Ethics Case #5 - The Racist Underwriter

[scott]

Happy March "" CPCU Ethics Awareness Month.

Hypothetical Case: Your largest insurer appoints a new underwriter to service your agency. Over time, you start to notice racist behavior by the underwriter. At lunch one afternoon, the underwriter makes clearly bigoted comments about the waitress. He makes disparaging comments about several insureds of another agency, the racist overtones are unambiguous.

What do you do, if anything?

[spool32]

Quitely submit a complaint email from an account they cant trace back to me.

1) I dont want to create bad blood with the underwriter and myself that would either cause harm to my current client base or create problems for writing new business.
2) I dont want to testify in any court to things I might have heard

This is a case where i'd have to drop my pants and show everything I got. The burdon of proof is all on me because its all heresay. Personally i'm mixed with two races and have experienced some form of racism pointed at me from time to time through my life and know what its like to be on the recieving end of such comments.

Without hard documented proof, i'm not comming forward based on just observations alone. But if it bothered me enough i would complain anonymously.

[Porter]

This guy has done nothing wrong as far as his job is concerned. I would not send any anonymous comments. Basically what you're saying is this person made racial comments about other people to me in confidence. I mite ask this person if he is racist and why out of curiosity and maybe to debate with him. Maybe he has a sick sense of humor. Everyone has their right to free speech. If this guy turns out be some kind KKK member or has a character flaw I would not want to associate myself with him. It all depends.

[InsAgentSF]

I wouldn't say anything. It's person's personal business to be or not to be racist

[spool32]

This guy has done nothing wrong as far as his job is concerned. I would not send any anonymous comments. Basically what you're saying is this person made racial comments about other people to me in confidence. I mite ask this person if he is racist and why out of curiosity and maybe to debate with him. Maybe he has a sick sense of humor. Everyone has their right to free speech. If this guy turns out be some kind KKK member or has a character flaw I would not want to associate myself with him. It all depends.

I disagree because of this line: "He makes disparaging comments about several insureds of another agency, the racist overtones are unambiguous. "

He's going to be making underwriting decisions based on race. This could affect potential clients of yours. This could also affect agents who arent the same race as him. I agree if it wasnt applied to work and I was told in confidence that I really wouldnt take it too seriously. But someone that makes racism a standard by which to live by has a bigger problem than just passive jokes when they are commenting about insureds.

Assuming you are white and theres a black underwriter that doesnt like white people and he's assigned to you. He often makes it much more difficult for you to push your accounts through and turns down potential new business based soley on the fact that you are white. Another agent who is black hears about it and doesnt agree that the UW is treating you fairly. Should the black agent say anything to help you?

Just because it isnt you feeling the pain, doesnt mean its ok to let it go. Racism has no place in this business and especially not as a quality in a decision maker such as an underwriter.

BTW: i'm not personall trying to attack you for your reply. I just wanted to add a little debate to the topic

[92builder]

Hmmm, that's funny; I don't remember race being a question on the application. How would the underwriter ever know this info? Unless, of course, you're racist as well and said it to him/her.

[volstrike3]

Luckily I have never run across anything like this. If this situation presented intself, I would speak to my company rep and ask to be assigned a new underwriter and I would explain the reason. Racial comments are horrible I dislike any underwriter who discloses information about accounts written by other agencies. I would not trust them. I figure if a UW will talk about accounts that I do not controll with me, they will discuss my accounts with another agent.

[wlunday]

There are several issues here... first, the racism. Being blunt with the guy is best in my opinion. If he makes disparaging remarks about the waitress or other insureds, you should point-blank confront him tactfully about it. This person has a certain power over your livelihood, so BE TACTFUL! Let him know you don't appreciate the comments or the fact that he would even think that way! You may find that he was baiting you to see how you react, so he can get a feel for your attitudes and biases. Some of those underwriters are sneaky, you know. Maybe he heard something about YOU!

Also, maybe he made up the ficticious clients to discuss as bait.

Assuming he did speak out-of-school about another agency's clients, this is a whole different issue than race. Doesn't matter what he said, good or bad, he should have kept his mouth shut.

If it's a good report, maybe I'll want to run over to them and get a "broker of record" letter and swipe the account... hey, that's another ethics topic idea... utilization of insider trading information. What do you think, Scott?

Swymmer