Sometimes agents, brokers and even applicants would like to have a general idea of how their insurance application will proceed before an official submission is made. There are all sorts of reasons for this, which may include whether their medical condition is insurable, whether their finances or accompanying information qualify them for the coverage they are requesting, and, if the application is going to be rated, to what degree and what kind of resulting premium they can expect. An informal application allows the underwriter (and often the doctor) to review information that would be submitted as part of the application and give a good idea of the risk assessment to follow.
http://www.brokerworldmag.com/articles/articles.php?articleid=4039
