ISO COMMERCIAL CRIME COVERAGES OVERVIEW

(January 2026)

INTRODUCTION

While we often associate crime with acts committed by strangers, the source of crime is often much closer at hand. The ones we trust the most are the ones who can steal the most because our defenses are down. The more barriers a business can place between its valuables and those who want to take them, the lower the chance of a loss. Crime insurance provides coverage when those barriers fail.

Property and inland marine insurance coverage forms and policies provide some coverage for losses due to criminal acts. However, they have limitations on the type of property covered, the amount of coverage available, and the perils or causes of loss that apply. They always exclude money and securities, employee theft, and extortion.

Crime insurance was developed to deal with those limitations. Having different coverage forms available lets the insured make intelligent decisions about the kind of coverage to buy. In addition, most crime coverage forms and policies are not subject to coinsurance clauses or penalties for inadequate insurance-to-value. As a result, the insured can choose the exact limit of insurance it needs for the specific coverage(s) involved.

The "one size fits all" approach does not apply to crime insurance coverage. Some coverage forms or policies are used more often than others, but each serves a specific purpose and applies to particular situations. Crime insurance coverage can be written as a monoline, stand-alone product or as part of a package policy.

In June 2022, ISO made significant changes to the Crime Programs for Commercial and Governmental entities. Some of these changes include the format change, with all forms now in a single column; the addition of the word Fidelity to replace Employee Theft; the development of numerous endorsements and extensions; and significant changes to policy coverages. The 06 22 edition changes are highlighted in bold.

POLICY MAKEUP

Commercial Crime Policies consist of two basic parts:

• One of the following Crime Declarations
• CR DS 02—Commercial Crime Policy Declarations
• CR DS 04—Government Crime Policy Declarations
• CR DS 05—Commercial Fidelity and Forgery Policy Declarations
• CR DS 07—Kidnap/Ransom and Extortion Policy Declarations
• CR DS 08—Government Fidelity and Forgery Policy Declarations
• One of the following Crime Policy Coverage Forms
• CR 00 22—Commercial Crime Policy (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 23—Commercial Crime Policy (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 26—Government Crime Policy (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 27—Government Crime Policy (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 28—Commercial Fidelity and Forgery Policy (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 29—Commercial Fidelity and Forgery Policy (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 30—Government Fidelity and Forgery Policy (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 31—Government Fidelity and Forgery Policy (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 41—Kidnap/Ransom and Extortion Policy

The Commercial Crime Coverage Part of a Package Policy consists of four basic forms:

1. IL DS 00—Common Policy Declarations

2. IL 00 17—Common Policy Conditions Form.
• This contains conditions common to all commercial lines of insurance. It is mandatory on most monoline or multi-line policies.

Related Article: IL 00 17–Common Policy Conditions Analysis

3. One of the appropriate Crime Declarations
• CR DS 01—Crime and Fidelity Coverage Part Declarations (Commercial Entities)
• CR DS 03—Crime and Fidelity Coverage Part Declarations (Government Entities)
• CR DS 06—Crime and Fidelity Coverage Part Declarations (Kidnap/Ransom and Extortion Coverage)

4. One of the appropriate Crime Coverage Forms
• CR 00 20—Commercial Crime Coverage Form (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 21—Commercial Crime Coverage Form (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 24—Government Crime Coverage Form (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 25—Government Crime Coverage Form (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 40—Kidnap/Ransom And Extortion Coverage Form

POLICIES AND COVERAGE PARTS

The following crime coverage forms and policies are available for Commercial Entities:

• CR 00 20–Commercial Crime Coverage Form (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 21–Commercial Crime Coverage Form (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 22–Commercial Crime Policy (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 23–Commercial Crime Policy (Loss Sustained Form)

Related Article: Commercial Crime Coverage Analysis

The following Crime Coverage Forms and policies are available for Governmental Entities:

• CR 00 24–Government Crime Coverage Form (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 25–Government Crime Coverage Form (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 26–Government Crime Policy (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 27–Government Crime Policy (Loss Sustained Form)

Related Article: Government Crime Coverage Forms

The following Crime Policies provide only Employee Theft and Forgery Coverage:

• CR 00 28–Commercial Fidelity and Forgery Policy (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 29–Commercial Fidelity and Forgery Policy (Loss Sustained Form)
• CR 00 30 Government Fidelity and Forgery Policy (Discovery Form)
• CR 00 31 Government Fidelity and Forgery Policy (Loss Sustained Form)

Related Article: CR 00 28–Commercial Fidelity And Forgery Policy (Discovery Form) and CR 00 29– Commercial Fidelity And Forgery Policy (Loss Sustained Form)

The following Crime Forms provide only Kidnap/Ransom and Extortion Coverage:

• CR 00 40–Kidnap/Ransom and Extortion Coverage Form
• CR 00 41–Kidnap/Ransom and Extortion Policy

Related Article: CR 00 40 and CR 00 41–Kidnap/Ransom and Extortion Coverage Form and Policy

AVAILABLE ENDORSEMENTS (06 22 edition)

Many optional endorsements are available to complement the eight insuring agreements in the coverage forms and policies. The 06 22 edition added an insuring agreement for ERISA employee benefit plans. Each endorsement covers a unique crime-related situation that may be industry specific or may apply to all industries.

All available endorsements are listed, along with a brief explanation of their use and information on the coverage parts or policies they may be attached to. Attaching an inappropriate endorsement to a coverage form or policy can lead to confusion, ambiguity, and coverage gaps.

Related Article: Commercial Crime Coverages Available Endorsements and Their Uses

UNDERWRITING AND RATING

The key aspects of underwriting crime insurance are suspecting everyone and establishing suitable barriers between the covered property and potential thieves. Increasing the number of barriers and security procedures reduces the likelihood of a loss.

Related Article: Commercial Crime Coverages Underwriting Considerations

Commercial crime coverage rating is outlined in the ISO Commercial Crime Manual. It is very specific, but some of the details can be extremely confusing.

Related Article: Commercial Crime Coverages Rating Considerations