What Is a Bordereaux?
A bordereaux is a structured insurance report, usually a spreadsheet, that lists premium, risk, or claims transactions for a policy, binder, coverholder, broker, carrier, or market arrangement.
What a bordereaux contains
A premium or risk bordereaux usually includes policy references, insured names, inception and expiry dates, transaction dates, gross premium, net premium, currency, country, class of business, and sometimes tax or commission fields. A claims bordereaux usually includes claim references, loss dates, status, paid amounts, reserves, incurred values, and settlement details.
Who uses bordereaux files?
Bordereaux files are used by coverholders, brokers, delegated authority teams, Lloyds and London Market participants, carriers, TPAs, claims teams, and operations analysts. The same file can support reconciliation, underwriting review, claims oversight, regulatory reporting, and renewal discussions.
Why bordereaux data goes wrong
Most bordereaux errors are ordinary spreadsheet errors: blank references, inconsistent country names, transactions outside the binder period, duplicate rows, missing currency codes, negative premium values, or claims without a clear loss date. The problem is that small spreadsheet mistakes become expensive when they block reconciliation or create market follow-up.
Premium bordereaux vs claims bordereaux
Premium bordereaux focus on written premium, risks, policy references, and reporting period. Claims bordereaux focus on claim activity, incurred cost, paid amount, reserves, and claim status. They are related, but they answer different operational questions. Treating them as the same file usually creates poor validation rules.
How to validate a bordereaux before submission
- Confirm the file has the required policy or claim reference field.
- Check dates against the binder or reporting period.
- Find duplicate policy, risk, or claim references.
- Check premium, paid, reserve, and incurred fields for zero or negative values.
- Make country, currency, and class fields explicit.
- Keep a note of any exception rows before sending the file onward.
Use the free validator
The ToolDox Bordereaux Validator checks common bordereaux problems in your browser. It is not a formal Lloyds or carrier validation engine, but it gives you a useful first-pass quality review before a file is sent to market.