Beazley vs 
CFC: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?
Beazley insures private-company D&O up to $20 million and offers defense-structure choices; CFC packages D&O with US management liability and sells separate Side A DIC excess cover.
If you're California-domiciled or publicly traded, CFC's D&O package is out: its brochure declines both. Beazley sells private-company D&O standalone or in ExecuGuard, up to US $20 million, with no stated size threshold. 4,3,1,2
What Are the Key Differences Between Beazley and CFC D&O Insurance?
Standalone D&O vs a Slot in a Management Liability Package
Beazley sells private-company D&O on its own or inside ExecuGuard with employment practices and fiduciary cover, aimed at private companies of any size facing claims such as employment, fraud or misrepresentation allegations. CFC only sells D&O inside its US Management Liability package, so you buy the package to get it. Choose Beazley if you're California-domiciled or want D&O alone; choose CFC if you're outside California and want D&O bundled with other management covers from one insurer. 1 2 3 4
Known Limits vs Unstated Amounts
Beazley advertises limits up to US $20 million and lets you choose duty to defend (it runs the defense) or pay on behalf (you pick counsel). CFC publishes no dollar limit, and its extra limit for directors personally has no stated amount. 1 4
Extra Protection for Directors Personally
Both sell Side A cover that pays directors when the company can't. Beazley offers additional Excess Side A on its private-company page; CFC sells Side A DIC as a separate excess policy over an existing D&O tower. At claim time, CFC gives you a US notification route and a dedicated claims adjuster. 1 3 6
What Should You Confirm in Beazley and CFC D&O Insurance Quotes?
- Ask CFC whether you're quoted the Management Liability package or Side A DIC only. 3
- If you're California-domiciled or public, confirm with CFC before applying; its brochure declines both. 4
- Ask Beazley whether the quote is duty to defend or pay on behalf, and whether Excess Side A is attached. 1
- Ask Beazley whether your quoted limit reaches its $20 million maximum and whether the policy is admitted or surplus lines. 1
- Ask both which insurance entity issues the policy. 1 5
Beazley vs CFC D&O Insurance Compared
Beazley vs CFC: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Beazley D&O – Private Companies | CFC Directors & Officers Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Who It’s For | 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. 1,2Company-reported. Private-company D&O only; ExecuGuard buyers can additionally choose to share limits across D&O, EPL and fiduciary coverages. | CFC's brochure lists California-domiciled business and US publicly traded companies among the risks it declines for the package that carries this D&O coverage. 4Company-reported. Brochure's 'What we decline' list; underwriting still applies to any individual business. |
| Coverage Features | 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. 1Company-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. 1Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; availability and pricing of the extension depend on underwriting. | CFC says its directors and officers cover includes protection for the entity itself and aims to prevent directors and officers from having to sell personal assets to pay defense costs. 4Company-reported. Brochure's 'Directors and officers cover' description; the issued policy wording determines actual entity and Side B/C coverage terms. CFC's brochure lists an additional limit for insured persons as part of the directors and officers liability section, on top of the package's base limit. 4Company-reported. Brochure's 'What else is in the policy?' list; the dollar amount of that additional limit is not stated on the reviewed pages. CFC separately offers Side A DIC (difference in conditions), which it describes as excess coverage for directors and officers of private and publicly traded organizations, sitting above the primary management-liability D&O cover. 3Company-reported. Management-liability product page; Side A DIC has its own brochure that was not opened for this record, so its terms are not otherwise described here. |
| Role in This Line | 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. 1,2Company-reported. US private-company D&O as described on the two reviewed product pages; does not establish which entity issues a particular policy. | CFC includes directors and officers liability inside its US Management Liability package rather than selling it as a standalone product. It separately sells Side A DIC, an excess policy that sits above a company's existing D&O program. 3,4Company-reported. CFC's management-liability product page and brochure; package composition as CFC describes it. |
| Claims Support | Beazley illustrates its D&O claims approach with a securities class-action and shareholder derivative-action scenario in which its claims team worked with the insured's defense counsel toward a dismissal, avoiding a settlement; this is a single company-reported example, not audited claims-outcome data. 2Company-reported. ExecuGuard page scenario section; outcome statistics are not independently verified. | CFC provides a US claim-notification route by phone, email and online form, and says a dedicated claims adjuster manages a claim from notification through resolution. 6Company-reported. Claims page as read on 2026-09-23; not specific to D&O claim outcomes or timing. |
