Guardian has reduced its average underwriting time to less than one day during the first half of 2026, compared with three days in 2025.
The provider said cases requiring medical evidence are now underwritten in an average of less than 1.5 days.
Guardian has also increased its instant decision rate by 5% across its protection range following changes to its underwriting rules and the recruitment of additional underwriters.
Instant decisions for Income Protection increased by just over 14%, while the rate for Life Protection rose by 2%. Guardian said around 75% of applicants now receive an immediate decision when applying.
The changes come as underwriting delays remain a concern for protection advisers. According to the Protection Distribution Group's Protection Insights Report 2026, 59% of advisers who reported barriers to writing more protection said inefficient underwriting processes were taking too long to get clients on risk.
Guardian has also revised its approach to applications involving mental health disclosures.
In June 2026, 97% of applicants who disclosed a mental health condition received an instant decision on their life cover, up from 87% in June 2025. Of applicants who disclosed a mental health condition in June this year, 90% were offered standard terms.
The insurer said the changes reflect the prevalence of conditions including anxiety and moderate depression. Mind's Big Mental Health Report found that one in five adults in England are currently living with a common mental health problem.
Caroline Froude, head of underwriting strategy and development at Guardian, said:
"We’re really encouraged to see more customers receiving instant decisions when they apply for cover with us. Improving the underwriting journey is a key priority, and these results show the progress we’re making. Even cases requiring underwriting are processed in just 1.5 days and in many cases, less.
"Our aim is always to offer fair and consistent outcomes. As conditions such as mental health affect more people, our products and underwriting approach need to evolve so we can support more applicants.
"We’re already working on similar improvements for other common disclosures, such as cholesterol, to ensure the process remains fast, simple and tailored to each customer."
Guardian increased its underwriting team headcount by 35% following recruitment towards the end of 2025 and plans further hires during the remainder of 2026.
The provider also said adviser calls are now answered in an average of 52 seconds.
Chloe Davies, head of protection distribution & provider relationships at L&C Mortgages, said:
"Underwriting speed can make or break the customer take up of a protection recommendation. When clients have to wait weeks for a decision, they often lose momentum or reconsider altogether. Improvements that increase the number of instant decisions and reduce delays make a real difference because they help advisers secure cover for customers quickly and keep the process straightforward."
