In March of 2026, a 58-year-old male applied to an MIB member company for $10M in Term Life coverage.
The Total Line Alert on this case reveals concerning activity. Over the last 7 years, from 2019–2025, the applicant has placed 6 Term Life policies (5 are $10M policies and 1 is a $5M policy) with 6 different carriers. 5 of those policies terminated on or shortly after the 1-year anniversary of the policy issue date. The 6th policy, currently in force, is coming up on its 1-year anniversary date, which coincides with the date of a new application for another $10M policy.
This activity pattern also dates back to 2014 through 2016, when two different carriers also issued $10M policies that both terminated exactly one year after issue.
Could there be similar issued and terminated policies from 2016-2018 that do not show up on the Alert because they are associated with carriers who do not yet contribute data to the In Force Data Vault? Without broader industry awareness, this pattern will likely persist—driving continued losses from acquisition costs, commissions, and other expenses.
Take a look at the Total Line Alert below to see how the data reflects this concerning behavior. (You can also view an expandable version of this Total Line Alert):
8 large face policies issued across 8 different carriers, 7 lapsed after 1 year, with the 8th appearing to follow suit. And the pattern continues with a new application at carrier number 9...leading us to wonder:
- What value does this serve the client? Insurance doesn't typically get cheaper as you get older. Restarting the contestability period is a risky concept as well.
- How much was lost in acquisition costs and commission payments?
- Why did these policies consistently stay in place for just one year?
- Could this be adverse agent behavior, avoiding a chargeback?
- Would YOU want this business on your books?
With 8 different carriers involved, detecting this type of adverse behavior pattern requires a broad, industry-wide view of application, in force, and terminated policy activity – visibility provided by the MIB Total Line Service.
Armed with the Total Line Codes and Alert data, underwriters can identify adverse activity beyond their own companies and investigate further. With a fresh lens into lapse activity, current subscribers are developing new guidelines to strengthen agent monitoring and avoid placing unprofitable business on the books.