The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-07-04

PHILADELPHIA, ulyS.-Withina short
time the insurance commissioner OF
Pennsylvania will probably be called on
to take notice Of q branch of the life in
surance business of this state, that is as
far.reaching as it is probably illegal. II
is known to the life insurance fraternity
as .'quiet business" "Quiet business"
which is largely indulRed in by COM
panies operating in this state, consists
Of the insurance Of men aud women
without their knowledge or consent,
and that number Of industrial COM
panies 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 indus
trial life insurance agent with tho con
nivance OF vito, 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 COM
p0nies. The principal OF these are the
Prudential OF America, home office in
Newark, Nj; United States Industrial,
home Office, Newark, n. j.; Metropoll-
tan. home Office in New York. and the
John Hancock, home Office in Boston.
so MEDICAL EXAMINATION REQUIRED.
Neither Of the companies named,
with the exception Of the john Han.
cock, requires a medical examination
where the amount OF insurance docs
not exceed a certain sum. With the
Prudential that amount is $l75; with
tho United States Industrial, $3.50; with
the Metropolitan, 500. For the wife
to effect an insurance on the husband
without his knowledge or consent, the
husband upon tho wife, child apen 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
applicant. As no medical examination
is REQUIRED there Is no examining phys.
ician to visit the house and ask I'M
pleasant questions. and no one is sup
posed 10 be any the wiser. Even tho
examination required by some compa-
mics OF all applicants for insurance 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 med
ical certificate on the back OF the appli'
cation.
TIE EXTENT OF THE BUSINESS.
: There are numerous instances ~ this
city where agents are collecting pre-
miums on ''quiet business" where they
have not the slightest knowledge who
the insured is other than the name, nor
where the residence is, the only memo
randum they have to guide them being
the address OF the party with whom the
premiums are deposited prepayment by
the wife OF the man insured.
The vito is not the only one who en-
cages in this sort of business. Occa:.
ssionally the husband will take flyer Of
that kind, but il he desires to have his
wife insured he encounters less difficult
ty in securing her consent to signing
the application, ANDY therefore is not
compelled to resort TO forgery. Chill
dren, however, very frequently have the
lives Of their parents insured without
theit knowledge or consent.
There are three causes conducive TO
the practice OF this business:
First, is the ease with which it can
be accomplished.
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 i'm
portant of all; Is the ambition OF every
supetintendent to show as large an in.
crease OF new business as possible.
INSURED WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE.
The following are few examples OF
the "auiet business" written by agents
OF a well-known insurance company in
this city, and which, up to few weeks
ago, was still in force: