Every commercial insurance quote starts with the same document: your loss run report. Carriers will not price your account without it, brokers cannot approach markets without it, and errors on it cost you money at every renewal. Yet most businesses have never actually requested their own loss runs - they wait for a carrier to ask.
This guide covers how to get loss runs from your insurance carrier step by step: who to contact, what to say, how long it takes, what the report actually shows, and what to do when something on it is wrong.
Key Takeaways
- Request loss runs in writing from your carrier or through your broker. Many states require carriers to deliver loss run reports within about 10 business days of a written request.
- Ask for three to five years of loss runs across all lines of coverage. Five years is the underwriting sweet spot, even when a carrier only asks for three.
- Loss runs function as your business's insurance credit score. Underwriters read frequency, severity, and open reserves the way a lender reads payment history.
- Errors are common: claims listed as open after they closed, inflated reserves, and subrogation recoveries that never got reflected. Every error you correct improves how underwriters price your account.
- Request your loss runs annually, not just when you are shopping. A current copy on file means your renewal never waits on a slow prior carrier.
What Is a Loss Run Report?
A loss run report is an official claims history document issued by an insurance carrier. It lists every claim filed against your policies with that carrier: the date of loss, claim type, status (open or closed), amount paid, and amount held in reserve. It is the commercial equivalent of a credit report, and underwriters treat it that way when they price your account.
Loss runs are the primary evidence behind how claims history affects your business insurance rates. A clean report gives your broker leverage. A report with open claims, high frequency, or unexplained reserves raises your premium before a single conversation happens.
How to Request Loss Runs From Your Insurance Carrier
Step 1: Identify every carrier and policy
List each carrier that has written coverage for your business in the past five years, along with policy numbers and policy periods. If you switched carriers, you need loss runs from the prior carriers too - a new insurer wants the full picture, not just your current relationship. Your broker or your old declarations pages will have the policy numbers.
Step 2: Send a written loss run request
Email your broker or the carrier's customer service or loss run department directly. The request must be in writing - a written request starts the statutory clock in states that mandate delivery timelines. Include your business name, policy numbers, policy periods, and the lines of coverage you want. Request all lines and the full five-year history in one request.
Step 3: Set a deadline and follow up
Many states require carriers to produce loss runs within about 10 business days of a written request, and most reports arrive within a week. If a carrier stalls past two weeks, escalate: reference the request date in writing, copy your broker, and if necessary cite your state's insurance regulations. Slow loss runs are one of the most common causes of a rushed, expensive renewal.
Step 4: Verify the report and keep it on file
Check the valuation date (loss runs are a snapshot as of a specific date), confirm every claim listed is actually yours, and verify statuses and reserves. Then store the report with your policy documents. Repeat the exercise annually so you always have a current copy before anyone asks.
Loss Run Request Letter Template
A loss run request does not need to be elaborate. This template covers everything a carrier needs:
Subject: Loss Run Request - [Business Name], Policy #[Number]. To whom it may concern: Please provide currently valued loss run reports for [Business Name] for all lines of coverage under the policies listed below, covering the past five policy years. Policies: [policy numbers and periods]. Please deliver the reports to [email] within 10 business days. If any information is needed to process this request, contact me at [phone/email]. Thank you.
If your broker handles the request for you, they will use the same structure. What matters is that it is written, dated, specific about the policy periods, and asks for currently valued reports.
How Long Does It Take to Get Loss Runs?
Typically between one day and one week. Larger carriers with self-service portals can generate loss runs almost instantly; smaller carriers and MGAs may take the full statutory window. Many states set a deadline of roughly 10 business days from a written request. The slowest scenarios involve carriers in runoff, insolvent carriers (where a state guaranty association may hold the records), or policies written through intermediaries where the request has to travel through an extra layer.
The timing matters because loss runs sit on the critical path of your renewal. If your commercial insurance renewal starts 90 to 120 days out, loss runs should be in hand in the first two weeks of that window.
How to Read a Loss Run Report
Loss run formats vary by carrier, but the core fields are consistent:
| Field | What It Shows | What Underwriters Look For |
|---|---|---|
| Claim number and date of loss | When each incident occurred | Clusters of claims in a short period signal frequency risk |
| Claim status | Open or closed | Open claims count as active risk regardless of age |
| Amount paid | What the carrier has actually paid out | Severity of individual losses and the running total |
| Reserve | What the carrier holds for future payments on open claims | Inflated reserves read as pending losses even if never paid |
| Total incurred | Paid plus reserved | The headline number underwriters use for your loss ratio |
| Description / cause of loss | What happened | At-fault operational failures versus external events like weather |
| Valuation date | The snapshot date of the report | Reports older than 90 days are usually considered stale |
Two things deserve special attention. First, the valuation date: carriers usually want loss runs valued within the last 90 days, so a report you pulled eight months ago will need refreshing at renewal. Second, reserves on open claims: a claim with $5,000 paid and $95,000 reserved reads as a $100,000 claim to an underwriter, even if it ultimately settles for a fraction of that.
Common Loss Run Errors (and How to Dispute Them)
- Closed claims listed as open. The most common error, and the most damaging: open claims are treated as active risk. Ask the carrier to update the status and reissue the report.
- Inflated reserves. Reserves that were never adjusted downward after a claim resolved cheaply. Request a reserve review with documentation of the actual outcome.
- Claims that are not yours. Misassigned claims happen, especially with similar business names or shared policy programs. Dispute them in writing with your entity documentation.
- Subrogation recoveries not reflected. If your carrier recovered money from a third party, the net incurred should show it. If it does not, the claim looks worse than it was.
- Duplicate entries. A single incident listed under two claim numbers doubles your apparent frequency.
All corrections go through the carrier that issued the report - your broker can push, but only the issuing carrier can amend its own loss runs. Get corrections in before your renewal submission goes to market, because a corrected loss run after quotes arrive rarely reprices the account.
FAQs
What is a loss run report?
A loss run report is a claims history document issued by an insurance carrier that lists every claim filed against your policies: date of loss, claim type, open or closed status, amount paid, and amount reserved. Underwriters use it to price your account, which is why it is often called the insurance equivalent of a credit report.
How do I get my loss runs?
Send a written request to your insurance carrier or ask your broker to request them on your behalf. Include your business name, policy numbers, policy periods, and the lines of coverage. Many states require carriers to deliver loss runs within about 10 business days of a written request.
How many years of loss runs do I need?
Three to five years is the standard underwriting window, and five years is the safe answer. New carriers typically request three to five years of loss runs from every prior insurer, so requesting the full five-year history up front avoids a second round of requests mid-renewal.
How long does it take to get loss runs?
Typically one day to one week. Carriers with self-service portals can produce them almost instantly, while smaller carriers and MGAs may take the full statutory window of roughly 10 business days. Carriers in runoff or insolvency can take significantly longer.
What if my carrier will not provide loss runs?
Escalate in writing, reference the date of your original request, and copy your broker. Most states mandate delivery within a set window, so citing your state insurance department's requirements usually resolves it. If the carrier is insolvent, contact your state's guaranty association, which may hold the claim records.
Are loss runs the same as a CLUE report?
No. A CLUE report is a shared database record used in personal lines - home and auto insurance - and tracks claims for seven years. Loss runs are commercial documents issued directly by each carrier, typically covering three to five years. Businesses need loss runs; individuals need CLUE reports.
Do loss runs show denied claims?
Usually, yes. A claim that was reported, investigated, and denied still appears on the loss run, typically with zero paid. Underwriters can still see that a claim was filed, and reported frequency can influence underwriting even when nothing was paid out.
The Bottom Line
Loss runs are the one underwriting document you can fully control the timing of - and most businesses give up that control by waiting until a carrier asks. Request them annually, audit them for errors, and walk into every renewal with a current, corrected copy on file.
At Aiden, loss run collection and review is part of the standing renewal process, not an annual scramble - and the risk engine monitors your exposure profile between renewals so the loss runs never tell your broker something they did not already know. Get a quote at aidenrisk.com.