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The market was buoyant and there was simply too much mortgage business to devote any time to the more time-consuming protection needs.

Times have changed, with a hugely reduced number of housing transactions taking place in the last couple of months.

Switched-on mortgage advisers will have anticipated these movements and will have sought new opportunities to supplement lost income, and in doing so, will unquestionably have done their clients a huge favour – protecting them against potentially life changing events such as critical illness, long-term inability to work (and earn) and of course the most final of all, death.

The processing of protection business has come a long way in the last few years with costs reducing to record lows and massive improvements in time and quality in terms of getting business on the books.

The paper process still exists among most providers but online processing, with the ability to have a client application on risk within 15 minutes in real time brings huge benefits.

There is flexibility too in terms of the method of the online process:

* Fixed questions, where the adviser simply inputs the answers supplied by the client

* Interactive questions, where the adviser is able and willing to ask further questions of the client, thus enhancing the chance of a decision at point of sale.

For the uninitiated, these systems are not at all complex and full training is available.

They provide options to amend the benefits at the outset and before submission.

With Zurich there is an ability to obtain an underwriting decision before the application is actually submitted, giving the choice of amending the benefits.

Of course there are other market segments for advisers who have already maxed out with mortgage customers.

Switched-on providers are there to help – you only have to ask.

Gerry Warner is protection development manager of Zurich UK Life