What Is Beazley?
Beazley’s MediaTech combines technology E&O, media and cyber, while Execuguard offers separate or shared executive-risk limits; small businesses seeking a quick standard quote should compare digital carriers. 1,2,3,4
What Is Nationwide?
Nationwide’s commercial catalogue includes common small-business policies and separate specialty products. A catalogue listing does not establish eligibility or policy terms; confirm the issuing company and coverage for your state and business. 6,7,8
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. 10,11,12
Key Differences in D&O Insurance
Beazley Publishes Private-Company Limit Capacity
Beazley advertises private-company D&O limits up to US $20 million on admitted or non-admitted paper, with the actual limits and retentions set by underwriting and shown on declarations. Nationwide’s reviewed page describes D&O but publishes no standard limit. Buyers should treat Beazley’s maximum as capacity guidance, then request an actual quote and ask Nationwide’s agent for available limits and retention. 5 9
Beazley Lets Buyers Select a Defense Structure
Beazley says its private-company D&O policy lets a policyholder choose duty to defend or pay on behalf and pays 100% of defense costs for covered loss. Nationwide’s overview describes coverage for alleged decisions or wrongful acts but does not explain defense handling or cost allocation. Since defense costs can affect remaining limits, ask both providers whether they erode the limit and who selects or appoints counsel. 5 9
Beazley Offers Additional Side A Capacity
Beazley describes a dedicated excess Side A limit for individual directors and officers and an optional employed-lawyers E&O extension. Nationwide’s overview does not identify a separate excess Side A option. Boards concerned about personal-asset protection should ask whether either quote offers dedicated Side A capacity and compare the attachment point, exclusions and any interaction with the primary policy. 3 9
What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes
- Ask Beazley whether the proposal is standalone or bundled with ExecuGuard and whether a separate excess Side A limit is available; ask Nationwide for its limit options. 3 9
- Compare defense structure, counsel choice, defense-cost erosion, retention, insurer entity and admitted status in the actual quote. 5 9
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.
Beazley
Review Score
1 rated source
Beazley’s available customer feedback is mixed, with a 2.8/5 WalletHub rating from 15 reviews. That small, mixed-product sample gives business buyers limited guidance.[3][9]
Read Beazley reviewsNationwide
Review Score
4 rated sources
Experts like Nationwide more than customers do. NerdWallet gives it 4.5 out of 5 for business insurance, while small-business customers on ConsumerAffairs give it 2.5 out of 5 from 19 reviews.[1][10]
Read Nationwide reviewsOffering Details
Beazley vs Nationwide: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Beazley D&O – Private Companies | Nationwide directors officers (official overview) |
|---|---|---|
| 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. 5,3Company-reported. US private-company D&O as described on the two reviewed product pages; does not establish which entity issues a particular policy. | Nationwide describes offering directors officers for the audience stated on the cited product page. 9Company-reported. directors officers marketed by nationwide; 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 | Neither the D&O - Private Companies page nor the ExecuGuard page names the specific Beazley insurance entity that issues the policy; ExecuGuard states both admitted and non-admitted versions are available, so the issuing carrier depends on the policy placed. 5,3Not found in reviewed sources. Both product pages as read on 2026-09-23; the issued policy's declarations control the actual insurer. | Confirm in your quote. |
| 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. 5,3Company-reported. Private-company D&O only; ExecuGuard buyers can additionally choose to share limits across D&O, EPL and fiduciary coverages. | Businesses and directors/officers described by Nationwide; page does not establish universal limits or terms. 9Company-reported. directors officers marketed by nationwide; 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 | 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. 5Company-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. 5Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; availability and pricing of the extension depend on underwriting. | The cited product page describes D&O insurance for claims tied to alleged decisions or wrongful acts by company directors and officers, subject to policy terms. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 9Company-reported. directors officers marketed by nationwide; 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 | Beazley advertises private-company D&O limits up to US $20 million, on either an admitted or non-admitted (surplus lines) basis; actual limits and retentions are set by underwriting and appear on the declarations. 5,3Company-reported. Advertised maximum capacity, not a guaranteed quote amount. | 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. 9Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred. |
| Risk Services | D&O policyholders get pre-approved choice-of-counsel flexibility, and law-firm insureds can access a bespoke executive-risk wording through Beazley's related Practice Protect product. 5Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page; scope and terms of the Practice Protect wording were not independently reviewed. | Confirm in your quote. |
| How to Apply | Beazley lists a downloadable EPL renewal application as a tool on the D&O page and names regional Executive Risk underwriters and brokers as contacts, but the reviewed page does not describe a self-service online quoting flow for new D&O business. 5Company-reported. D&O - Private Companies product page as read on 2026-09-23; buyers typically work through a broker or underwriter contact. | The page directs prospective customers to contact an agent or request a quote. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 9Company-reported. directors officers marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| 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. 3Company-reported. ExecuGuard page scenario section; outcome statistics are not independently verified. | Confirm in your quote. |
Full Comparison
More Beazley vs Nationwide Comparisons
Other D&O Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Beazley
- MediaTech for Small Businesses. Beazley; Opening product description; What we offer: E&O (Tech and Professional), Media, Cyber coverage includes; How can we help; SME placement paragraph; Tools & Resources. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Legal Information. Beazley; Website conditions: US jurisdiction availability, surplus lines and policy wording disclaimers; Beazley plc identity. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, 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.
- Virtual Care. Beazley; Available Coverages; Who we can help; Where is this offered. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- D&O - 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.
Nationwide
- Small Business Insurance. Nationwide; Small business products and solutions, lines 185–214: BOP, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, umbrella, EPLI, cyber and surety; purchase guidance lines 235–247. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Small Business Insurance Solutions for Agents. Nationwide; Specialized small commercial solutions: BOP, auto, workers’ compensation, cyber, EPLI, umbrella, inland marine and professional liability; page states appetite varies by state, lines 129–163, 191–193. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Terms and Conditions for Nationwide.com. Nationwide; P&C products not offered by all companies/states; policy/declarations control; NMI and affiliates may underwrite; each underwriter responsible for own products, lines 358–368 and 391–394. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Directors and Officers Liability. Nationwide; D&O page; management-liability product and covered exposures. Accessed 2026-09-30.
D&O Insurance Guide
- Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- 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.
- 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.
