It says 40% of applications are missing information and can’t be underwritten but its latest changes are designed to address this issue.

Advisers will be able to use old-fashioned paper-based applications, but they can also use Sure App and a new process, Asteron Life Express.

Under the new Life Express option advisers will only need to collect some basic information from prospects. This includes name, date of birth, answers to a couple of basic questions and suitable contact times.

An Asteron underwriter will then contact the prospect at the agreed time and do the rest of the data gathering.

Chief underwriter Nadine Tereora says they would be able to underwrite a policy in real time and the company was likely to get better information and fully complete application forms.

She said it might help overcome issues of non-disclosure.

As this service is transferring some of the workload from the adviser to an Asteron underwriter it is a pilot programme.

Asteron managing director director David Carter said there would be no change to remuneration, although the adviser would do less work.

However the company will review its success (or otherwise) as the end of the year. This could see changes such as restricting the service to advisers.

Tereora said the change would  “transform the time to issue (policies).”.

As well as these changes Asteron now has a plain English, Writemark, approved application form and has simplified the form, reducing its size by one third.