Guardian reduced its average underwriting time to less than one day during the first half of 2026, compared with three days in 2025.
Cases requiring medical evidence were underwritten in an average of less than 1.5 days, according to the provider’s internal data.
Guardian also increased its instant decision rate by 5% across its protection range at the start of the year. The rate rose by just over 14% for income protection and by 2% for life protection following changes to underwriting rules and the recruitment of additional underwriters.
About 75% of applicants now receive an immediate decision when they apply.
The changes follow the publication of the Protection Distribution Group’s Protection Insights Report 2026. It found that 59% of advisers who reported barriers to writing more protection cited inefficient underwriting processes that took too long to put clients on risk.
MENTAL HEALTH UNDERWRITING
Guardian has revised its underwriting rules for mental health disclosures, including anxiety and moderate depression. Mind’s latest Big Mental Health Report found that one in five adults in England was living with a common mental health problem.
In June 2026, 97% of applicants who disclosed a mental health condition received an instant decision on their life cover, up from 87% in June 2025. Of the applicants considered in June 2026, 90% were offered standard terms.
Caroline Froude, head of underwriting strategy and development at Guardian, said: “We’re really encouraged to see more customers receiving instant decisions when they apply for cover with us. Improving the underwriting journey is a key priority, and these results show the progress we’re making.
“Even cases requiring underwriting are processed in just 1.5 days and in many cases, less.
“Our aim is always to offer fair and consistent outcomes. As conditions such as mental health affect more people, our products and underwriting approach need to evolve so we can support more applicants.
“We’re already working on similar improvements for other common disclosures, such as cholesterol, to ensure the process remains fast, simple and tailored to each customer.”
SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS
Guardian increased the headcount of its underwriting team by 35% after recruiting towards the end of 2025. It plans to make further hires during the remainder of 2026.
The provider said calls from advisers were now answered in an average of 52 seconds.
Chloe Davies, head of protection distribution and provider relationships at L&C Mortgages, said: “Underwriting speed can make or break the customer take up of a protection recommendation.
“When clients have to wait weeks for a decision, they often lose momentum or reconsider altogether.
“Improvements that increase the number of instant decisions and reduce delays make a real difference because they help advisers secure cover for customers quickly and keep the process straightforward.”
