When brokers say "ACORD loss run request form", they usually mean a standard loss run request: a letter of authority signed by the insured plus the named insured, FEIN, carrier, policy numbers and policy terms. There is no single ACORD form every carrier requires for loss runs, so the signed authorization and accurate policy details are what make a request valid.
The phrase is common enough that it gets typed into search bars and agency wikis every renewal season, and it causes real confusion. Producers go looking for an official ACORD document, find several templates with ACORD-style layouts, and are not sure which one carriers expect. This guide explains where ACORD forms fit in the loss run process, what a request actually has to contain, and how to build one that carriers process the first time.
What ACORD is and what its forms do
ACORD is a nonprofit standards organization for the insurance industry. Its best-known output is a library of standardized forms used for applications, certificates of insurance and policy changes, along with data standards that let agency systems and carriers exchange information. Brokers use ACORD forms every day: the ACORD 25 certificate of liability insurance, the ACORD 125 commercial insurance application, and line-specific sections such as the ACORD 126 for general liability, 127 for business auto, 130 for workers compensation and 140 for property.
ACORD forms are licensed, and agencies typically access them through their agency management system or a forms vendor. Our ACORD forms page covers which forms go into a commercial submission.
Where loss history appears on ACORD forms
The ACORD 125 has a loss history section where the applicant lists prior claims, and the line sections ask line-specific loss questions. These sections summarize losses for the underwriter. They do not replace the carrier loss runs, and markets generally ask for the carrier reports as well. In other words, ACORD forms are where loss history is reported in a submission, not the instrument used to obtain it from the prior carrier.
What a loss run request actually needs
Carriers release loss information to the named insured, the agent of record, or someone the insured has authorized in writing. So the essential document is the authorization, and the essential data is whatever the carrier needs to find the account.
| Element | Required | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Named insured, exactly as on the policy | Yes | Account lookup |
| DBA names | If any | Policies may be written under a DBA |
| FEIN | Strongly recommended | Distinguishes similar business names |
| Carrier name | Yes | One request per carrier |
| Policy numbers | Yes | Fastest lookup |
| Policy effective and expiration dates | Yes | Defines the terms requested |
| Lines of coverage | Yes | Different units often handle different lines |
| Authorized recipient | Yes | Who may receive the report |
| Delivery address | Yes | Email or upload link |
| Signature, printed name, title, date | Yes | Owner or officer of the insured |
| Validity period | Recommended | Often twelve months, covers re-requests |
Sample authorization wording
The following wording is typical of what carriers accept. The insured and agency names are fictional.
Orchard Lane Dental Partners PC hereby authorizes the release of all loss information, including currently valued loss runs for all lines of coverage for the policies listed below, to Westbrook Risk Advisors. This authorization is valid for twelve months from the date of signature.
Follow it with the policy table, then the signature block. A full template is on our loss run request letter page.
Electronic signatures and validity
Most carriers accept an electronically signed authorization, provided the signer's name, title and the signing date are visible on the document. Keep the signed PDF on the account file. A twelve month validity period lets you re-request a current valuation later in the renewal cycle without going back to the insured for a new signature, which matters when a market asks for refreshed loss runs a few weeks before binding.
Carrier specific forms
Some carriers have their own loss run request form or an online request screen in the agency portal. When a carrier publishes its own process, use it. It usually routes the request straight to the right unit and asks for exactly the fields that unit needs. Our carrier loss run guides list the published channel for each major carrier. Where a carrier does not publish a contact, send the request through your agent portal or the carrier's loss run department.
Why requests get stuck
Whether you use a carrier form, an ACORD-style template or a plain letter, the same problems cause delays.
- Wrong signer. An employee without authority signs instead of an owner or officer.
- Name mismatch. The request says "Orchard Lane Dental" and the policy says "Orchard Lane Dental Partners PC".
- No policy numbers. The carrier must search by name and may find nothing or the wrong account.
- Combined request. One letter lists five carriers and is sent to all five; each has to work out what belongs to it.
- Vague period. "All available years" returns whatever the processor decides.
- Wrong channel. Sent to an underwriter who has left, or a general mailbox nobody reads.
- No follow-up. Requests sit unanswered for weeks because nobody asked again.
A request workflow that works
- Have the insured sign one authorization covering all carriers and all lines for the period.
- Build a policy table per carrier with numbers, terms and lines.
- Send one request per carrier through its published channel.
- Follow up on day 3, 7 and 14 on the same thread, escalating on day 14.
- Check each report on arrival for valuation date, missing terms and totals.
The full process, with a follow-up schedule and what to do when a carrier will not respond, is in how to request loss runs from any carrier and on our how to request loss runs page.
After the report arrives
The request is only half the job. Each report needs a valuation date within 60 to 90 days of submission (see currently valued loss runs), every requested term present, and totals that add up. Then the reports from every carrier need to become one summary with loss ratio by policy year.
That is the workflow our loss run software runs for you. You upload the signed letter of authority once. LossRunReports sends a request to each carrier for each policy term, follows up automatically on day 3, 7 and 14, receives replies on a dedicated inbound address or a secure upload link, reads PDF, scanned, XLSX and CSV loss runs into one claims schema, and flags gaps, duplicates and valuations older than 90 days. The five-year summary and the ACORD data for the renewal submission are built from the same claims. To see the reading step on a real report, analyze a loss run.
Frequently confused terms
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Letter of authority | The insured's signed permission for a third party to receive loss information |
| Broker of record letter | A different document that changes which agency represents the insured with a carrier |
| Loss run | The carrier's claim history report for a policy |
| Loss history section | Where prior losses are summarized on the ACORD 125 and line sections |
| No-loss letter | The carrier's confirmation that a term had no reported claims |
A broker of record letter and a letter of authority are often confused. A prospecting producer needs only the authorization to obtain loss runs. Changing the agency of record is a separate step with its own rules at each carrier.
Summary
- There is no single ACORD form that every carrier requires for loss run requests.
- A valid request is a signed authorization plus accurate policy details, sent per carrier.
- Use a carrier's own form or portal when it publishes one.
- ACORD forms report loss history in the submission; carrier loss runs prove it.
- Follow up on a schedule and check every report on arrival.