Coverage · Liability tower
Higher limits, stacked above.
Umbrella and excess policies sit above your primary liability policies and pay when a loss exceeds their limits. Stacked together, they form the upper floors of the tower.
- Primary$1 millionGeneral liability, $1M per occurrence
- First excess$5 millionFollows form above primary
- Second excess$10 millionShared across two markets
- Umbrella$25 millionBroadest terms at the top
What it covers
- Additional limits above general liability, auto and employer's liability
- Follow-form excess, which mirrors the terms of the policy below it
- Umbrella cover that can also drop down over some gaps, subject to a retention
- Defense costs, depending on whether they sit inside or outside the limit
What it does not cover
- Losses the underlying policy excludes, if the layer follows its form
- Professional, cyber and management liability unless they are specifically scheduled
- Claims that fall below the primary limit, which the primary policy answers first
Fit
Who needs it.
Businesses whose contracts demand limits above a typical primary policy, or whose operations could produce a loss larger than the primary. Contractors, fleets and companies with public-facing premises usually buy excess.
Questions
Straight answers.
What is the difference between umbrella and excess?
An umbrella may broaden cover beyond the underlying policy in limited ways. Excess simply adds limit and follows the underlying terms. Both attach only after the primary limit is used.
What does follow form mean?
The excess policy adopts the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy beneath it, so it pays only for what the primary would cover, but at higher limits.
Why build the tower in several layers?
Different carriers price different layers. Splitting the tower lets us use more than one market, which usually improves price, capacity and terms compared with buying one large limit.
Add the next layer.
Tell us what your contracts require and we will design the tower to that limit, layer by layer.