Aon vs 
Markel Insurance: How Do They Compare for Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
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
Markel Insurance: Specialty Business and Products
Markel Insurance is Markel Group's specialty and small-business insurance business, with offerings across packages, workers' compensation, cyber, professional and management liability, property, marine, and surety. Products use different insurers and distribution routes, so compare the issuer and terms shown on the specific quote. 4,5
Read the Markel Insurance profile
Read the Markel Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance page
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
Construction Project Scope and Small Business Appetite
Aon frames its umbrella and excess work within a global construction practice serving contractors, owners, developers and project professionals. Markel Insurance describes umbrella excess for small-business risks within its casualty appetite, with a placement depending on underlying coverage and risk review. A construction buyer should establish whether its account fits Markel Insurance’s stated small-business scope or needs Aon’s project-focused market approach. 3 6
Additional Limits Above Primary Policies
Markel Insurance describes excess umbrella liability as additional limits beyond primary policies, subject to the underlying coverage and issued terms. Aon lists umbrella and excess as separate construction coverage areas but does not publish an attachment point or policy form. Compare the proposed Markel Insurance layer and any Aon placement against the same underlying schedule and contract limit. 3 6
Starting a Placement
Markel Insurance invites prospective customers or brokers to contact its team; the page does not state a binding timeline. Aon describes a global construction team and market access, but not a step-by-step submission route. Ask both who will negotiate the attachment and which terms remain subject to carrier review. 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.
Aon
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 reviewsMarkel Insurance
Review Score
2 rated sources
There is little public customer feedback on Markel. Trustpilot shows 2.5 out of 5 from just 5 reviews, and BBB lists 12 complaints closed in the last three years.[4][3]
Read Markel Insurance reviewsOffering Details
Aon vs Markel Insurance: Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Aon Umbrella and Excess Liability brokerage and risk-advisory offering | Markel umbrella excess (official overview) |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Aon says its global construction practice designs and places risk solutions and uses broking experience and a global network across construction insurance lines. For umbrella and excess liability, this is evidence of Aon’s brokered market offering; the page does not identify the insurer for a buyer’s placement. 3Company-reported. Aon’s global construction and infrastructure practice page. This establishes a marketed brokerage/advisory offering, not policy issuance or account-specific placement. | Markel describes offering umbrella excess for the audience stated on the cited product page. 6Company-reported. umbrella excess marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Issuing Insurer | The reviewed practice page does not name the insurer or producing legal entity for a specific placement. Ask for both on the quote and binder. 3Not found in reviewed sources. Aon’s global practice page as reviewed 2026-09-30; no state-specific placement schedule or buyer quote was reviewed. This does not establish that Aon cannot arrange a placement. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Who It’s For | Aon describes its global construction and infrastructure practice as serving contractors, owners, developers, engineers, architects, designers, financiers and investors, and says it works with organizations of varied sizes and complexity. 3Company-reported. Audience described for Aon’s global construction and infrastructure practice. It does not establish U.S. state availability or underwriting eligibility for a placement. | Small-business risks within the page's casualty appetite; an umbrella placement depends on underlying coverage and risk review. 6Company-reported. umbrella excess marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Coverage Features | Aon lists Umbrella and Excess Liability as separate coverage areas within construction liability. The page does not specify an attachment point, underlying policy, limits or terms for a particular placement. 3Company-reported. Aon’s marketing description of the brokerage/coverage area. The page is not the insurer’s policy form and does not establish an insured's entitlement to coverage. | The cited product page describes excess umbrella liability providing additional limits beyond primary policies, subject to the underlying coverage and policy terms. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 6Company-reported. umbrella excess marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Limits and Retentions | The reviewed page does not state a buyer-specific limit, retention, deductible or other placement terms. Confirm these in the quote, bond or issued policy. 3Not publicly disclosed. Aon’s global practice page as reviewed 2026-09-30; no quote, bond form or issued policy was reviewed. | The cited overview does not set a universal limit or retention for this line. Ask for the proposed policy form, limits, retentions, exclusions, and conditions in the quote. 6Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred. |
| Risk Services | Aon describes project risk-advisory services to understand project-specific risks and develop risk-transfer, management or mitigation strategies. It also describes a global construction team and market access. These are company-reported brokerage and advisory services, not coverage benefits. 3Company-reported. Company-reported advisory services on Aon’s global practice page; account-specific service scope is not stated. | Confirm in your quote. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | The page invites prospective customers or brokers to contact Markel or the named underwriting team. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 6Company-reported. umbrella excess marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
Full Comparison
More Aon vs Markel Insurance Comparisons
Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Aon
- 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.
- 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.
- Construction and Infrastructure Insurance and Risk Management. Aon; Construction client audience and global placement role, lines 123–126; offering descriptions lines 135–156; coverage-area taxonomy lines 167–195; contact link lines 120–122. Global practice page; no U.S. state or account-specific placement schedule. Accessed 2026-09-30.
Markel Insurance
- About us. Markel; Markel at a glance; description of Markel Insurance within Markel Group Inc. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Markel Group Inc. 2025 Form 10-K. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; filed by Markel Group Inc.; Cover page; Part I, Item 1 Business—Markel Insurance, U.S. Wholesale and Specialty, Programs and Solutions; Part II, Item 7/8 for group and segment risks. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Small Business Casualty and Property Insurance. Markel; Excess umbrella section; added liability limits beyond primary policies. Accessed 2026-09-30.
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.
