The most common underwriters work for insurance companies or financial institutions to evaluate financial risk for insurance policies or loans. They review applications and paperwork and can approve or deny the request based on a set of three criteria--credit reputation, capacity to repay the loan, and collateral value. Underwriters check the applicant’s credit report and credit history, weight their annual salary with the cost of the loan or policy, and determine the loan-to-value ratio. Using these factors, they may approve the application, suspend it until further stipulations are met, or deny it.
Other kinds of underwriters include equity underwriters who administer the distribution of securities, and debt securities underwriters who buy government bonds and other debt securities and sell them for a profit.