These are the coverages that we would recommend to our business owners. Please review.
Employment Practices:
A type of liability insurance covering wrongful acts arising from the employment process. The most frequent types of claims covered under such policies include: wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. In addition, the policies cover claims from a variety of other types of inappropriate workplace conduct, including (but not limited to) employment-related: defamation, invasion of privacy, failure to promote, deprivation of a career opportunity, and negligent evaluation. The policies cover directors and officers, management personnel, and employees as insureds. The most common exclusions are for bodily injury (BI), property damage (PD), and intentional/dishonest acts. EPLI policies are written on a claims-made basis. The forms contain “shrinking limits” provisions, meaning that insurer payment of defense costs—which are often a substantial part of a claim—reduce the policy’s limits. This approach contrasts with commercial general liability (CGL) policies, in which defense is covered in addition to policy limits. Although EPLI is available as a stand-alone coverage, it is also frequently sold as part of a management liability package policy. In addition to providing directors and officers (D&O) and fiduciary liability insurance, management liability package policies afford the option to cover employment practices liability
Directors and Officers Coverage:
A type of liability insurance covering directors and officers for claims made against them while serving on a board of directors and/or as an officer. D&O liability insurance can be written to cover the directors and officers of for-profit businesses, privately held firms, not-for-profit organizations, and educational institutions. In effect, the policies function as “management errors and omissions liability insurance,” covering claims resulting from managerial decisions that have adverse financial consequences. The policies contain “shrinking limits” provisions, meaning that defense costs—which are often a substantial part of a claim—reduce the policy’s limits. This approach contrasts with commercial general liability (CGL) policies, in which defense is covered in addition to policy limits. Other distinctive features of D&O policies are that they: (1) are written on a claims-made basis, (2) usually contain no explicit duty to defend the insureds (when covering for-profit businesses), and (3) cover monetary damages but exclude bodily injury (BI) and property damage (PD
Fiduciary:
As defined by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), an individual or corporation that: (1) exercises any discretionary authority or discretionary control in managing a pension or benefit plan or exercises any authority or control in managing or disposing of its assets; (2) renders investment advice for a fee or other compensation, with respect to any monies or other property belonging to the plan; or (3) has any discretionary authority or responsibility in administering the plan. ERISA, which was passed in 1974, not only formalized the law associated with the administration of employee pension and benefit plans; it also broadened the scope of such liability so that it became a “personal” rather than simply a “corporate” liability. The effect of this change was that soon after ERISA’s enactment, insurance companies began offering fiduciary liability insurance policies, which were specifically designed to cover this newly legislated exposure
Commercial Crime:
A crime insurance policy that is designed to meet the needs of organizations other than financial institutions (such as banks). A commercial crime policy typically provides several different types of crime coverage, such as: employee dishonesty coverage; forgery or alteration coverage; computer fraud coverage; funds transfer fraud coverage; kidnap, ransom, or extortion coverage; money and securities coverage; and money orders and counterfeit money coverage.
Privacy/Privacy breach:
A type of insurance designed to cover consumers of technology services or products. More specifically, the policies are intended to cover a variety of both liability and property losses that may result when a business engages in various electronic activities, such as selling on the Internet or collecting data within its internal electronic network.
Most notably, but not exclusively, cyber and privacy policies cover a business’ liability for a data breach in which the firm’s customers’ personal information, such as Social Security or credit card numbers, is exposed or stolen by a hacker or other criminal who has gained access to the firm’s electronic network. The policies cover a variety of expenses associated with data breaches, including: notification costs, credit monitoring, costs to defend claims by state regulators, fines and penalties, and loss resulting from identity theft.
In addition, the policies cover liability arising from website media content, as well as property exposures from: (a) business interruption, (b) data loss/destruction, (c) computer fraud, (d) funds transfer loss, and (e) cyber extortion.
Cyber and privacy insurance is often confused with technology errors and omissions (tech E&O) insurance. In contrast to cyber and privacy insurance, tech E&O coverage is intended to protect providers of technology products and services, such as computer software and hardware manufacturers, website designers, and firms that store corporate data on an off-site basis. Nevertheless, tech E&O insurance policies do contain a number of the same insuring agreements as cyber and privacy policies.
Technology Errors and Omissions:
A type of insurance designed to cover providers of technology services or products. For example, data storage companies and website designers provide technology services, while computer software and computer manufacturers offer technology products.
Tech E&O policies cover both liability and property loss exposures. Major liability insuring agreements include losses resulting from: (1) technology services, (2) technology products, (3) media content, and (4) network security breaches. Key property insuring agreements provide coverage for extortion threats, crisis management expense, and business interruption.
Tech E&O insurance is often confused with cyber and privacy insurance. In contrast to tech E&O coverage, cyber and privacy insurance is intended to protect consumers of technology products and services. Nevertheless, cyber and privacy insurance policies do offer a number of the same insuring agreements as tech E&O policies.
Miscellaneous Errors & Omissions:
A form of errors and omissions (E&O) coverage provided for a variety of professionals and quasi-professionals, including stock brokers, process servers, detective agencies, auctioneers, customs house brokers, franchisors, etc., for which no standard policy form is available (as is available for the “traditional” professions such as physicians, accountants, and attorneys). To tailor such policies to the particular profession involved, insurers generally append manuscript coverage provisions and exclusions.
Commercial Auto
General Liability
all descriptions courtesy of IRMI risk and managment
