Glossary

Insurance compliance, in plain English

Short, practical definitions of the terms you see on certificates of insurance, endorsements and lien waivers.

What is a certificate of insurance (COI)?A plain-English guide to certificates of insurance: what a COI proves, what it doesn't, who issues it and what to check before a vendor starts work.Read What is an ACORD 25 certificate?How to read an ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability Insurance box by box, how it differs from ACORD 28, and the mistakes reviewers miss most often.Read What is an additional insured?What additional insured status means, why general contractors and property owners require it, and how to confirm it's real — not just written on a COI.Read CG 20 10 vs CG 20 37: what's the difference?The difference between ISO additional insured endorsements CG 20 10 (ongoing operations) and CG 20 37 (completed operations), and why GCs ask for both.Read What is a waiver of subrogation?What a waiver of subrogation is, why contracts require it, how it shows on an ACORD 25, and why the matching endorsement still matters.Read What does primary and non-contributory mean?Primary and non-contributory insurance explained: which policy pays first, why GCs and owners require it, and how to confirm it on a vendor's COI.Read Certificate holder vs named insured vs additional insuredWho goes in which box on a COI: the named insured, the certificate holder and the additional insured explained, with what each role does and doesn't get.Read What is a lien waiver?Conditional vs unconditional, progress vs final: the four types of construction lien waivers explained, plus when to collect each before you pay.Read