plays a critical role in managing policy administration, but true underwriting transformation requires purpose-built technology that connects strategy to action. Stop asking your PAS to do what it wasn’t designed for. Equip your underwriters with the tools they need to win the right deals faster and drive profitable growth.

Key takeaways

• PAS upgrades help with policy administration, but not with underwriting efficiency
• A RiskOps framework connects underwriting strategy to daily decisions for better portfolio alignment
• Insurers using a RiskOps approach have seen faster quotes and stronger hit ratios

Explore how Federato’s RiskOps platform can help your team go beyond PAS upgrades. Book a demo or take a self-guided tour of the platform today.

FAQs

Q: Can a PAS improve underwriting performance?

‍ A: A PAS improves policy lifecycle management, but it doesn’t offer the dynamic decision support underwriters need to drive profitable growth.

Q: What technology helps underwriters focus on in-appetite and winnable submissions?

A: Platforms like Federato’s complement PAS systems by providing real-time appetite guidance, winnability scoring, and portfolio insights with a RiskOps framework.

Q: How can insurers improve underwriting efficiency after a PAS upgrade?

A: By integrating PAS with purpose-built solutions like Federato that automate triage and align decisions with appetite and portfolio strategy.