The Summit Experience

Your large case clients expect the best — and that’s just what The Summit Experience delivers. This page outlines the four stages of The Summit Experience, showing how we go above and beyond every step of the way. For additional details on each stage, click on the above tabs.

Large cases are our specialty. Our dedicated large case underwriting teams are well versed in handling this type of business and look for creative ways to solve difficult problems. And our experienced case coordinators know the right questions to ask to assemble the best possible team from our range of experts. 

The dedicated field underwriter role originated with Manulife. Field underwriters work exclusively at the field level with advisors and wholesalers to help develop and package cases before they are written and submitted to underwriting. They can tell you what information is required, whether the case will meet our financial guidelines, provide quotes leveraging our Substandard Program, address any insurability issues and help prepare a cover letter. At your request, they will speak directly to your client to help gather broader medical history details and provide a more refined preliminary quote as well as answer any questions your client might have about the underwriting process. Read Bridging the underwriting gap to help with your sales!

Equipped with specialized product knowledge, our large case product specialists and experts will give your large case priority attention. You’ll receive customized product solutions and related case consultation support. To contact us send an email to Special_Life_Quotes@manulife.ca.

Manulife’s Tax, Retirement and Estate Planning Services is an industry-leading team of accountants, lawyers and other specialists skilled in tax and legal matters as they relate to insurance. They will work with your clients’ existing advisors to explain the way insurance fits with structures already in place and explore alternatives. Our goal: To help ensure the best outcome for your clients.

They also wrote the book on insurance taxation, literally! The Canadian Taxation of Life Insurance book has become the go-to, industry reference for insurance tax law. The book provides you with up-to-date information about the taxation of life insurance, and shows how life insurance strategies can help with your clients’ financial and estate planning needs.

With their intimate knowledge of our extensive product suite, our wholesalers can quickly narrow down the most appropriate options for your clients and answer any questions you might have.

Through your Manulife wholesaler, you can also access our actuarial experts for sales support, including competitive intelligence, insights into differences in product design, PAR policy dividend practices, contractual commitments, illustrations and pricing.

We’ve made significant investments over the years to help ensure that the application process is as smooth and efficient as possible:

• On Advisor Portal you’ll find e-business tools, application forms, illustrations and more. You can search by keyword or filter by type of item (calculator, tool, illustration).
• Using our electronic application, you can connect with clients in real time to ask for details rather than having to arrange an in-person meeting.

And while online tools can certainly save you time and effort, it’s the human touch that makes the real difference. That’s why your Manulife team will stay in constant touch with you, letting you know the status of your application. Your underwriter will call you to discuss your case in detail as soon as it's received and will stay in contact with you throughout the underwriting process — you get the information as soon as we have it. In addition, you can speak directly to our Underwriting Director at any time.

Manulife is one of the few companies in Canada to have a proprietary Life Underwriting Manual. This allows us to deliver true value to you and your clients. Our commitment to research means our underwriters have the most up-to-date guidelines, tools and resources to handle your large cases efficiently. It allows us to request only the information and requirements relevant to a case.

Manulife’s underwriters have access to the finest medical consultants to assist with complex cases. Their expertise allows us to stay abreast of the latest medical developments and understand what is truly happening in clinical practice. Our physicians discuss complex medical scenarios with underwriters daily and provide training and development on a case-by-case basis.

In addition, you and your clients will benefit from front-of-the-line service and support, including:

• Priority APS service. Your attending physician’s statement (APS) for large cases will be fast-tracked. You will receive priority service, timely notification and frequent updates.
• VIP platinum paramedical service. With this personalized, professional approach, your client will be contacted within 24 hours of the order being placed and be respectfully guided through the process by a dedicated team of experienced health professionals. You will receive a post-appointment update.

When it comes to retention, bigger is better. And Manulife has one of the biggest in Canada. Read More reinsurance capacity available for your cases!

A higher retention limit allows us to bind our reinsurance partners on routine cases for higher amounts. And that translates into faster turnaround, so your cases can be issued sooner and your clients covered faster.

In addition, it increases our ability to influence the outcome of difficult cases on your behalf. We retain mortality risk on cases, whether they are standard or rated. And because we carry a larger portion of the risk, we can negotiate more favourable outcomes with our reinsurance partners on your difficult cases.

We understand that large cases are unique and can be complex. You can count on us for meticulous attention to detail at every step, especially this final one. We will complete a comprehensive review of the final contract to ensure everything is in order and you have the correct documentation for your client.

All of this will be done as efficiently and seamlessly as possible so that you can deliver the policy to your client as quickly as possible.