Resource · 2026 guide
The Complete Commercial Lines Coverage Checklist for Independent Agencies
A missed endorsement or unverified limit can delay underwriting by days, or worse, become an E&O claim. Use this line-by-line preflight checklist to audit commercial submissions before they go to carriers.
1. General Liability (GL) preflight
ACORD 125 & 126
Occurrence vs. aggregate limits
Are limits clearly stated (e.g., $1M / $2M)? Is the aggregate per project or per location endorsed?
Products & completed operations
Is the aggregate limit separate and adequate for the risk class?
Subcontractor endorsements
For artisan or construction risks, is an action-over / labor law exclusion present? Are CG 20 10 / CG 20 37 blanket additional insured endorsements required?
Operations & premises description
Does the operations narrative match the payroll and gross sales breakdown?
Waiver of subrogation & primary/non-contributory
Are contractually required endorsements flagged for the carrier?
2. Commercial Property & Inland Marine
ACORD 140 / 125
Building & BPP valuation
Is coverage written on Replacement Cost (RC) or Actual Cash Value (ACV)?
Coinsurance clause
Is coinsurance verified (80%, 90%, 100% or Agreed Value)? Do stated limits meet the minimums to avoid a penalty?
Business income / extra expense
Is Actual Loss Sustained (ALS) or a specific monthly limit of indemnity selected?
Deductible adequacy
Standard property deductible vs. wind/hail and water damage percentages.
Protective safeguards
Are central station burglar and fire alarms endorsed?
3. Commercial Auto
ACORD 127
Combined single limit (CSL)
Is the liability limit uniform across all symbols (typically $1M CSL)?
Covered auto symbols
Are Symbol 1 (Any Auto) or Symbols 7, 8, 9 (Specifically Described, Hired, Non-Owned) correctly assigned?
Hired & non-owned auto
Is this coverage endorsed if employees use personal vehicles for business errands?
Vehicle schedule & VIN validation
Are all 17-character VINs present and verified against registration or title?
Driver schedule & MVRs
Are all regular drivers listed with license numbers, dates of birth and state of issuance?
4. Workers' Compensation
ACORD 130
Class codes & payroll estimates
Do estimated payroll figures match the latest 941 filings or internal payroll reports?
Officer / partner inclusions or exclusions
Are officer rejection or inclusion forms attached and signed?
Experience modification rate (E-Mod)
Is the current NCCI or state bureau mod worksheet attached with its effective date?
Multi-state operations
Are other states (Part 3) coverages listed if employees travel or work across state lines?
5. Prior carrier & 5-year loss run reconciliation
Loss runs
Continuity of coverage
Are there gaps between policy expiration dates over the past 3 to 5 years?
Currently valued loss runs
Were loss runs pulled within 60 to 90 days of the proposed effective date?
Open claims & reserves
Are large claims (over $25,000) accompanied by carrier claim notes or an insured narrative?
Loss ratio context
Do loss totals correlate with historical exposure growth?
Why manual checklist audits fail account managers and underwriters
Fatigued account managers
Reading 40 pages of ACORDs and 10 pages of scanned loss runs at 4:30 PM leads to missed checkmarks.
Carrier kickbacks
Underwriters rarely reject submissions outright; they deprioritize incomplete ones. A missing schedule can delay a quote by a week.
E&O exposure
If a client required blanket additional insured on their GL and it never reached the carrier, the agency is on the hook.
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- Every finding links to the exact page in the source document.