What term is used for persuading an insured, to their detriment, to switch policies?

The term for persuading an insured to switch policies, often resulting in a disadvantage for them, is known as "twisting." This practice involves misrepresentation or incomplete information, leading the policyholder to transition from one insurance policy to another, which may not be in their best interest. Twisting is considered an unethical practice in the insurance industry because it takes advantage of the insured's trust and can result in financial loss or decreased benefits.

In contrast, other terms like churning, switching, and shifting do not specifically encapsulate the unethical aspect of misleading the insured to switch policies. While churning refers to the practice of an agent encouraging a client to replace policies for the agent's benefit, it is different from twisting as it doesn't typically involve misrepresentation of the benefits of the new policy. Switching is a neutral term that doesn't imply any detrimental outcome, and shifting generally does not pertain to the practices related to insurance policies but may refer to reallocating assets or duties. Thus, twisting accurately describes the act of persuading an insured to change policies to their detriment.