Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-03
INSURED ON THE @. 7.
Life Business Carried to an Extreme
Almost Incredible.
AN INVESTIGATION is PROBABLE.
Policies Taken Out on Men and Women
Who Arc Ignorant Of and
EVEN OPPOSED TO ANY SUCH STEP

PHILADELPHIA, July 2.-Within short
time the Insurance Commissioner Of Penn
sylvania will probably be called on to take
notice of branch OF the life insurance
business of this State, that IL As far-reaching
as it is probably illegal. 1t Is known to the
life insurance fraternity - quiet busi-
ness" 'Quiet business" which is largely
INDUCED in by companies operating in this
State, consists OF the insurance of men and
women without their knowledge or consent,
and that . number Of industrial companies
engage in it is unquestioned.
There are in this city thousands of men
who would be surprised to know that there
is an insurance upon their lives placed by
some energetic industrial lite insurance
agent with the oonnivanoe Of wife, mother
or child, and in many instances in the face
of positive objection on his part to that
form or any other of insurance.
This business is practiced by the agents
of the different industrial companiea The
principal of these are the Prudential of
America. home Office in Newark, n. j.
United States Industrial, home office. New
ark, n. j.; Metropolitan, home office in
New York, and the John Hancock, home
Office in Boston.
No Medical Examina alton Required.
Neither of the companies named, with
the exception Of the John Hancock, re-
quircs q medical examination where the
amount of insurance docs not exceed q
certain sum. With tho Prudential that
amount 10 S176; with the United States In
dustrial, $3.50; with tho Metropolitan, 5000.
For the wife to effect an insurance on the
husband without his knowledge or con-
sent, the husband upon the wife, child
upon his parent, or brother, or sister, it is
only necessary, SO long as they keep below
the limits above given, to hunt up an
agent. have him fill up an application, and
then sign the name OF the supposed appli-
can't As no medical examination is re-
Quired there is no examining physician to
visit the house and ask unpleasant ques-
tions, and no one is supposed to be any the
wiser. Even the examination required by
some companies of all applicants for insur-
ance is not proof against the writing of
"quiet business" for in some instances the
physician will stand in with the agent and
will fill out the blank form of medical GER
ti6cate on the back Of the application.
Tho Extent Of tho Business.
There are numerous instances in this city
utEo dScuts dTo COllcCIluR Ou
'iquiet business" where they have not the
slightest knowledge who the insured Is
other than the name, nor where the resi-
dence is, the only memorandum they have
to guide them being the address of the
party with whom the premiums are de-
posted for payment by the wife of the man
insured.
The wife is not the only one who engages
in this sort of business Occasionally the
husband will take flyer of that kind but
If he desires to have his wife insured he en-
counters less difficulty in securing her CON-
sent to signing the application, and there
fore 10 not compelled to resort to forgery.
Children, however, very frequently have
the lives of their parents insured without
their knowledge or consent
There are three causes conducive to the
practice of this business:
First, il the ease with which it can be &C
complished. $50. - -
Second, is the desire of the agent to secure
all the new business possible. and thereby
swell his commission, and
Third, and probably the most important
of all, is the ambition OF every superintend-
ent to show as large an increase of new bust
ness as possible.
Insured Without Their knowledge.
The following are few examples of the
"quiet business" written by agents of
well-known insurance company in this city,
and which, up to few weeks ago, was still
in force: