Commercial Umbrella & Excess Liability

Commercial Umbrella & Excess Liability

A commercial umbrella sits on top of your underlying liability policies (general liability, commercial auto, and the employer liability part of workers' comp) and pays when a claim runs past those primary limits. Excess liability is similar, with stricter terms about which underlying policies it follows.

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Why a business needs umbrella coverage

  • A serious auto accident can blow through a $1 million commercial auto limit in a single afternoon
  • Slip-and-fall verdicts have grown larger over the past decade
  • General contractors, landlords, and large customers often require $2 million, $5 million, or $10 million in additional limits
  • Premium per million of coverage is usually the cheapest insurance you can buy

How umbrella coverage works

If a covered claim exceeds your underlying limit, the umbrella picks up where that policy stopped. For example, a $1 million general liability limit plus a $4 million umbrella gives you $5 million of total coverage on a covered general liability claim.

What an umbrella does not do

Umbrellas don't cover everything that's excluded from the underlying policy. They're not a substitute for cyber liability, professional liability, or employment practices coverage. They also won't respond if you let an underlying policy lapse.

Get A Quote

Call our Highland office at 219.923.2131, or request a free quote online.