Alliance Risk vs Beazley: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

Alliance Risk publishes indicative Side A limit and premium ranges: mid-size companies ($5M-$50M revenue) typically carry $2M-$5M in Side A limits, and larger private companies $5M-$25M or more. It shows overall D&O premium bands from $2,500-$10,000 for small private companies up to $50,000-$500,000 for large private companies, noting fintech, crypto and venture-backed companies often pay 2-3x more. ¹Company-reported. D&O product page; illustrative bands, not a quote for any particular company.

Alliance Risk says entry-level management-liability packages that bundle D&O with EPLI and fiduciary often share a single aggregate limit, so a large EPLI or fiduciary settlement earlier in the policy year can reduce what is left for a later D&O claim; it says a specialist broker structures shared versus separate limits to manage that risk. ²Company-reported. Management liability page's discussion of bundled D&O, EPLI and fiduciary programs.

Beazley advertises private-company D&O limits up to US $20 million, on either an admitted or non-admitted (surplus lines) basis; actual limits and retentions are set by underwriting and appear on the declarations. ^3,4Company-reported. Advertised maximum capacity, not a guaranteed quote amount.

Alliance Risk says D&O is relevant to venture-backed and public companies, high-risk industries such as fintech, healthcare, real estate and financial services, companies going through M&A, IPO or leadership changes, nonprofits, and small private companies without outside investors. ¹Company-reported. D&O product page; eligibility for a particular company depends on underwriting.

Alliance Risk says a company should turn on D&O coverage at its first priced funding round, because institutional investment brings personal exposure for directors and officers from day one. ²Company-reported. Management liability page's program-staging guidance, describing D&O specifically among the three bundled lines.

The D&O page targets privately held companies of all sizes facing litigation such as employment allegations, fraud and misrepresentation claims, without a stated employee-count or revenue threshold on that page. ^3,4Company-reported. Private-company D&O only; ExecuGuard buyers can additionally choose to share limits across D&O, EPL and fiduciary coverages.

For a D&O quote, Alliance Risk asks for company revenue, industry and stage, board composition, investor structure, current D&O coverage and carrier, five-year claims history and upcoming events such as M&A or an IPO, and says it typically delivers proposals within a few business days. ¹Company-reported. D&O product page, What We Need for Your Quote section; timing is a company estimate, not a guarantee.

Beazley lists a downloadable EPL renewal application as a tool on the D&O page and names regional Executive Risk underwriters and brokers as contacts, but the reviewed page does not describe a self-service online quoting flow for new D&O business. ³Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page as read on 2026-09-23; buyers typically work through a broker or underwriter contact.

Alliance Risk describes D&O policies it places as having three parts: Side A for individual directors and officers when the company cannot indemnify them, Side B reimbursing the company for indemnification costs, and Side C covering the company directly for certain liabilities. ¹Company-reported. D&O product page; actual policy structure and whether sides are combined or separately limited depend on the carrier and the policy as issued.

Alliance Risk lists standard D&O exclusions it sees, including fraud and intentional misconduct, criminal acts, bodily injury and property damage, and often prior acts before the policy started; it says employment practices and ERISA benefit-plan claims are typically excluded and need separate EPLI or fiduciary liability coverage. ¹Company-reported. D&O product page; exclusion wording varies by carrier and the policy as issued.

The D&O product lets the policyholder choose between a "duty to defend" or "pay on behalf" claim-handling structure, and Beazley says it pays 100% of defense costs for covered loss. ³Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; actual defense obligations and cost-sharing are set by the issued policy.

Beazley offers a dedicated additional Excess Side A limit for individual directors and officers, plus an optional employed-lawyers errors-and-omissions extension. ³Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; availability and pricing of the extension depend on underwriting.

Alliance Risk places D&O insurance as a broker: it reviews a company's existing D&O program and markets the risk to carriers that specialize in management liability. ¹Company-reported. D&O product page; Alliance Risk does not underwrite the policy itself.

Beazley underwrites private-company directors and officers (D&O) liability itself, offered as a standalone product on its D&O - Private Companies page and bundled with employment practices and fiduciary liability coverage in its ExecuGuard package policy. ^3,4Company-reported. US private-company D&O as described on the two reviewed product pages; does not establish which entity issues a particular policy.

Alliance Risk offers a no-charge review of an existing D&O policy, identifying gaps in the Side A/B/C structure and missing endorsements and comparing the program to market options. ¹Company-reported. D&O product page, Get Your D&O Risk Review section.

D&O policyholders get pre-approved choice-of-counsel flexibility, and law-firm insureds can access a bespoke executive-risk wording through Beazley's related Practice Protect product. ³Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; scope and terms of the Practice Protect wording were not independently reviewed.