Underwriting Workbench
The Underwriting Workbench (uw.openinsure.dev) is the primary tool for reviewing submissions, setting terms, binding policies, and managing mid-term changes.
Signing In
Section titled “Signing In”- Go to uw.openinsure.dev 2. Sign in with your
@mhcmga.comMicrosoft account or email + password 3. You land on the UW Dashboard
Dashboard
Section titled “Dashboard”The dashboard provides:
- Inbox — new submissions requiring your attention, sorted by received date
- In Review — submissions actively being worked
- Expiring this week — quotes and binders about to lapse
- Referrals — submissions escalated for senior review or carrier approval
- Production metrics — bound premium and policy count for the current month
Processing a Submission
Section titled “Processing a Submission”1. Claim and assign
Section titled “1. Claim and assign”- Open Inbox 2. Click a submission to preview the risk details 3. Click Claim to assign it to yourself 4. The submission moves to In Review
2. Review risk information
Section titled “2. Review risk information”The submission detail page shows:
| Tab | Content |
|---|---|
| Summary | ACORD data, coverage requested, effective date |
| Documents | Loss runs, financials, applications |
| Rating | Rate factors, manual adjustments, final premium |
| Notes | UW notes and producer correspondence |
| History | Audit trail of all changes |
3. Request additional information
Section titled “3. Request additional information”If you need more data from the producer:
- Click Request Info 2. Describe what’s needed (e.g., “5-year loss runs for GL” or “Updated valuation schedule”) 3. Submit — producer receives an email and a task in their portal
4. Rate the risk
Section titled “4. Rate the risk”Click the Rating tab to run the rate engine:
- Adjust manual factors (schedule debit/credit)
- Override individual rate factors with a documented reason
- Compare rates across carrier programs (Carrier Comparison view)
The rating engine uses the actuarial tables in packages/rating. All overrides are logged for audit.
5. Quote and bind
Section titled “5. Quote and bind”- Confirm terms on the Summary tab 2. Click Issue Quote — a quote letter is generated and
emailed to the producer 3. When the producer accepts, click Bind 4. The policy is issued
immediately and documents are generated 5. A
policy.boundevent fires, triggering commission calculation, billing setup, and carrier notification
Delegated Authority Limits
Section titled “Delegated Authority Limits”Each underwriter has a delegated authority matrix that governs what they can bind without referral:
| Dimension | Example limit |
|---|---|
| Premium per policy | Up to $50,000 |
| Total insured value | Up to $5,000,000 |
| Line of business | GL, WC only (not E&O) |
| Territory | Southeastern US only |
If a submission exceeds your authority, the workbench automatically prompts a Referral. Senior UWs and the carrier deal room have higher authority thresholds.
Endorsements
Section titled “Endorsements”Mid-term changes come in via the producer portal or directly from policyholders. The workbench surfaces these as endorsement tasks.
Reviewing an out-of-sequence endorsement
Section titled “Reviewing an out-of-sequence endorsement”- Open Endorsements in the navigation 2. Select the endorsement request 3. Review the change type and supporting documentation 4. Click Approve & Issue or Request More Info or Decline 5. If approved, an endorsement slip is generated and the premium is pro-rated
The endorsement UI flags out-of-sequence requests — where the effective date is before the most recent endorsement — with a warning so you can resolve ordering conflicts before issuing.
Renewal Processing
Section titled “Renewal Processing”- Open Renewals tab — shows policies expiring in the next 90 days 2. Click Begin Renewal on any policy 3. Review the updated risk data submitted by the producer 4. Re-rate using current factors (or apply renewal credit/debit) 5. Issue renewal quote and bind when accepted
Non-renewed policies (where no renewal is bound by expiry) automatically trigger a non-renewal notice workflow.
Aspire Form — Commercial Auto Submissions
Section titled “Aspire Form — Commercial Auto Submissions”The Aspire form is the primary intake flow for commercial auto submissions. It organizes all risk data into five tabs with real-time validation and auto-save.
Tab overview
Section titled “Tab overview”| # | Tab | What you enter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insured Information | Company name, DBA, tax ID, contacts (spreadsheet grid), addresses |
| 2 | Commercial Automobile | Coverage & limits, vehicles (VIN-decoded), drivers (MVR), mileage distribution, filings, additional interests |
| 3 | Prior Carrier & Loss History | Prior carriers, loss records with summary totals, work experience (new ventures) |
| 4 | Notes & Attachments | Categorized notes (general, underwriter, binding subjectivities), file uploads via drag-and-drop |
| 5 | Other Coverages | Cargo, physical damage, trailer interchange, additional coverages, officers, knockout underwriting questions |
Each tab shows a completion badge in the tab bar — a green check (complete), yellow warning, or red X (blocker) — derived from the Quote Readiness engine.
Contacts grid
Section titled “Contacts grid”The Insured Information tab includes a virtualized contacts grid (spreadsheet-style). You can:
- Add contacts one at a time via + Add Contact
- Paste from Excel/Sheets — copy rows with columns: First Name, Last Name, Position, Email, Phone, Cell, Type
- Navigate cells with arrow keys and Enter
Mileage distribution
Section titled “Mileage distribution”The Commercial Auto → Coverage tab includes a Mileage Distribution component with four linked percentage inputs:
- National (500+ mi), Intermediate (200–500 mi), Regional (50–200 mi), Local (<50 mi)
- A visual bar shows the distribution at a glance
- The last field auto-adjusts so the total always reaches 100%
- Invalid sums (≠ 100%) are highlighted in red
Knockout questions
Section titled “Knockout questions”The Other Coverages tab contains ~23 yes/no underwriting questions. “Yes” answers trigger:
- Yellow flag — general concern (e.g., “Operates under another name?”)
- Red referral badge — high-risk answers that require senior UW review:
- Hauls fertilizer, uses triple trailers, oversize/overweight loads
- Hauls livestock, coils/logs/pipes, or containerized cargo
- Operates as a freight broker
The knockout badge count also appears in the Quote Readiness Banner.
Quote Readiness Banner
Section titled “Quote Readiness Banner”A banner at the top of the submission page shows whether the risk is ready to quote:
- Blockers (red) prevent quoting — e.g., missing company name, no vehicles, FMCSA inactive status
- Warnings (amber) flag issues but don’t block — e.g., no contacts, knockout “yes” answers, missing prior carriers
- Score — 0 to 100 (100 − 20 per blocker − 5 per warning)
Carrier-specific checks also apply:
- Bulldog RRG requires 2+ years in business
- Commodore RRG does not write hazmat
Carrier Comparison (RRG / Aspire)
Section titled “Carrier Comparison (RRG / Aspire)”For submissions that need carrier comparison:
- Click Compare Carriers on the submission 2. The workbench calls the RRG carrier comparison endpoint 3. Rates from multiple carriers are displayed side-by-side 4. Select the best carrier and proceed to quote
Referrals and Deal Room
Section titled “Referrals and Deal Room”Submissions above your authority limit, or flagged for senior review, go to the Deal Room:
- Real-time collaboration with senior UWs and carrier contacts
- Shared notes and document review
- Authority approval tracked with timestamps
Notifications
Section titled “Notifications”Underwriters receive Teams and email notifications for:
- New submissions in your queue
- Producer responses to information requests
- Quotes about to expire (48 hours before)
- Referral decisions from senior UW
- Renewal submissions requiring action
Configure your notification preferences in Profile → Notifications.