Iress has partnered with The Interesting Life Company to make its AI underwriting tool, the Interesting Life Agent (ISLA), exclusively available via The Exchange, aiming to give advisers an early indication of underwriting outcomes at the point of sourcing protection products.
Originally launched in February, ISLA uses a conversational interface to guide advisers through medical and lifestyle disclosures, providing real-time indications of how these may affect underwriting outcomes and generating plain-English explanations.
Its availability via The Exchange, under a separate licence, places underwriting insight directly alongside sourcing and comparison tools.
The partnership aims to form part of Iress’ focus on improving the protection advice journey and build on recent developments, including its new Automatic Medical Underwriting Limits Indicator.
"We’re thrilled to be working with The Interesting Life Company and proud that they’ve chosen to make ISLA available through The Exchange," Warren O’Connell, head of business development for sourcing at Iress, said.
He added: "One of the biggest challenges advisers face is uncertainty early in the underwriting process, which causes friction and delays. With ISLA, advisers can get the answers they need upfront, enabling them to set realistic expectations with their clients from the outset while reducing unnecessary full underwriting journeys. It’s a win-win."
Andrew Wibberley, director at The Interesting Life Company, added: "Pre-sale underwriting can often feel like a maze, with advisers needing to interpret disclosures and seek answers from multiple sources. We developed ISLA to simplify that process, helping advisers anticipate outcomes earlier, explain decisions clearly and move forward with greater confidence.
"We share a common goal with Iress of making protection advice more straightforward, so bringing ISLA to The Exchange was a natural fit. By making it available within a platform advisers already trust, we can help improve outcomes and enable more people to access protection."
