An underwriter who underwrites risks on a reasonable basis and who is neither unduly apprehensive nor duly incautious. The concept of the prudent underwriter is at the heart of the fundamental principle of utmost good faith as a fact will be judged to be material (see material fact) if it is one that would have influenced the judgement of a prudent and experienced underwriter in his assessment of the risk. The assertion that the particular underwriter would have been influenced by it does not make it a material fact and the fact that another would have ignored it does not prevent it from being material. The test is objective.