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Tele-underwriting, building consumer trust and loyalty as well as the avoidance of excessive regulation all formed part of key discussions at the annual Protection Review in London.

Speaking at the Cafe Royal in London, Warren Copp, chief underwriter for Pacific Re, told the attendees tele-underwriting was finding its place in the protection market after years of development.

He said: "I was a cynic about tele-underwriting and now I am a converted cynic. The striking thing is that tele-underwriting is starting to impact the market.

"Companies spend a lot of money on GP reports and with tele-underwriting you get the same quality or better. But not only this, you get the information in a shorter time period."

Meanwhile Mike Taylor, chief underwriter for Axa, also highlighted the ever changing role of tele-underwriting, explaining there was now a greater emphasis on trust.

He said: "Once underwriters were suspicious of customers and now they have a process that they can truly believe in and follow. The underwriter of today has changed from a few years ago."

The 246-page Protection Report published by the conference organisers also addressed the area as one of importance although it acknowledged there was still work to be done.

It said: "There is a reluctance on the part of companies to implement straight through systems and this should be looked into."

Elsewhere David Heeney, chief marketing officer for Pacific Life Re, identified the key challenges facing the protection industry today, stating the need to build trust and avoid excessive and detrimental legislation or regulation.

He said: "We need to grow new business, simplify the sales process and reduce rejected claims due to non-disclosure.

"Currently, the major changes taking place centre round non-disclosure. The Association of British Insurers gets a lot of criticism, but I think it was a significant achievement to publish guidelines in this area and it should, therefore, be congratulated for the industry lead solution.

"This was achieved through proactive consultation and a coordinated industry initiative and is something to be proud of."

Speaking at the event's dinner, Otto Thoresen, chief executive of Aegon UK, supported these calls. However he stressed the growing importance of protection, particularly in the current climate.

He said: "The need for protection is as vast as ever but sales are falling. It can not be forgotten the industry continues to have an opportunity to fulfil this need and increased sales and initiative remains very important."