Referrals are one of the biggest sources of delay in the underwriting process. When a case requires a second opinion from a manager, senior underwriter, or another department, underwriters must pause their work to gather details and prepare a package explaining why the case should be referred. This process can take nearly an hour, and with up to 40 percent of applications requiring escalation, underwriters may spend half their day on packaging referrals instead of evaluating risk.
Sixfold’s Referral Agent changes this dynamic by allowing insurers to input their referral guidelines directly into the AI system. The platform instantly flags cases that need escalation, provides a clear explanation of why, and drafts a complete referral email with all relevant context and case links. Underwriters simply review, make edits if necessary, and send the package. What previously required up to 60 minutes of manual effort can now be accomplished in a single minute.
“After Sixfold completes the risk analysis, the next steps have traditionally been left to the underwriter to decide how to move the case forward,” said Alex Schmelkin, Founder and CEO of Sixfold. “Referral Agent changes that. It takes one of the most time-consuming parts of underwriting and turns it into a guided, nearly instant process. Underwriters know exactly when a case needs referral, why, and get everything they need to act on that information right away.”
The solution is designed to be simple to implement, requiring no major IT investment. By sharing referral rules and a set of past decisions, insurers can activate Referral Agent in as little as four weeks. Once live, the AI applies referral guidelines consistently, highlights when cases should be escalated, identifies any missing information, and prepares a referral email complete with links and context.
Sixfold’s latest product upgrade also introduces Email Integration, which allows underwriters to forward a broker’s email and attachments directly from their inbox to Sixfold. The system automatically begins risk assessment and referral analysis, and the underwriter receives a pre-drafted referral email ready to send.
“Real-time, guided recommendations let underwriters move from risk analysis to action immediately,” Schmelkin added. “This is a defining moment for Sixfold and a clear signal of where underwriting is headed. It will mean more speed, more consistency, and more growth for our customers. Referral Agent is only the beginning.”
Sixfold positions its underwriting AI platform as a solution built specifically for insurance underwriting. By tailoring recommendations to each insurer’s unique risk appetite, the company enables underwriters to make faster and more confident decisions, reduce submission and review times, improve accuracy, and increase transparency. Sixfold reports that its technology helps insurers cut risk review time by at least half while boosting gross written premium per underwriter by as much as 30 percent.
