Underwriter Spotlight: Meet Albert Huang, AVP

In this inaugural installment of our Underwriter Spotlight Series, we’re thrilled to recognize Albert Huang, AVP and top-performing Tech E&O underwriter at At-Bay and named to Insurance Business America’s 2024 Rising Stars list. 

With a passion for tech and a knack for risk assessment, Albert brings a unique perspective to the world of Tech E&O underwriting. Read on to learn more about Albert’s favorite aspects of underwriting, trends he’s seeing behind the desk, and how trust and communication enable him to provide white-glove service to brokers, ensuring the best solutions for their clients.

1. What is your favorite thing about underwriting?

What I enjoy most is the fact that, as an underwriter, you’re continuously learning about new types of technology, exposures, or claims trends, and you’re also adapting to trends in the insurance market. Because technology is constantly evolving, there is always more to learn. The job never gets boring! 

The other thing I really like about underwriting is the people. I love who I work with. Not only do I get to work on cross-functional projects with the best at At-Bay, but I also get to work with incredibly knowledgeable and experienced brokers who are experts in insurance. There’s an aspect of mentorship to working with brokers, underwriting leadership, and insurance product managers who have worked in the industry for decades.

Lastly, a favorite part of the job is helping our policyholders sleep better at night. As an underwriter, I make an impact by finding the right risk solutions for our policyholders, and it’s really rewarding to see how I’ve made sure businesses have support at one of their worst times of need. 

2. What trends are you currently seeing with Tech E&O?

The latest trend I’ve seen is an increase in AI submissions with different use cases of AI. I’m seeing a broad stroke of different types of industries being revolutionized by AI, including a lot of healthcare and telehealth, finance, HR, and administrative types of AI use cases, as well as software coding. 

Another trend I’ve seen in terms of demand is Tech E&O coverage becoming more of a requirement for our policyholders, both on our renewal business and on new submissions. A lot more companies are requiring their vendors to purchase Tech E&O if they’re providing tech services, and these types of contractual requirements are driving demand now more than ever.

3. Can you share a favorite recent deal?

One of my favorite recent deals was a really urgent one. It was a SaaS provider that needed to satisfy their contractual agreement with their client. The account was being managed by the retail broker and needed higher limits to satisfy their agreement. The retail broker reached out to the incumbent carrier about the request, but didn’t hear back in time, so they reached out to the wholesaler, who got in touch with me. I was able to provide a quote option within two hours of receiving the submission, and the next morning, I received a bind order for the policy. 

It was rewarding to not only get an instant bind order, but also to know that I was able to help the policyholder satisfy their contractual obligations under a time crunch. 

Another thing that made this transaction successful was the trust between my broker and me. The strength of our relationship allowed me the insight to understand what both broker and client needed most — urgency. Being able to provide white-glove service to my brokers is something I really take pride in, and it ties back to loving who I work with. 

4. What are some best practices for brokers when working with underwriters to secure Tech E&O coverage for clients?

I often see applicants completely skip the questions about description of services and breakdown of services by revenue percentage. I think the best practice for brokers to get a higher response rate is to raise awareness to the applicant about the importance of these questions and to let the applicant know that when these questions are answered, it will help with getting the most accurate terms and pricing for the client. 

5. How did you end up with a career in insurance?

I always love talking about this because I grew up in the digital age in Silicon Valley, so tech was always in my life. During my senior year of college, I was looking for a job that offered a balance between finance and tech, and I came across a cyber underwriting role at Liberty Mutual. After doing some research, I realized the role was almost exactly what I was looking for, so I applied, got an interview, and secured my first job in insurance straight out of college. After four years at liberty, and almost three years here at At-Bay, it’s been a really rewarding ride. This is definitely a career that I want to be in long term.

About At-Bay

At-Bay is the InsurSec provider for the digital age. By combining world-class technology with industry-leading insurance and security expertise, At-Bay was designed from the ground up to empower businesses of every size to meet cyber risk head on. Our InsurSec approach provides end-to-end protection for modern businesses. It’s a force multiplier that includes security, threat intelligence, and human experts to close the SMB cybersecurity gap — all as part of their insurance policy.