1. the business of providing insurance coverage by assessing and accepting risks in exchange for premiums
Usage: insurance industry
2. the process of evaluating and assuming financial responsibility for loans, securities, or other financial instruments
Usage: finance; banking
3. the act of supporting or guaranteeing a financial venture or project

Examples

• The insurance company’s underwriting department carefully reviews each application.
• Investment banks handle the underwriting of new stock offerings.
• The underwriting process for the mortgage took several weeks.
• Corporate underwriting helped fund the new research project.
• She works in underwriting, evaluating loan applications daily.
• The underwriting standards have become more strict recently.