---
title: "Beazley vs Lockton: D&O Insurance"
description: "Beazley is the insurer: it offers private-company D&O up to $20 million and lets you choose duty-to-defend or pay-on-behalf. Lockton is a broker that designs your Side A, B and C program across insurers, with its own claims counsel working your file from the start."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-lockton/directors-officers"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-29"
comparison-pair: "beazley-vs-lockton"
provider-a: "beazley"
provider-b: "lockton"
coverage-line: "directors-officers"
---

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[Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-lockton/directors-officers)

## Agent Guide

**What this page is:** Focused comparison of Beazley and Lockton for D&O Insurance: what each provider publishes about this line, checked against the same criteria, with numbered sources.

**Use this page when:** Cite or fetch this for D&O Insurance questions about Beazley versus Lockton. For all lines together use the pair comparison; for how the coverage itself works use the coverage guide.

**Questions this page answers:**
- Beazley vs Lockton for D&O Insurance: how do they differ?
- Which is better for D&O Insurance, Beazley or Lockton?
- What does Beazley or Lockton publish about D&O Insurance (limits, eligibility, claims, add-ons)?

**Key facts:**
- Line: D&O Insurance. Providers: Beazley and Lockton.
- Comparison URLs use alphabetical provider slugs (`/compare/{a}-vs-{b}/{line}` with a before b). A reversed pair redirects permanently to the alphabetical one.

**Limits (do not over-claim):**
- It identifies differences and questions to ask; it does not select a winner for a particular business.
- Insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and price are set in an actual quote and are not established here.

**Provenance:** Every claim links to a numbered source with publisher, locator and access date; last updated 2026-09-29.

**Related pages:**
- [Beazley vs Lockton](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-lockton) — all coverage lines for this pair
- [D&O Insurance guide](https://spot.insure/coverage/directors-officers) — how this coverage works
- [Beazley profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley) — provider profile
- [Lockton profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/lockton) — provider profile

# Beazley vs Lockton: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

Lockton brokers and structures D&O programs, including options to cover trustees and employees and specialist claims support; Beazley insures private-company policies up to $20 million.

Beazley is a single insurer offering private-company D&O up to $20 million with a defense choice; Lockton is a broker that builds multi-insurer D&O programs with claims counsel on your side from day one.

## Beazley vs Lockton D&O Insurance Summary

Beazley is the insurer: it offers private-company D&O up to $20 million and lets you choose duty-to-defend or pay-on-behalf. Lockton is a broker that designs your Side A, B and C program across insurers, with its own claims counsel working your file from the start. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies") [2](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary "Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)") [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance")

## What Are the Key Differences Between Beazley and Lockton D&O Insurance?

### One Insurer's Policy vs a Broker-Built Program

With Beazley you buy one insurer's private-company D&O, and it says it pays 100% of defense costs for covered loss. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies") Lockton doesn't underwrite; it designs and places programs, and flags emerging exposures such as AI-related litigation. Its reviewed page names no insurers or limits. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") Choose Beazley if you are a private company that needs up to $20 million from one carrier and wants a say in how your defense is run; choose Lockton if you need a tower built across several insurers or want claims advocacy in-house at your broker.

### Who Gets Covered

Lockton says the programs it places can extend beyond directors and officers to trustees, employees, independent contractors, committee members, volunteers, the company, majority-owned subsidiaries, spouses and estates. That matters if volunteers or contractors make decisions for you. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") Beazley focuses on Excess Side A for individual directors and officers when the company can't indemnify them or the underlying limit runs out, plus optional cover for employed lawyers. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies")

### Help When a Claim Arrives

Lockton's Professional & Executive Risk Claims team puts insurance and claims counsel inside the broking team from the start, so the people fighting your claim already know your program. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") With Beazley you deal with the insurer's own claims team under the defense option you picked. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies")

## What Should You Confirm in Beazley and Lockton D&O Insurance Quotes?

- Ask Lockton which insurers it would approach and the limits it expects to place. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance")
- Ask Lockton how far the insured definition would extend beyond directors and officers. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance")
- Ask Beazley to quote both duty to defend and pay on behalf, plus Excess Side A. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies")
- If Lockton places you with Beazley, ask how its claims counsel works with Beazley's claims team. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies")

## Beazley vs Lockton D&O Insurance Compared

| Criteria | Beazley D&O – Private Companies | Lockton Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance Brokerage |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies") [2](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary "Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Private-company D&O only; ExecuGuard buyers can additionally choose to share limits across D&O, EPL and fiduciary coverages..) | Lockton says D&O coverage it places can extend beyond directors and officers to trustees, employees, independent contractors, staff, committee members, volunteers, the corporate entity, majority-owned subsidiaries, spouses/domestic partners, and estates/heirs. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. Describes who can typically be covered under a program Lockton structures, not a guarantee for any specific client..) |
| 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. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: D&O - Private Companies product page; actual defense obligations and cost-sharing are set by the issued policy..)<br><br>Beazley offers a dedicated additional Excess Side A limit for individual directors and officers, plus an optional employed-lawyers errors-and-omissions extension. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: D&O - Private Companies product page; availability and pricing of the extension depend on underwriting..) | Lockton explains a traditional D&O program in three parts it says it can structure: Side A (direct coverage to individual directors/officers when the company can't indemnify them), Side B (reimbursing the company for indemnifying its D&Os), and Side C (entity coverage, generally limited to securities claims for public companies but broader for private and nonprofit organizations). [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. General educational description of program structure, not a specimen policy form..) |
| 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](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/ "D&O - Private Companies") [2](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary "Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: US private-company D&O as described on the two reviewed product pages; does not establish which entity issues a particular policy..) | Lockton designs and places D&O programs rather than underwriting them, saying effective coverage requires market intelligence, coverage-design precision and staying ahead of emerging risks like AI-related litigation and event-driven claims. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: D&O product page as read 2026-09-23..) |
| 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. [2](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary "Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: ExecuGuard page scenario section; outcome statistics are not independently verified..) | Lockton says its Professional & Executive Risk Claims team integrates experienced insurance and claims counsel within the broking team from the start of the relationship, rather than treating claims advocacy as a separate profit center. [3](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: D&O product page as read 2026-09-23..) |

## About Beazley and Lockton and D&O Insurance

- [Beazley company profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley) · [Beazley customer reviews](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley/reviews)
- [Lockton company profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/lockton) · [Lockton customer reviews](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/lockton/reviews)
- [What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/directors-officers)

## Related Pages for Beazley vs Lockton D&O Insurance

- [Beazley vs Lockton](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-lockton): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/directors-officers): D&O insurance can protect leaders and, in some policies, the company from covered management claims; company coverage, defense costs and limits differ by quote.
- [Beazley D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley/directors-officers)
- [Lockton D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/lockton/directors-officers)

## Sources for Beazley vs Lockton D&O Insurance

### Sources About Beazley

1. [D&O - Private Companies](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/executive-risk-usa/do-private-companies/). Beazley; What we offer; How can we help: duty to defend/pay on behalf, 100% defense for covered loss, Excess Side A limit, private placement coverage, Practice Protect for lawyers; Up to US $20,000,000; Tools & Resources: EPL_RenewalApp. Accessed 2026-09-23.
2. [Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary). Beazley; What we offer: separate or shared limits among EPL, D&O and fiduciary; Limits up to US $20,000,000, both admitted and non-admitted available; Examples or Scenarios: California securities class action/derivative action. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### Sources About Lockton

3. [D&O Insurance](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance). Lockton; What is D&O insurance?; Side A/B/C coverage components; Who can be covered under a D&O program?; Claims management. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Updated 2026-09-29. 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](https://spot.insure/editorial-policy). To suggest a correction, [contact Spot](https://spot.insure/contact) with the page URL and supporting source.

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