In 2015, I was invited to join an international working party in the research and publication of a white paper geared towards actuaries all over the world.

I’m not an actuary and don’t pretend to be. But John Buchanan, chair of the working party, wanted to include me after he participated in my COPE webinar, in which I detailed the four key parts of property underwriting: construction, occupancy, protection and exposure. Buchanan noted that a section of the white paper focused on property underwriting, and based on the webinar, he felt I had a good understanding of the concepts.

As a principal in the excess and reinsurance division of ISO, Buchanan decided to focus on property underwriting. The purpose of the group’s research and resulting white paper was to highlight the differences between what property reinsurance underwriters want from the primary carriers and compare it with what reinsurers actually receive from them.

The results weren’t surprising: What the reinsurer wants and what it gets don’t always match. These discrepancies affect reinsurance pricing negatively, pushing premiums higher than they could be. But the study could not confidently determine the precise amount of difference.

After several hundred hours of work and multiple rounds of edits, we submitted the final edition of the paper, “Analyzing the Disconnect Between the Reinsurance Submission and Global Underwriter’s Needs,” to the Casualty Actuary Society in the U.S. and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in Europe early last year. In late 2016, the General Insurance Research Organising Committee in Edinburg, Scotland announced that our white paper was the recipient of the Brian Hey Prize, with an awards presentation scheduled for late March in London.

While I was in town for the reception, I had the opportunity to tour the Chartered Insurance Institute—the U.K. version of the CPCU Society—and Lloyd’s of London. Pierre Fuez, a friend who lives just outside London and retired from a Lloyd’s syndicate in 2011, arranged both tours for me and my wife.

My greatest and most humbling experience occurred during our tour of the Chartered Insurance Institute, where I was allowed to spend time in the members-only library. I found two of my books on the shelves, and they asked me to sign one of them—an even greater thrill.

My trip to Lloyd’s was my version of a trip to Disney World—at least that’s how my wife Suzanne described it. I was allowed to shoot a video in front of the famous Lutine Bell, a ship insured by Lloyd’s that sank in 1799. Its bell was salvaged in 1858 and given to Lloyd’s. Historically, its ringing announced an overdue or lost ship. Now, it marks unusual or ceremonial occasions. I inquired about shooting the video two months prior to my visit but didn’t get an answer until I arrived. Staff told me an employee from the communications office had to be present while I shot the video, due to concerns that one of the syndicates might appear in the video.

London is a great city for insurance geeks and history nerds. We even walked to the top of the 311-stair monument to the Great Fire of London, which was the impetus for modern property insurance. It was completed in 1677, so there is no elevator. I only know a few other folks who would enjoy climbing the tower simply from an insurance perspective.

Chris Boggs is executive director of the Big “I” Virtual University.