Glossary
ACORD Forms
The standardised insurance application, certificate, and notice forms published by ACORD and used across the industry.
ACORD forms give the industry a common vocabulary. A commercial application, a certificate of insurance, or a notice of cancellation looks the same regardless of which agency prepared it or which carrier receives it.
Standardisation makes automation possible: because field positions and meanings are consistent, systems can populate and read these forms reliably. The forms themselves are copyrighted by ACORD and licensed for use.
See also
- Certificate of Insurance — A one-page summary evidencing that coverage is in force, issued to a third party such as a landlord, lender, or client.
- AL3 — The ACORD Level 3 flat-file standard used to exchange policy and commission data between insurance carriers and agency s…
- Binder — A temporary insurance contract that provides coverage until the formal policy is issued, typically used while the applic…