Blanket Additional Insured on COI
A certificate indication that the insured carries a blanket additional insured endorsement covering any party required by contract.
What It Is
Blanket Additional Insured on COI refers to the practice of indicating on a certificate of insurance that the insured's policy includes a blanket additional insured endorsement — meaning any party the insured is contractually required to add as an additional insured is automatically covered without a specific scheduled endorsement.
On the ACORD 25, this is typically communicated by checking the additional insured box and noting in the Description of Operations that coverage is provided under a blanket additional insured endorsement, referencing the form number (such as CG 20 33 or a carrier-proprietary blanket form).
Blanket AI status on a COI simplifies the certificate process because the broker does not need to wait for a carrier-issued endorsement naming each specific party. As long as a written contract exists requiring additional insured status, the blanket endorsement automatically applies.
Why It Matters for Brokers
For high-volume accounts with many certificate holders, blanket AI endorsements streamline the certificate process significantly. However, brokers must verify that the blanket endorsement actually covers what each specific contract requires. Some blanket forms cover only ongoing operations, not completed operations. Some have sublimits. Some require the written contract to have been executed before the loss. Brokers who issue certificates referencing blanket AI status must ensure the blanket form meets each certificate holder's specific requirements.
Real-World Example
A commercial cleaning company has a blanket additional insured endorsement (CG 20 33 04 13) on their $1M/$2M CGL. They work for 55 property managers, each requiring additional insured status. When Property Manager #56 signs a contract and requests a certificate, the broker issues the ACORD 25 with AI status indicated and notes: 'Additional Insured per blanket endorsement CG 20 33 04 13 as required by written contract.' No mid-term endorsement request is needed. However, Property Manager #56's contract also requires completed operations AI coverage, and CG 20 33 does not include completed operations — the broker must address this gap separately.
Common Mistakes
- 1Issuing certificates showing blanket AI status when the blanket endorsement does not include completed operations coverage and the contract requires it.
- 2Not verifying that the blanket endorsement's triggering language matches the contract's requirements — some blanket forms require contracts executed prior to inception.
- 3Assuming all blanket AI forms are equivalent when coverage scope varies significantly between ISO and carrier-proprietary blanket endorsements.
How brokerageaudit.com Handles This
COI Manager identifies blanket additional insured endorsements verified by Policy Checker and allows certificates to reference blanket AI status when the endorsement's terms match the certificate holder's contract requirements. It flags any contract requirement that exceeds the blanket endorsement's scope — such as completed operations when the blanket covers only ongoing operations — and alerts the broker to address the gap before issuing the certificate.