Policy Renewal Checklist

Pre-Renewal File Review

    Pull the in-force dec page, all mid-term endorsements, and the prior renewal proposal from Applied Epic or AMS360. AMS auto-population on ACORD 125/130 drifts over multiple renewal cycles — confirm class codes, payroll basis, and sales basis still match insured operations.

    Look up the producer's NPN on NIPR and confirm the resident and non-resident licenses are active in every state where the account has exposures. Lapsed CE = lapsed license = no authority to bind. A miss here can force the carrier to rescind.

    Request loss runs through each carrier portal; some require an ACORD 130 supplemental for WC. Five years is the standard remarketing requirement for most commercial markets.

    Flag any open claims with case reserves above 50% of the primary tower — those typically trigger excess-carrier notification at renewal. Note any subrogation pending and any litigated files that may affect the carrier's renewal appetite.

Exposure Update

    Walk through payroll growth, new locations, fleet additions, and new equipment with the insured. Changes that affect class codes, hazard grade, or exposure base must be reflected on the renewal application — not discovered at the next premium audit.

    Material exposure change, double-digit rate increase from the incumbent, or a carrier non-renewal decision are the usual triggers for remarketing. A clean renewal at expiring terms does not need a full remarketing submission.

    Assemble ACORD 125, 130, 140, supplementals, statement of values, and the 5-year loss runs. Confirm signatures and dates are current on the application — wholesale brokers reject stale submissions.

Quote and Compare

    Confirm whether the carrier issued a firm quote or a non-binding indication. Indications are subject-to and cannot be bound against; importing one into Epic as a quote is a common E&O trigger.

    Run admitted markets through the rater (EZLynx, TurboRater) and submit to wholesale brokers for E&S where the exposure warrants. Note any surplus-lines quote so the stamping office filing window is on the calendar early.

    Lay out limits, deductibles/SIRs, key endorsements, exclusions, and premium side-by-side. Call out form differences — claims-made vs occurrence, defense inside vs outside limits, and any policy-form sublimits the insured may not notice.

Client Presentation

    Schedule the renewal meeting 30-45 days before expiration so there's room to address questions before bind. Walk through coverage changes, premium movement, and any carrier-recommended loss control items.

    NY Insurance Reg 187, CA SB 250, and equivalents require written commission disclosure to commercial insureds. Routinely missed for mid-market accounts that have grown into the disclosure threshold.

Bind and Issue

    Screen the named insured, all additional insureds, and any new payees against the OFAC SDN list. Many agencies screen at original issuance only and miss new entities added at renewal.

    Verify the binding authority document for the carrier covers this line, hazard grade, and limit. Cross-state placements need the producer appointed and licensed in the state where coverage is bound, not just where the agency is domiciled.

    Pull the certificate holder list from Epic. ACORD 25 has separate fields for Certificate Holder and Additional Insured — listing the management company as additional insured but not the property owner is the most common COI error in real estate vendor relationships.

Post-Bind Filings and File Close

    State filing windows are typically 30-60 days post-bind. Often handled by the wholesale broker, but compliance ultimately rests with the producer of record — confirm the filing went through, do not assume.

    Set the audit reminder for WC and GL policies and brief the insured on what payroll and sales records to keep. Setting expectations during the year prevents disputes when the audit bill arrives.

    Apply the carrier's retention schedule — most lines require 5-7 years; workers comp commonly 10+ years given lifetime medical exposure. Premature destruction creates discoverable spoliation risk.