how long does underwriting take 
the time frame for underwriting varies among different investment products as the underwriter will have to spend some time examining the risk profile of each investment personal loans and insurance products are generally fairly simple to underwritem while securities are more complex however underwriting periods for mortages and insurance can vary by state 2for car loans the process is often managed by an algorithm that compares the applicant to other borrowers with a similar profile this process takes only a few days at most and in some cases it is almost instantaneous home mortgages tend to take longer because the underwriter will need to verify the borrower s income employment and credit history which can take some time full approval for a home loan can take up to 45 days although the underwriting process itself accounts for only a small part of this time time the underwriting process can last from a few days to a few weeks 3underwriting insurance is similar to underwriting a loan except that the insurers weigh the probability and size of the average claim compared to the premiums that they expect to collect in the case of property and auto insurance policies this is based on factors like the age of the insured their geographical location and their past history of making claims for homeowners and commercial property coverages they must avoid a large concentration of risks in the same geographic area as a catastrophic event such as a hurricane would mean huge losses for the company life insurance policies are more complicated because they also account for the insured s medical history and other personal details underwriting life insurance can also take a month or longer although most decisions are issued in a few days 2securities are the most complicated products to underwrite when a company issues a bond or a stock offering the underwriter usually an investment bank examines the company s accounts cash flows assets and liabilities and checks for any discrepancies this can take anywhere six to nine months 4