Loss Run Report: What It Shows and How to Request One

A loss run report, usually just called “loss runs”, is a statement from an insurance company listing the claims made under your policy. Florida’s insurance code gives a workable definition: a report showing the policy number, the period of coverage, the number of claims, the paid losses on all claims, and the date of each loss (Fla. Stat. § 627.444). A new insurer asks for it before quoting, much as a lender asks for a credit report.

The short version:

• You request loss runs from your current or former insurer, in writing, often through your agent.
• Business insurers usually want three to five years of history, and a report with no claims on it still counts.
• Several states set a deadline for the insurer to respond: 15 calendar days in Florida, 10 business days in Tennessee, 20 days in Kentucky, 30 days in Oklahoma.
• In Florida and Tennessee the insurer cannot charge for the first report.
• Check the report before you pass it on. Open claims and reserves can raise a quote, and mistakes can be corrected.

This is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Deadlines and rights differ by state and by line of insurance; your state insurance department can confirm the rule where you are.

What a loss run report shows

Formats vary by insurer, but most reports list, policy period by policy period:

• the policy number and the dates of coverage;
• each claim, with the date of loss and the date it was reported;
• a short description of what happened;
• whether the claim is open or closed;
• the amount paid so far;
• for open claims, sometimes the reserve, which is the amount the insurer has set aside for future payments;
• the total incurred, meaning paid plus reserved.

Not every item is guaranteed. Florida’s statute requires the paid losses and dates but says the insurer does not have to provide loss reserve information, and it excludes the supporting claim file, such as investigation reports and statements.

If you have never had a claim, the report says so. Underwriters call that a “clean” or “no losses” loss run, and it is worth having: it is the evidence behind a claims-free price.

When you need one

According to a Florida House staff analysis of that state’s loss run law, policyholders usually ask for the report when they are shopping for a new policy, and the prospective insurer uses it to decide whether to write the policy and what to charge. The analysis names the lines where requests are most common: general liability, business owner’s policies, commercial property, commercial auto, and workers’ compensation.

In practice, expect to be asked for loss runs when:

• you are switching insurers at renewal;
• your insurer has cancelled or declined to renew the policy;
• a broker is taking your account to several insurers at once;
• you are buying a business and want to see its claims record;
• a lender, landlord, or large client wants proof of your claims history.

Home and car insurance work differently. Personal insurers mostly pull your history from a claims database instead of asking you for paperwork, which is covered below.

How to request loss runs

1. Find out how many years the new insurer wants. Three to five is typical, and it has to include every insurer you used in that period, not only the latest.
2. Ask in writing. Email your agent or the insurer’s customer service or underwriting contact. Include the named insured exactly as it appears on the policy, the policy numbers, the periods you need, and where to send the report.
3. Use your agent if you have one. Agents request these routinely, and many insurers let agents or policyholders pull the report from an online portal.
4. Keep the date of your request. If your state sets a deadline, it runs from when the insurer receives the written request.
5. Ask each former insurer separately. An old insurer still has to answer for the years it covered you.

A request can be short:

Please send a loss run report for [named insured], policy number [number], covering [start date] to [end date], including policies with no claims. Send it to [email address]. This is a written request under [state statute, if your state has one].

You do not need your current insurer’s permission to shop, and asking for loss runs does not cancel anything. Insurers know that a request often means the account is being quoted elsewhere, and Florida’s law requires the insurer to tell your agent of record when it sends you the report, so do not be surprised by a call from your agent.

How long the insurer has to send them

There is no single national rule. When Florida passed its law, legislative staff counted roughly eleven other states with a statute on the subject. Four examples show how much the rules differ:

Sources: Fla. Stat. § 627.444; Tenn. Code § 56-5-123; Kentucky and Oklahoma as cited in the Florida House staff analysis (Ky. Rev. Stat. § 304.20-100; Okla. Stat. tit. 36, § 1204.1). Checked 11 November 2026; read the current statute before relying on a deadline.

Some details worth knowing:

• Florida lets an insurer answer a personal lines request by telling the policyholder how to get the report free from a consumer reporting agency. If the policyholder then asks again, the 15 days start over. A matching rule for surplus lines insurers is in section 626.9202.
• Tennessee counts email and fax as written requests, lets you name someone else to receive the report, and treats a missed deadline as a violation of its unfair trade practices law.
• In a state with no statute, the insurer’s own service standard applies. If a request is ignored, a complaint to the state insurance department usually gets a response.

How to read it before you send it on

The underwriter will read three things first, so read them yourself.

Frequency. Several small claims can worry an insurer more than one large one, because they suggest a pattern. If there is a reason, such as a single bad winter or a location you have since closed, say so in a short note with the submission.

Open claims and reserves. An open claim with a large reserve is usually counted at its reserved value, even though less may be paid in the end. If a claim on the report has actually been resolved, ask the insurer to close it and reissue the report.

The valuation date. Each report shows the date its figures were pulled. Underwriters want a recent one, often described as “currently valued”. If yours is months old, request a fresh copy instead of sending a stale one.

Also check the basics: the right business name, the right policy periods, and no claims that belong to someone else. If something is wrong, tell the insurer in writing and ask for a corrected report before the new insurer sees it.

Loss runs for home and car insurance

Personal insurers rarely ask for a loss run. They check an industry claims database, most often the CLUE report held by LexisNexis. Washington State’s insurance regulator explains that an insurer may request a CLUE report when you apply for coverage or ask for a quote, and that federal law entitles you to a free copy of your own. Its page gives the LexisNexis Consumer Center number as 866-312-8076.

If you are moving to the United States, or returning after years without a policy, the database will have nothing on you. In that case ask your previous insurer for a letter stating how long you were insured and what claims you made; insurers call this a letter of experience.

Frequently asked questions

Are loss runs free?

Often, yes. Florida bars insurers from charging for one loss run statement a year, and Tennessee bars a fee for one three-year history. Elsewhere it depends on the insurer, though most provide them without charge.

How many years of loss runs do I need?

Most commercial underwriters ask for three to five years. The state laws track that range: Tennessee requires up to three years and Florida five.

Can my insurer refuse to give me loss runs?

Not where a statute requires them. In other states the claims history is still yours to ask for, and the state insurance department takes complaints about insurers that will not respond.

What if I have no claims?

Request the report anyway. A loss run showing no claims is what proves a clean record to the next insurer.

What does “currently valued” mean on a loss run?

It means the figures were pulled recently, so they reflect the latest payments and reserves. Ask the new insurer how recent the report must be.

Is a loss run the same as a CLUE report?

No. A loss run comes from one insurer and covers the policies you held with it. A CLUE report is a database record that personal insurers check across companies.

Where to go from here

Request loss runs a few weeks before you start shopping, so a slow reply does not hold up your quotes. If the report shows a claim your insurer is defending under a reservation of rights letter, read that guide before you describe the claim to anyone else. For what the main policies cost, see small business LLC insurance cost and workers’ compensation insurance for small business, and all the business insurance guides are in one place. Arhox is an independent publication, not an insurer, broker, or law firm; our editorial policy and disclaimer explain how these guides are prepared.