At-Bay vs Founder Shield: How Do They Compare for Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance?

At-Bay says it provides primary MPL for businesses of all revenue sizes with limits up to $5 million, subject to state restrictions and eligibility requirements detailed in a separate MPL appetite guide. ¹Company-reported. Current MPL appetite paragraph; the linked appetite guide's specific eligibility requirements were not independently opened for this record.

Founder Shield markets E&O to venture capital firms, consultants, media and advertising agencies, SaaS marketplaces, and software developers who perform services for other parties. ⁵Company-reported. Errors & Omissions Insurance product page.

At-Bay directs MPL submissions to underwriting by email or through automatic quotes on its Broker Platform, which At-Bay describes as a workflow of creating a quote, customizing limits and retentions, and binding the policy. ^1,4Company-reported. Current submission instructions and the general broker-platform workflow description; MPL-specific automation details were not separately confirmed.

You request Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. ^6,7Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

At-Bay lists MPL coverage highlights including automatic coverage for acquired subsidiaries, claims-made-and-reported coverage, coverage for independent contractors, disciplinary-proceedings defense, a duty-to-defend contract, personal-injury coverage (including emotional distress), punitive damages where insurable, a professional-services definition written for each insured, and an 80/20 hammer clause. ¹Company-reported. Product-page coverage-highlights list; an 80/20 hammer clause is a settlement provision where the insurer pays 80% and the insured pays 20% of costs after the insured declines a recommended settlement. The issued policy and declarations control actual wording, limits and exclusions.

Founder Shield lists defense costs, defense against disciplinary or regulatory proceedings, lost-earnings coverage, and claims from errors by employees or contractors as what E&O responds to. ⁵Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

At-Bay markets MPL as one of its own named insurance products, sold through its disclosed producer, At-Bay Insurance Services LLC, with the product page directed at "properly licensed insurance professionals" submitting business rather than at direct retail buyers. ^1,2Company-reported. Current MPL product page and license disclosures; this describes the distribution channel, not who bears the underwriting risk.

Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ⁶Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

Founder Shield says E&O (professional liability) is often packaged with technology E&O and cyber coverage since the two types of claims tend to intertwine. ⁵Company-reported. Errors & Omissions Insurance product page.