Life insurers are less than helpful when asked to provide information if applications are excluded, it has been revealed.

According to the Independent Financial Advisors (IFA), customers face major difficulties in getting explanations on why their life insurance, critical illness or income protection cover applications have loadings or exclusions.

Principal, Peter Chadbourn of CBK said: "You apply for a policy and the application comes back from the life office saying they want to load a policy or there is a counter-offer. The first question is, why?

"The adviser says I cannot tell you because of data protection. Then you have to go back to your GP and then he has to write to the life office and they have to write back to the GP.

"Then you have to go back to the GP to find out why. Is it any wonder that life offices lose so much business in the process?"

He added: "Life offices and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) will tell you that the adviser can ring and speak to the underwriter but in reality it is not always that easy."

A spokeswoman for the ABI reportedly commented: "Under some circumstances, it is not appropriate for insurance companies to be talking to the applicants if they have found out certain things.

They should be talking to the GP because the GP might not have disclosed what they have written to the insurance company to the client."