A renewal comparison sheet places your expiring policy and your renewal offer side by side and identifies every difference between them — limits, deductibles, sublimits, endorsements and premium.
Every commercial renewal we handle comes with one. Here is what the document is, how we build it, and how to read it.
It is a single worksheet that places your expiring policy and your renewal offer next to each other and identifies every difference between them.
It is not a quote and it is not a proposal. It is a reconciliation document. One column holds what your policy said this year. The next holds what the renewal says. A third states the change. A fourth records whether that line has been verified against the actual policy documents, and a fifth captures the note or the open question behind it.
It covers the items that decide whether a claim is paid and what it costs you:
| Coverage | Expiring | Renewal | Change | Review Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | $18,400 | $20,240 | +$1,840 (+10.0%) | Review Needed |
| General liability — occurrence | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | No change | Unchanged |
| General liability — aggregate | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | No change | Unchanged |
| Property deductible | $2,500 | $5,000 | +$2,500 (+100.0%) | Changed |
| Valuation | Replacement cost | Replacement cost | No change | Unchanged |
| Equipment breakdown sublimit | $100,000 | $50,000 | −$50,000 (−50.0%) | Changed |
| Hired & non-owned auto | Included | Not shown on quote | Changed | Unverified |
Verified against the issued documents and identical to the expiring term.
Verified, and different from the expiring term. The note explains how.
Not yet confirmed against an issued policy or endorsement. Still open.
Flagged for a licensed producer or CSR before any conclusion is drawn.
Renewals rarely arrive unchanged. Carriers adjust rates, revise forms, shift deductibles, add exclusions and re-file endorsements between policy terms. A renewal with a familiar carrier name and a similar premium can still carry a materially different contract underneath it.
Every difference is documented — not just the premium. A flat renewal with a new exclusion is a change. So is a sublimit that moved from $100,000 to $50,000.
Each line carries a note explaining the movement and the document it came from, so the premium number is never presented without the context behind it.
Every row carries a review status. Nothing is presented as confirmed until it has been read off the actual policy language rather than assumed from the quote.
Missing documents, carrier questions, subjectivities and binding deadlines are pulled into an action list with the responsible party and the date attached.
A premium number on its own tells you very little. The comparison is what makes it meaningful.
A 9% increase and a 9% increase with a higher wind deductible are two different renewals. On the invoice they look identical. The comparison shows which one you are actually being offered.
Coverage rarely disappears loudly. It narrows — a sublimit drops, a form edition changes, an endorsement is quietly not renewed. Those are found by reading the two documents against each other.
A cheaper renewal is good news only if the coverage behind it held. Comparing the terms shows whether the savings came from rate, from a deductible you now carry, or from coverage that is no longer there.
The sheet documents which policies, quotes, binders and endorsements were reviewed, and by whom. If a coverage question arises mid-term, there is a dated record of what was compared and what was flagged.
Specific findings — a sublimit reduction, an added exclusion, an unexplained rate movement — are what carriers respond to. A general objection to a price increase is not.
Because the comparison is built ahead of the renewal date, open items and carrier questions surface while there is still room to negotiate, remarket or request a change.
A premium number on its own tells you very little. The comparison is what makes it meaningful.
Limitations are documented as plainly as strengths. A comparison that only lists what improved is not a comparison.
Your account manager can walk you through your comparison line by line, explain any item marked Review Needed, and tell you what is still open before your renewal date.
Disclaimer: This page and the accompanying template are provided for informational purposes only. Any comparison is based solely on the documents reviewed and is subject to the terms, conditions, limits, exclusions and endorsements of the issued policies, which control. Coverage conclusions should be reviewed by a licensed insurance professional. Group Coverage, Inc. does not create, amend or guarantee coverage through this document.