Loss Run Report

Overview

A loss run report (often simply called loss runs) is a document issued by an insurance carrier that provides a detailed history of all claims filed against one or more insurance policies. Loss runs include information about each claim's date, type, status, amounts paid, and outstanding reserves. They serve as the official claims history record and are used extensively in underwriting, renewal negotiations, and vendor qualification processes.

How It Works

Loss runs are generated by the insurance carrier upon request from the insured or their broker. The report typically covers the most recent three to five policy years and includes the following information for each claim:

• Claim number: The carrier's unique identifier
• Date of loss: When the incident occurred
• Date reported: When the claim was reported to the carrier
• Claimant name: The person or entity that filed the claim
• Claim type: The category (bodily injury, property damage, workers' comp, etc.)
• Claim status: Open or closed
• Amounts paid: Total payments made on the claim (indemnity and expense)
• Reserves: The carrier's estimate of remaining future payments on open claims
• Total incurred: The sum of paid amounts plus reserves

Loss runs are considered proprietary to the insured and are not publicly available. The insured must authorize their carrier to release the reports. Carriers typically provide loss runs within 10 to 15 business days of a request.

Compliance Relevance

Loss runs are a powerful tool in vendor risk assessment and COI compliance:

• Prequalification screening: Many organizations require vendors to submit loss runs as part of the onboarding process to evaluate their claims history and safety track record
• EMR validation: Loss runs provide the underlying data that drives the experience modification rate, allowing compliance teams to understand what is behind a vendor's EMR
• Trend analysis: Reviewing loss runs over multiple years reveals patterns — increasing frequency, specific types of recurring claims, or large individual losses
• Red flag identification: Frequent claims, large reserves on open claims, or claims involving the same type of incident may indicate systemic safety problems
• Underwriting support: When a vendor is changing carriers, loss runs from the previous carrier are required for the new carrier to underwrite the risk

Compliance platforms should support loss run upload and analysis, enabling automated trend detection and integration with vendor risk scoring.