Aon vs CNA: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

CNA identifies its claims process and covered parties; Aon describes broker-side selection and program design. 3,7

What Is Aon?

Aon’s U.S. Commercial Risk terms describe brokerage for certain insurance programs, while its Middle Market page describes a dedicated practice for mid-sized organizations across North America. The public materials reviewed do not identify the licensed producer or insurer for a particular placement. Ask which entity will produce each line and which insurer will issue the policy; request jurisdiction details for the proposed placement and ask how compensation and claim notice work for your account. 1,2

Read the Aon profile

Read the Aon D&O Insurance page

CNA Small Business Insurance: Products, Agents and Service

CNA directs small-business buyers to independent agents and describes CNA Connect as a businessowners policy for more than 600 small-business classes. Issuer and availability vary by policy and state, so confirm both in a quote. 4,5,6

Read the CNA profile

Read the CNA D&O Insurance page

What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

D&O insurance can help pay covered defense costs and losses from claims against company leaders over management decisions. If your organization has a board or executives, check whether the company itself is insured and whether legal bills reduce the limit. 8,9,10

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in D&O Insurance

Claims Handling and Broker Advocacy

CNA describes how its D&O claims team handles claims and identifies covered parties. Aon says brokerage and claims teams collaborate in negotiation, a broker function rather than insurer claim authority. Ask who receives notice and how CNA’s process compares with the carrier Aon proposes. 3 7

Covered Parties and Program Structure

Aon explains Side A, B and C and differences between public and private forms. CNA publishes named covered-party and limit details. Compare insured-person definitions, entity coverage and defense-cost treatment in the proposed policy forms. 3 7

What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

  • Ask CNA how claims are assigned and which parties are insured; ask Aon for its carrier, Side A/B/C terms and advocacy scope. 3

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.

Aon

6.1/ 10

Review Score

3 rated sources

Public ratings for Aon are low: Trustpilot shows 1.2 out of 5 from 782 reviews, and BBB shows 1.6 from five. Aon is a global firm, so those pages mostly reflect other parts of the business, not large U.S. commercial accounts.[4][6][7]

Read Aon reviews

CNA

9.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Customer feedback on CNA is mixed and hard to compare. NerdWallet gave it 4.5 out of 5 for manufacturers, while Trustpilot shows about 1.4 out of 5 from 49 mostly self-selected reviews.[1][5]

Read CNA reviews

Offering Details

Aon vs CNA: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaAon Directors and Officers Liability brokerage and risk-advisory offeringCNA Epack 3 Private Company D&O
Role in This Line

Aon markets D&O broking and advisory services, including insurer selection and program design. It does not issue the described coverage or name the carrier for a buyer’s placement. 3Company-reported. Aon’s official global product/capability page. The statement is limited to Aon’s marketing of brokerage or advisory services, not policy issuance.

Confirm in your quote.

Issuing Insurer

The reviewed page does not identify the insurer or the legal producing entity for a specific placement. Ask Aon to identify both for the quoted risk. 3Not found in reviewed sources. Aon’s global product/capability page reviewed 2026-09-30; no buyer quote, binder or policy was reviewed. This does not establish that no insurer or producing entity is available.

Confirm in your quote.

Who It’s For

Aon describes D&O services for public and private companies and discusses executives, directors, managers and board members. This is a target-audience description, not an underwriting eligibility schedule. 3Company-reported. Audience stated by Aon on its global capability page; this does not establish a specific applicant’s eligibility or placement availability by U.S. state.

CNA states this D&O product is designed for private companies, including small private companies. 7Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Private-company D&O in Epack 3 Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. private-company D&O under Epack 3; issuer/state terms vary Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. Source/date qualification: Source is CNA’s 2025 private-company D&O marketing summary; it is not an issued policy form.

Coverage Features

Aon explains D&O policies generally through Side A individual protection when company indemnity is unavailable, Side B reimbursement when the company indemnifies a director or officer, and Side C entity coverage, with different descriptions for public and private companies. It notes exclusions can apply; an issued policy determines the actual scope. 3Company-reported. Aon’s broker-authored explanation of the insurance line. It does not establish an individual insured’s policy entitlement; the insurer’s form, endorsements and declarations control.

CNA’s private-company D&O summary describes coverage for covered company and individual claims and identifies Side A, Side B and Side C protection. 7Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Private-company D&O in Epack 3 Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. private-company D&O under Epack 3; issuer/state terms vary Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. Source/date qualification: Source is CNA’s 2025 private-company D&O marketing summary; it is not an issued policy form.

Limits and Retentions

The reviewed page does not state a standard buyer-specific limit, retention or deductible for this placement. Confirm amounts, sublimits and conditions in the quote and issued policy. 3Not publicly disclosed. Aon’s global product/capability page reviewed 2026-09-30; no buyer quote or policy form was reviewed.

CNA says Epack 3 D&O can use shared or separate limits and offers an embedded Side A limit option. 7Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Private-company D&O in Epack 3 Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. private-company D&O under Epack 3; issuer/state terms vary Claim limitation: Availability of options is subject to underwriting and policy wording. Source/date qualification: Source is CNA’s 2025 private-company D&O marketing summary; it is not an issued policy form.

Risk Services

Aon says its brokerage and claims teams collaborate on coverage negotiations and describes insurer-selection analytics and a D&O Risk Analyzer. Those are broker services, not an insurer claim decision or guarantee. 3Company-reported. Company-reported brokerage and advisory services. Account-specific service terms are not stated.

Confirm in your quote.

Claims Support

Confirm in your quote.

CNA says an experienced claims team supports policyholders with D&O claims. 7Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Private-company D&O in Epack 3 Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. private-company D&O under Epack 3; issuer/state terms vary Claim limitation: Company-reported service description; not an outcome guarantee. Source/date qualification: Source is CNA’s 2025 private-company D&O marketing summary; it is not an issued policy form.

Full Comparison

More Aon vs CNA Comparisons

Other D&O Insurance Comparisons

Sources

Aon

  1. Commercial Risk Solutions U.S. Brokerage Terms of Service. Aon; Lines 120–127: certain-program broker-of-record scope, consultation, application assistance, client signature and bind instruction, and account administration; lines 140–147: variable and contingent compensation, potential placement incentive, and client request route; lines 206–213: no price guarantee and surplus-lines limitations; lines 229–231: client insurer-notice duty unless separately agreed. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Middle Market Clients. Aon; Lines 125–132: mid-sized organizations and middle-market framing; lines 165–173: dedicated practice and North America statement; lines 188–224: Commercial Risk capabilities. No numeric company-size cutoff or U.S.-only eligibility rule is stated on the reviewed page. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Directors’ and Officers’ (D&O) Liability Insurance. Aon; D&O audience and coverage explanation, lines 123–160; insurer-selection, brokerage and claims collaboration, analytics and industry specialization, lines 171–189; contact link at top. Accessed 2026-09-30.

CNA

  1. Insurance for Small Businesses. CNA; Insurance for Small Businesses, lines 38-50 and 65-67 (CNA Central and agent route); lines 79-106 (product and stated appetite lists); page footer line 132 (CNA registered service mark). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. CNA Connect Small Businessowners Policy (BOP) | CNA Insurance. CNA; CNA Connect; coverages, product range, services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. General Disclaimer. CNA; General Disclaimer paragraphs 1 and 5 (HTML lines 24 and 28): CNA describes Continental Casualty Company and its relevant affiliates; references to CNA may include one or more CCC affiliates; each particular policy/product/service is the responsibility only of the specific CNA company that issues or supplies it. Footer line 57 identifies CNA Financial Corporation as trademark registrant. Re-read 2026-09-29. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Private Company Directors & Officers Liability | CNA. CNA; pp. 1–2: covered claims, Side A/B/C, limits, eligibility and claims. Accessed 2026-09-28.

D&O Insurance Guide

  1. Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. The Chubb Primary Directors & Officers and Entity Securities Liability Insurance. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; hosted by eperils; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; I and III.A–B pp.1–2; VI Reporting pp.3–4. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; Header p.1 and VI.A pp.6–7. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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