Glossary
Loss runs
Loss runs are the official claim history report for an insurance policy, produced by the carrier. They list every claim filed under the policy: date, type, amount paid, amount reserved, and whether the claim is open or closed. Underwriters use them to price new business, so almost every commercial submission asks for three to five years of loss runs.
Why they matter in an agency
You cannot remarket a commercial account without them. When an agency moves a client to a new carrier, the new underwriter wants proof of the client's claim history, and the only proof that counts is the current carrier's own report. That makes loss runs a gating step: the remarket stalls until they arrive.
Loss runs also protect the client. A clean history is negotiating leverage for better terms. A messy one is better to know about before the application goes out, not after the decline.
How agencies get them
The agent of record requests them from each carrier, usually through the carrier's agent portal, sometimes by email to underwriting or a carrier rep. Most states require carriers to provide loss runs on request, but format and turnaround vary widely by carrier.
The request needs the named insured exactly as written on the policy, the policy numbers, and the years requested. Missing or mismatched details are the most common reason a request bounces.
In Relay
Relay's Document Parsing reads loss run PDFs into structured claim data your team can actually use. See how →
Common questions
How many years of loss runs do underwriters want?
Three to five years is standard for most commercial lines. Workers comp submissions often ask for five.
Are carriers required to provide loss runs?
Many states require carriers to provide them within a set window after a request, but the rules and timelines vary by state. In practice, turnaround depends heavily on the carrier and how you ask.
Related terms
Part of the Relay insurance operations glossary. Updated 2026-07-11. See how we source content.
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