How to Request Loss Runs: The Complete Guide

What Is a Loss Run Report?

A loss run report is an official document issued by an insurance carrier that summarizes a policyholder's claim history for a defined period — typically three to five years. It shows every claim filed under a given policy: the date of loss, type of claim, amounts paid, amounts held in reserve, and whether each claim is open or closed. Underwriters treat loss runs as the primary source of truth when evaluating risk.

Loss runs are generated by the carrier, not the insured or the agent. That distinction matters because it means the agent must formally request them, and in new-business situations must present written authorization from the insured before the carrier will release them. The ACORD 834 form is one standardized request format, though most carriers have their own internal process.

A complete loss run typically includes: policy number, named insured, policy period, line of business, individual claim numbers, dates of loss, claim descriptions, amounts paid to date, open reserves, claim status, and a policy-level summary of incurred losses. Some carriers also include frequency and severity trends.

When Do You Need Loss Runs?

Loss runs are required in four primary situations. Understanding which applies determines how urgently you need to collect them and whether authorization is required.

• New business quoting. Any time a prospect is shopping coverage, incumbent carriers must release loss runs to the new agent of record. This almost always requires a signed authorization letter. Most markets require three to five years of loss history before they will quote.
• Renewal marketing. When an account goes out to market at renewal, the incumbent carrier releases loss runs to the broker of record without authorization — but competing carriers still need them. Timing matters here: start collecting 90-120 days before expiration to leave room for follow-up.
• Carrier appointments and audits. Some carriers require current loss runs when agents apply for new appointments, particularly for specialty or excess lines.
• M&A due diligence. When a business is being acquired, buyers routinely request five to ten years of loss runs across all lines of business to understand the target's liability exposure and any IBNR (incurred but not reported) reserves.

According to a 2023 survey by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA), commercial lines agencies handle an average of 47 new-business submissions per month — each requiring loss runs from multiple carriers. That volume is why process failures are so costly.

What Information Do You Need to Request Loss Runs?

Incomplete requests are the single most common cause of delays. Before contacting any carrier, gather the following:

• Named insured (exact legal name). The name on the policy, not the DBA. A mismatch will cause the carrier to reject the request or return the wrong account's records.
• Policy number(s). If unknown, provide the approximate policy period and the insured's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) or Social Security Number. Most carriers can locate accounts by FEIN.
• Coverage types requested. General liability, commercial auto, workers compensation, umbrella, property, and professional lines each sit in different carrier systems. Specify each line separately.
• Policy effective dates. The number of years requested (typically five) and the start/end dates of each policy period.
• Carrier contact information. The correct email address or fax number for the loss run department — not the underwriting or claims department. These are separate teams at most large carriers.
• Authorization letter (new business only). A signed letter from the insured authorizing the agent to request claims history. Required by nearly every carrier for accounts where there is no existing broker-of-record relationship.

How to Request Loss Runs Step by Step

The following process applies to commercial lines requests. Personal lines are simpler but follow the same basic structure.

1. Gather policy information. Pull policy declarations pages or query your agency management system for the named insured, policy numbers, effective dates, and carriers. Confirm the exact legal entity name.
2. Determine whether an authorization letter is required. For new business, always. For renewals where you are already the broker of record, typically not — but verify with each carrier, as requirements vary.
3. Obtain the signed authorization letter. Send the document to the insured for e-signature. Most carriers accept electronic signatures under the federal E-SIGN Act of 2000 and the UETA, though a small number of carriers still require wet signatures for specific lines.
4. Contact each carrier using the correct channel. Email is the most common and trackable method. Some carriers have self-service portals. Fax is still used for a significant subset of carriers, particularly regional and specialty markets. Address the request to the loss run department specifically — not general customer service.
5. Follow up at 3, 7, and 14 business days. Most carriers target a 10-business-day turnaround by convention, though this is not uniformly enforced. Without structured follow-up, requests routinely exceed 15 days. Each follow-up email should reference the original request date, include the authorization letter again, and escalate the contact if there is no response after two attempts.
6. Review the loss runs when received. Confirm the named insured matches, check that all requested policy periods are covered, verify open versus closed claim counts, and flag any large open reserves before submitting to market. Sending incomplete or incorrect loss runs wastes underwriter time and damages the agency's credibility.
7. Store securely with the submission. Loss runs contain sensitive claims data. Store them in your agency management system or document management platform tied to the client record — not in a personal email inbox or a shared network drive folder.

How Long Does the Process Typically Take?

On average, loss run requests take 3 to 15 business days from the initial request to receipt of the document. The variance is wide and depends on several factors: the carrier's internal processing volume, the line of business (workers compensation tends to be slower due to claim complexity), whether the request was complete on the first attempt, and the time of year.

Renewal season — roughly September through January for accounts with January 1 effective dates — is the busiest period for carrier loss run departments. Turnaround times during this window can run 50% longer than during slower months. Planning for 15 business days during peak season is prudent.

Requests submitted with all required information — correct named insured, policy numbers, and signed authorization — resolve in an average of 6 business days. Incomplete requests average 12 days, with significant follow-up labor in between.

By request method: email averages 5-10 days, carrier portals 3-7 days, and fax 7-15 days. Portals are faster when available, but only a fraction of carriers offer a dedicated loss run portal as of 2024. Most requests still move through email.

Common Challenges With Loss Run Requests

Even experienced producers encounter these issues regularly. Knowing them in advance reduces the time spent diagnosing delays.

• Carriers slow to respond. Loss run departments are understaffed relative to request volume at many carriers. Requests without follow-up often expire without action. Structured follow-up cadences are non-optional for reliable turnaround.
• Wrong department contacted. Sending to claims or underwriting instead of the loss run department means your request is manually routed — or not routed at all. Build a carrier contact directory specific to loss run requests.
• Missing or expired authorization. A signed authorization letter older than 90 days is typically rejected. Collecting authorization at the start of the onboarding process and tracking expiration dates prevents last-minute scrambles.
• Incomplete reports. Carriers occasionally return reports covering fewer years than requested, missing specific policy periods, or listing only open claims. Review carefully upon receipt and request corrections immediately.
• Tracking across multiple carriers. A commercial lines client with property, GL, auto, and workers comp policies at four different carriers generates four parallel request threads. Without a dedicated tracking system, it is easy to lose track of which carriers have responded and which are overdue.

Why Agencies Are Automating Loss Run Requests

The manual process is labor-intensive by design. Every request involves drafting emails, attaching authorization letters, logging follow-up dates, checking inboxes, and filing documents. Agencies that rely on manual processes typically spend 2-4 hours per commercial submission on loss run administration alone — time that does not directly generate revenue.

Automation addresses the repetitive elements: generating and sending request emails with the correct attachments, triggering follow-ups at scheduled intervals, matching inbound carrier replies to the correct submission, and storing documents automatically. The workflow for each submission becomes consistent and auditable rather than dependent on individual producers remembering to follow up.

The business case is straightforward. If a producer handles 30 commercial submissions per month and saves 90 minutes per submission, that is 45 hours per month recaptured for prospecting, coverage review, and client service. For agencies handling higher volume, the math is even more compelling.

Tools like RequestLossRun centralize the entire workflow — from collecting e-signed authorizations to sending carrier emails, managing follow-up cadences, ingesting inbound documents, and providing a shared dashboard for the whole team. The result is faster turnaround, fewer submissions that stall, and a clear audit trail for every request.