Certificates of Insurance are a very important part of your business insurance. The certificate of insurance provides liability information on your general liability, automobile liability, workers compensation, excess liability insurance and/or professional liability insurance. The certificate holder is the person or business requiring a certificate of insurance.

Today many contracts have special requirements or require specific endorsements that may or may not be included in your business insurance policies.  It is important to share the certificate holder’s insurance requirements with your Account Manager to determine if your insurance policies meet the requirements of the certificate holder.

It is common for contracts to require special cancellation clauses. The standard insurance policy cancellation clause is 10 days written notice for non-payment and 30 days written notice for all other reasons. The cancellation clause cannot be altered on the certificate of insurance without the insurance company specifically endorsing the policy. Today, most insurance companies will not amend the cancellation clause.

The certificate holder requiring to be named as an Additional Insured is another common special requirement. In most cases this is easily accomplished. The insurance policy must be endorsed to add the certificate holder as an additional insured if the policy does not include a blanket additional insured endorsement. Most insurance companies charge an additional premium for adding an additional insured to an insurance policy.

Some other common requests are waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory, and blanket contractual liability. If you are negotiating a contract that consists of specific insurance requirements, you should contact your Account Manager to determine if your insurance coverage meets the requirements of the contract. To expedite your requests for a certificate of insurance, your Account Manager will need the certificate holder’s name, mailing address and any special requirements.  The certificate can be emailed or faxed to the certificate holder.  

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