Let's cut to the chase. If you're reading this, you probably need your claims history from Aon, and the process feels like a black box. Maybe you're switching brokers, conducting an internal risk audit, or your new insurer is demanding detailed loss runs. I've been in your shoes—and on the other side, helping dozens of clients navigate this exact request. The standard advice is "just email your Aon representative," but that's where the headaches begin. A generic request often gets you a generic, incomplete PDF summary that misses the crucial context insurers actually need to price your risk accurately.

What You'll Find Inside

Why a Proper Claims History Request is More Than Just Paperpaperwork

Think of your claims history as the medical record for your business's risk profile. An underwriter looks at it to diagnose past issues and predict future ones. A skimpy report from Aon that just lists claim numbers, dates, and paid amounts is like getting a doctor's note that only says "had fever." It's useless.

I worked with a mid-sized manufacturing client once who was getting brutal renewal quotes. They'd requested their history from Aon, received a one-page summary, and thought they were set. When we dug in, we found the summary omitted the narrative descriptions for three large product liability claims. Those narratives showed the root causes had been fixed with new quality controls—a fact that completely changed the underwriting conversation and led to a 22% premium reduction. The data existed in Aon's system; the initial request just didn't ask for it specifically.

Your goal isn't just to get data; it's to get decision-useful intelligence. A complete history empowers you to tell your risk story proactively.

The Step-by-Step Aon Claims History Request Process

Forget sending a one-line email. Treat this like a formal data procurement project. Here's the sequence I follow every time to minimize back-and-forth.

Phase 1: Internal Preparation (Before You Contact Aon)

First, gather your own information. You'll need:

  • Your Aon Client ID/Number: Find this on any old invoice or policy document.
  • Policy Periods: Exact dates (month/day/year) for every policy year you need data from. Don't say "the last 5 years"; say "January 1, [Year1] to January 1, [Year6]".
  • Lines of Coverage: Be specific. General Liability, Workers' Comp, Property, Auto, Cyber, etc.
  • Entity Names: If your company has subsidiaries insured under different tax IDs, list them all.

Draft your request in a formal letter on company letterhead (a PDF). This signals seriousness and creates a clear audit trail.

Phase 2: Initiating the Request

Now, contact Aon. Your primary point of contact should be your Account Executive or Risk Consultant. If that person has left the firm, find the head of the client service team for your industry or region. CC your company's legal or finance department contact if appropriate.

In your email:

  • Reference the attached formal request letter.
  • Clearly state the purpose (e.g., "for market review at renewal," "for internal risk management analysis").
  • Set a reasonable but firm deadline (e.g., "Please provide this data within 10 business days").
  • Ask for confirmation of receipt and an expected completion date.
Personal Note: I've found that emails sent on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning get faster initial responses than Monday or Friday emails. Your mileage may vary, but it's a pattern I've noticed.

Phase 3: Follow-Up and Data Validation

Don't assume silence means progress. If you don't get a confirmation within 48 hours, send a polite follow-up. Once you receive the files, immediately check them against the checklist in the next section. If anything is missing, reply all on the same email thread with a precise list of the gaps. This consolidated communication is key.

Critical Data Points Most People Forget to Request

This is the heart of the guide. Most Aon claims history reports are generated from their central system, but they often use a standard template that leaves out gold. When you make your request, explicitly ask for the following to be included for each and every claim:

Data Point Why It's Critical (The "So What?") Commonly Missing?
Full Claim Narrative/Description Explains the "how" and "why" of the incident. This is what underwriters scour to assess root cause and future risk. A claim for "$50,000 slip and fall" is bad; a narrative showing it was due to a one-time contractor spill that's led to new vendor protocols is good. Yes, often omitted from standard loss runs.
Claim Status & Reserves Breakdown Not just "open" or "closed." You need the current financial reserve for each open claim (indemnity, expense). For closed claims, show both the final paid amount and the last reserve before closure. The difference reveals Aon's/ the carrier's forecasting accuracy. Reserve details are sometimes in a separate report.
Adjuster Notes & Internal Codes Internal codes can flag subrogation potential, fraud indicators, or legal complexity. Adjuster notes give you the raw, unfiltered assessment. Almost never in standard reports without specific asking.
All Related Documents This is the big one. Request copies of the First Notice of Loss (FNOL), key correspondence, settlement agreements, and closure documents. These are your proof points if an underwriter questions a claim's details. Rarely sent automatically. You must specify.
Policy-Specific Details The exact policy number the claim was filed under, the deductible/retention applied, and any applicable sublimate or SIR (Self-Insured Retention) amounts. Sometimes included, but verify.

Ask for the data in an Excel or CSV format in addition to PDF. The structured data allows you to sort, filter, and analyze trends yourself. If they push back on Excel, it's often because their system's export function is clunky, not because it's impossible. Be politely persistent.

You might hear: "Our system only generates this standard report," or "That level of detail requires manual work and will take weeks." Here's how to respond.

First, understand their constraint. The account manager likely has to request the data from a separate claims servicing team. Your job is to make their job of briefing that team easier. Your detailed, itemized request letter does exactly that.

If delays persist, escalate politely. Ask your contact: "Could you please introduce me via email to the person on the claims team handling this request so I can clarify any questions they might have directly?" This often unblocks the process. As a last resort, referencing your right to this data under the terms of your service agreement and privacy laws (like GDPR or CCPA, if applicable) can add necessary weight. I've rarely had to go that far, but it's in your toolkit.

Avoid the mistake of getting angry with your account exec. They're usually the gatekeeper, not the bottleneck. Work with them.

How to Use Your Claims History Effectively Post-Request

You've got the data. Now what? Don't just forward the PDF to a new broker and hope for the best.

  • Create a Master Summary: Use the Excel data to build a one-page executive summary. Group claims by type, show total incurred costs, highlight frequency vs. severity trends. Identify your top 3 loss drivers.
  • Prepare Your Narrative: For each significant claim, have a one-sentence story ready that includes the cause and the corrective action taken. This turns historical data into a demonstration of proactive risk management.
  • Spot Data Discrepancies: Compare Aon's report with your own internal incident logs. I once found a series of small medical-only workers' comp incidents that Aon's system had never been notified about. That was a process failure we fixed.

This analyzed history isn't just for insurance shopping. It's a tool for your operations and safety teams to prevent future losses.

Expert Answers to Your Trickiest Questions

Switching brokers? What's the one claim document most people forget to request from Aon?
The First Notice of Loss (FNOL) forms. The standard loss run shows the claim after it's been processed. The FNOL is the raw, initial report—often filled out by your employee or manager. It contains unvarnished details, witness names, and initial observations that can get sanitized in later reports. Having the FNOL gives your new broker ammunition to defend against an insurer's assumption that a claim was poorly reported or managed from the start.
Aon is saying they can't release certain documents due to "carrier confidentiality." Is that legitimate?
Sometimes, but often it's a deflection. Documents created by the insurance carrier (like their internal reserve worksheets) might be considered their work product. However, documents that are fundamentally about your company and your loss—like the FNOL you submitted, the settlement agreement you signed, or the closure letter sent to you—are your data. Push back politely. Ask them to specify exactly which documents are being withheld and on what specific legal or contractual basis. Request they provide a redacted version if possible. In 80% of cases, this clarification request gets the documents released.
How far back should I request claims history? Is 5 years enough?
Five years is the standard market ask for most lines of coverage. However, for claims-made policies like Directors & Officers (D&O) or Professional Liability, you need the full tail history—every claim reported under every policy year, regardless of when the incident occurred. For property claims, insurers often look for 10 years of history on large accounts to spot weather pattern vulnerabilities. My rule: request 10 years of data as a default. It's easier to filter out the older years later than to go back for a second request.
Can I get my claims history directly from the insurance company instead of going through Aon?
Technically, yes. The carrier has the claim files. But this is almost always more difficult. You'd have to contact each carrier for each policy line, navigate their separate portals or departments, and then consolidate disparate reports. Aon's value here (theoretically) is as your single point of contact to aggregate all this data across multiple carriers and years. Insisting Aon fulfill this role is reasonable. It's a basic service expectation.
The data Aon sent has errors or omits a claim we know about. What's my next move?
This happens more than you'd think. Reply immediately with the specific discrepancy. Provide any evidence you have (internal report numbers, emails about the claim). Ask for a revised and certified report. Frame it as ensuring data accuracy for all parties, not as an accusation. If the missing claim was below the deductible and never formally reported to the carrier, it might legitimately not be in Aon's central system. In that case, you should create a supplementary log of these "below-deductible incidents" to share with underwriters—it shows superior risk awareness.

The process of requesting your claims history from Aon is a test of diligence. A vague request yields vague results that can cost you real money at renewal. A precise, informed request transforms historical data into a strategic asset. You own this data. It's your right to have it, completely and accurately. Now you know exactly how to get it.

This guide is based on firsthand experience in risk management and broker negotiations. Details of processes may vary slightly based on your specific Aon service team and region.