Business and Personal Finance Dictionary

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• UNDERWRITE
  
  (1) to sign one's name at the end of a document, thus signifying agreement or concurrence with the contents of the document. (2) to assume risk and liability for specified events in return for a fee. An insurance company, by signing a policy, becomes the policy's underwriter, thereby assuming the risk of being liable for losses if events specified in the policy occur. (3) in mortgage lending, the act of assessing the risk of a loan and matching it to an appropriate rate of interest and term. (4) to guarantee the sale of a new issue of securities, usually by a securities dealer or a syndicate of dealers.
  
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