Underwriting agencies: 9 checks before choosing claims software.

Good claims software for an underwriting agency (MGA) takes claims in cleanly, keeps decisions inside your authority limits, tracks every deadline and lets your insurer see your files. Use the nine checks below to compare options. Each one can be tested in a demo.

The 9 checks at a glance

Check	What to look for	Why it matters
Lodgement	One form or inbox that captures every claim, with required fields	Missing details at the start slow every later step
Authority limits	Settlement and reserve limits set per person and per binder	Keeps decisions inside delegated authority
Deadlines	Automatic timers on every step, with warnings before they pass	Late updates and decisions are where breaches start
File record	Notes, emails, documents and decisions in one file, with who did what and when	Needed for audits and insurer reviews
Insurer reporting	Reports and bordereaux built from claim data, not rebuilt by hand	Saves days each month and removes copy errors
Complaints	Complaints spotted inside claims and tracked on their own deadlines	A claim can become a complaint with no warning
Insurer view and CPS 230	Your insurer can see files and results, and the vendor knows CPS 230 and will cooperate	Your insurer must manage its service providers under CPS 230
Fit with other systems	Works with your policy system, email and finance tools	Avoids double entry
Price and set-up	Clear price, quick onboarding, no long build	You see value in weeks, not quarters

Start with how your claims actually run

Write down the path of one claim before you look at any software, because the best system is the one that matches that path.

For an underwriting agency (MGA), a claim often has more hands in it than you expect. It can come in through a broker, go to your team, need approval from your insurer above a set amount, and involve a loss adjuster or repairer along the way.

List these before you speak to a vendor:

How claims arrive today (email, phone, portal, broker) and how many a month
Who can approve what, and which limits come from each binder
Which insurer reports you owe, and how often
Where you rely on spreadsheets or shared inboxes
Which steps cause the most chasing or rework

This list becomes your test. If a vendor cannot show your own path working in a demo, keep looking.

The checks in detail

1. Lodgement

Ask to see how a claim is lodged and what happens if a field is left blank. A good system asks for the right details up front, accepts documents and photos, and creates the claim file straight away. It should work for a broker lodging on a customer's behalf as well as for your own team.

2. Authority limits

Your binder sets what you can decide without asking the insurer. The software should hold those limits, apply them to each person, and send anything above the limit to the right approver. Check that limits can differ by binder, product and person.

3. Deadlines

Every claim has steps with time limits: acknowledging the claim, keeping the customer updated, making a decision, paying. Look for timers that start on their own, show what is due today, and warn before a deadline passes. If staff must set reminders by hand, deadlines will be missed.

4. The file record

An insurer or auditor may ask why a claim was handled the way it was. The file should show every note, email, document and decision, who made it and when. Ask how a file looks to someone reviewing it a year later.

5. Insurer reporting

Most agencies owe regular reports to their insurers. Ask the vendor to produce one from your own sample data. If the report needs exporting and fixing in a spreadsheet, the saving is small.

6. Complaints

A claims decision can turn into a complaint with little warning. The system should spot complaint wording in claim emails and notes, start a complaint record, and track its own deadlines. Complaints handling has its own rules under ASIC RG 271, so it should not sit in a separate inbox.

7. Your insurer's view and CPS 230

Under APRA's CPS 230 standard on operational risk, your insurer must manage the risk of the service providers it relies on. That can include you, and the suppliers you use, such as your claims software vendor.

Your vendor should know what CPS 230 is and be ready to meet it without being chased. Ask whether they will:

Answer your insurer's due-diligence questions
Tell you promptly about incidents and outages
Let your insurer see claim files, timelines and results
Show their continuity and exit plans
Work directly with you and your insurer

A vendor that has not heard of CPS 230 is a risk for both you and your insurer.

8. Fit with other systems

List the systems the claims tool must work with: your policy system, email, document storage and finance. Ask what is built in, what needs a connection to be set up, and who pays for it.

9. Price and set-up

Ask for the total cost in the first year, written down. Many quotes leave out the same few items, so ask about each one:

Set-up or onboarding fee
Fees per user, per claim or per binder
Cost of connecting to your other systems
Charges for extra reports or storage
Support and training

There are two broad ways to buy. A subscription product is ready to use, priced per month or year, and goes live in weeks. A custom or enterprise build fits your exact process, but it costs more, takes longer, and changes the service you receive. Neither is wrong. Choose based on how unusual your process really is, and make sure the vendor says plainly which one they are offering.

Finally, ask for a date. A vendor who can name the week your first claim goes live has done this before.

Questions to ask every claims software vendor

Can you run my own claim, from lodgement to closure, in the demo?
How are authority limits set, and who can change them?
What deadlines does the system track on its own, and what warns us?
Can you build one of my insurer reports from sample data?
How does the system treat a complaint that starts inside a claim?
What do you know about CPS 230, and will you cooperate with my insurer and me? What can my insurer see?
What do you connect with already, and what costs extra?
What does a customer like us pay in year one, all in?
How long from signing to the first live claim?
Who looks after us after go-live?

Claims software FAQs

What should an underwriting agency look for in claims software?

Check how claims are lodged, whether authority limits are enforced, how deadlines are tracked, and whether the file record is complete. Also check insurer reporting, complaints handling, your insurer's view and CPS 230, and fit with your other systems.

How much does claims software cost for an agency?

Prices vary widely. Ask for the total first-year cost, including set-up, per-user fees and connections. Subscription products usually cost less and start sooner than custom builds.

How long does it take to set up claims software?

A subscription product can go live in weeks. A custom build takes longer. Ask the vendor to name the week your first claim goes live.

Does claims software need to meet CPS 230?

CPS 230 applies to APRA-regulated insurers, which must manage the risk of their service providers. That can include agencies and the suppliers they use. Your vendor should know the standard and cooperate with you and your insurer.

Can claims software track GICOP deadlines?

Good systems start timers automatically and warn before a deadline passes. Curium's claims platform enforces main points such as GICOP deadlines.

Where Curium fits

Curium is built for insurance, with compliance and claims handling designed around the rules agencies work under. Its claims platform understands compliance at a basic level and enforces the main points, such as GICOP deadlines. It spots complaints and incidents automatically, flags breaches and reportable situations, and groups similar issues so the team can see patterns. The Claims Platform for Agencies & Insurers applies this to the checks above. There is no code layer, so you can configure pretty much anything yourself, before and after launch.

If you are comparing options, bring your own claim path and your insurer report to the demo. We will run them.

Author:

Tetiana George, CEO of Curium, Co-Chair of Insurtech Australia and member of ASIC Digital Finance Advisory Committee. LinkedIn Profile.