Preparing an ACORD File

The following sections list the prerequisites for all ACORD-formatted spreadsheets, so that you can successfully import the data into Touchstone:

• Headers

• Date Formats

• Perils

• Deductibles

• Percentages

For complete information about the ACORD format, see The Binding Authorities Implementation Guide on ACORD's website.

Headers

Header requirements for the ACORD file that you are preparing:

• Rows 1-8 must contain the ACORD file header information.

  Each of the following attributes must be entered on a new line:

  • Coverholder Name

  • Coverholder's Reference

  • Broker in London

  • Broker's Reference

  • Binder Inception Date

  • Binders Expiry

  • In Force Date

  • Personal Lines or Commercial or Combined

• Row 9 must be empty.

• Row 10 must contain all the column headers defined by ACORD.

Date Formats

Date format requirements for the ACORD file that you are preparing:

• mm/dd/yyyy (e.g., 06/23/2012)

• day-MON-yyyy (e.g., 23-JUN-2012)

Perils

The ACORD format denotes inclusion of perils with Yes/No columns for each peril type. For each location in the file, you must indicate whether each peril is covered. If you enter Y for any of these columns, AIR ImportExpress maps the values to AIR peril codes, as listed below:

• EQ - Inc Y/N = PES+PEF+PSL

• WS - Inc Y/N = PWA

• FL - Inc Y/N = PFL

• AOP - Inc Y/N = PSH

• TR - Inc Y/N = PTR

Deductibles

For each peril, the value in the Deductible Basis column indicates the deductible type. For deductibles entered as monetary values, AIR ImportExpress reads the data from the Deductible (amount) column. For deductibles entered as percentages, AIR ImportExpress reads the data from the Deductible (percent) column.

Percentages

For participation and deductibles, enter percentages as a decimal (e.g., 0.3 for 30%). AIR ImportExpress converts values that entered as whole numbers to decimals, by dividing by 100. For example, AIR ImportExpress converts 27 to .27.