AIG vs 
Zurich U.S.: How Do They Compare for Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
What Is AIG?
AIG is the marketing name for American International Group, Inc.; AIG says its insurance products are written or provided by subsidiaries or affiliates. Its U.S. business pages list commercial casualty, property, cyber, management and professional liability, and specialty programs, but a brand-level page does not identify the insurer for a particular policy. 1,2
Zurich U.S. Business Insurance: Products, Access, and Claims
Zurich U.S. serves Middle Market businesses and large or national accounts with commercial property-casualty and specialty insurance. Buyers can explore product lines and work through an agent or broker; the insurer named on a quote or policy identifies which Zurich company underwrites that coverage. 4,5
What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Umbrella or excess insurance adds liability limits above the policies named in the quote after a covered claim exhausts their limits. It may fit if a contract sets higher limits; check which primary policies are listed and any gaps between them. 7,8,9,10,11
Key Differences in Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance
Umbrella parts and crisis expense
Zurich says Coverage A follows underlying excess liability and Coverage B provides lead umbrella liability; Coverage C reimburses emergency crisis expenses up to $250,000. AIG markets lead, mid, and high casualty positions that may integrate with other lines. Ask Zurich which parts appear in the quote and AIG where its layer attaches. 3 6
Separate high-limit claims-made facility
Zurich describes a joint Excess Claims Made Facility with Chubb and National Indemnity offering up to $100 million and possible customized wording. AIG markets admitted and non-admitted excess positions but leaves insurer and terms to each placement. For claims-made excess, ask both for the participating insurer, form, and attachment details. 3 6
What to Confirm in Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Quotes
Review Scores
These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.
AIG
Review Score
2 rated sources
Customer ratings for AIG are low: Trustpilot shows 1.9 out of 5 from 252 reviews, and NerdWallet gives 2.5 stars and notes more claims complaints than expected. These pages cover many AIG products and countries, so they only loosely describe business insurance.[1][2]
Read AIG reviewsZurich U.S.
Review Score
The available Zurich review evidence is mixed and comes from distinct populations: a car-rental-business editorial rating, broad global and U.S. review-platform snapshots, and a BBB business-profile grade. These are not a representative measure of every Zurich commercial policy or claim.[1][4][5][6][7]
Read Zurich U.S. reviewsOffering Details
AIG vs Zurich U.S.: Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | AIG Excess Casualty and Lead Umbrella | Zurich Commercial Umbrella and Excess Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | AIG markets admitted and non-admitted excess casualty capacity, including lead umbrella, mid-excess and high-excess positions. The legal insurer and structure for a specific tower are account-specific. 3Company-reported. Role in this product is limited to the description on the linked AIG source. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Who It’s For | AIG describes lead umbrella, mid-excess and high-excess placements for a wide range of accounts, including small-business and corporate risks. It does not state an account-specific appetite or attachment eligibility. 3Company-reported. Audience is the segment AIG names on the linked source; this is not an underwriting decision, quote or guarantee of availability. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Coverage Features | AIG describes excess liability protection against severe liabilities and lead umbrella placements that may integrate with other casualty lines. The exact underlying policies, attachment points and follow-form terms depend on the placement. 3Company-reported. AIG’s public product description is not the policy. Actual entitlement depends on the applicable issued form, endorsements and declarations. | Zurich Commercial Umbrella combines Coverage A follow-form excess liability and Coverage B lead umbrella liability. 6Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; commercial umbrella and excess liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms. Zurich’s Excess Claims Made Facility offers up to $100 million in claims-made excess casualty coverage and may consider customized wording; it is a joint Zurich, Chubb and National Indemnity facility. 6Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; commercial umbrella and excess liability; United States. Facility capacity and terms are shared among Zurich, Chubb and Berkshire Hathaway National Indemnity; do not attribute the whole facility solely to Zurich. |
| Limits and Retentions | AIG advertises up to $75 million total capacity on an individual-account basis, subject to underwriting. This is not a standard or guaranteed limit for a buyer. 3Not publicly disclosed. This statement reports only what the linked public source discloses and does not substitute for a quote or issued policy. | Coverage C Casualty Business Crisis Expense reimburses emergency expenses up to $250,000. 6Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; commercial umbrella and excess liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms. |
| Risk Services | AIG describes in-house risk experts, claims specialists, litigation-management strategies and integration with domestic and foreign casualty platforms. Those services do not change policy wording. 3Company-reported. The linked page describes company-reported support; specific account services and third-party arrangements must be confirmed. | Confirm in your quote. |
Full Comparison
More AIG vs Zurich U.S. Comparisons
Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Comparisons
Sources
AIG
- Investor Relations. American International Group, Inc. (AIG); About AIG and legal footer; lines 244–246 and 327–331. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Business. AIG US; Surplus Lines heading and paragraph, lines 357–359. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Excess Casualty Insurance. AIG; Official AIG Excess Casualty page: admitted/non-admitted options, lead umbrella/mid/high excess placements, advertised per-account capacity subject to underwriting, domestic/foreign integration, risk and claims services. Accessed 2026-09-30.
Zurich U.S.
- About Us | Zurich U.S. | Commercial Insurance. Zurich U.S.; About Zurich U.S.; customer and industry description; FAQ on U.S. product focus. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Agents and Brokers | Zurich U.S. Zurich U.S.; Agent/broker route and locator. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Commercial Umbrella Insurance Coverage | Zurich Insurance. Zurich U.S.; Umbrella and excess coverage forms, crisis expense limit, excess claims-made facility. Accessed 2026-09-28.
Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Guide
- Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Heading Umbrella Liability Insurance; sentence Umbrella Liability—also known as Excess Liability Insurance; underlying policies listed with limits; typically GL, auto and employers’ liability; starts when a covered loss exhausts the primary per occurrence limit; Most umbrella policies exclude EPL, professional liability, product recall, workers compensation, asbestos, pollution, war and terrorism. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Commercial Umbrella; excess over a basic liability policy; auto/CGL/WC or any liability policy can be covered; may respond if basic policy not in force or for gaps; SIR when no underlying. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Lines of Insurance. California Department of Insurance; Umbrella or Excess Liability Policy: excess limits over existing liability; may provide additional coverages not provided by underlying policies. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Coverage Hub. Coverdash; Excess & Specialty: Umbrella; Excess Liability. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Products. Kinro; 09 Umbrella/Excess: additional limits above scheduled underlying policies; when to review; reviewed with. Accessed 2026-09-16.
