CFC vs Markel Insurance: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

CFC places D&O within a US Management Liability package, with a separate Side A DIC excess option. Markel lists D&O as standalone or blended coverage for private-company and nonprofit offerings. 5,6,10

What Is CFC Insurance?

CFC fits technology businesses seeking one eligible package for E&O, cyber, media/IP and general liability; buyers wanting to bind directly online should compare other routes. Its cyber policies may also include 24/7 incident support. 1,2,3,4

Read the CFC profile

Read the CFC D&O Insurance page

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. 8,9

Read the Markel Insurance profile

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. 11,12,13

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in D&O Insurance

Package coverage and standalone choice

CFC includes D&O within its US Management Liability package and separately offers Side A DIC, an excess policy above an existing D&O program. Markel describes D&O as available standalone or blended within private-company and nonprofit management-liability offerings. A buyer seeking a single package can compare CFC’s package structure with Markel’s standalone or blended routes; an organization with existing primary D&O can ask CFC about its separate Side A layer. 5 10 5

Fit and claim handling

CFC’s brochure lists California-domiciled businesses and U.S. public companies among declined risks for the package. Markel names private equity and portfolio firms, PEOs, hospitality, energy, healthcare, education, and associations among its target customer types. CFC also describes a dedicated adjuster managing claims from notification through resolution; Markel’s cited D&O overview focuses on covered leadership claims and defense costs, not a claims service. 6 10 7

What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

  • Ask CFC whether your domicile and public-company status fit its package rules, and request the base and additional insured-person limits. 6 6 6
  • Ask Markel whether your organization can buy standalone D&O and how claims are reported and managed. 10 7

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.

CFC

-/ 10

Review Score

No reviews found

The reviewed sources did not yield customer reviews of CFC; the available survey concerns UK brokers. The one rating we found is from UK brokers: 4.76 out of 5 in Insurance Times’ 2024/25 survey.[4][11]

Read CFC reviews

Markel Insurance

7.5/ 10

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 reviews

Offering Details

CFC vs Markel Insurance: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCFC Directors & Officers LiabilityMarkel private and nonprofit D&O
Role in This Line

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. 5,6Company-reported. CFC's management-liability product page and brochure; package composition as CFC describes it.

Markel lists directors-and-officers liability within private-company and nonprofit management-liability offerings, as standalone or blended coverage. 10Company-reported. U.S. private/nonprofit product page; exact coverage structure varies by policy.

Issuing Insurer

CFC's regulatory page discloses CFC Underwriting Limited's FCA authorization and CFC's Lloyd's Syndicate 1988, managed by Asta Managing Agency Ltd, but neither the regulatory page nor the management-liability brochure names the carrier or syndicate that would issue a given US D&O policy. 4,6Not publicly disclosed. Regulatory information page and brochure as read on 2026-09-23.

Confirm in your quote.

Who It’s For

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. 6Company-reported. Brochure's 'What we decline' list; underwriting still applies to any individual business.

The page names private equity/portfolio companies, PEOs, hospitality, energy and healthcare among private-sector customer types, plus healthcare, education and associations among nonprofits. 10Company-reported. Examples are not an exhaustive appetite or eligibility list.

Coverage Features

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. 6Company-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. 6Company-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. 5Company-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.

The page describes D&O protection for organizational leaders against covered claims such as mismanagement, breach of duty or regulatory violations, with defense costs, settlements and judgments subject to policy terms. 10Company-reported. Illustrative marketing description; not policy wording.

Limits and Retentions

The reviewed brochure does not publish a specific dollar limit, retention, or the size of the additional insured-persons limit for D&O. Those figures appear only on the quote and declarations. 6Not publicly disclosed. Brochure as read on 2026-09-23.

Confirm in your quote.

Claims Support

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. 7Company-reported. Claims page as read on 2026-09-23; not specific to D&O claim outcomes or timing.

Confirm in your quote.

Full Comparison

More CFC vs Markel Insurance Comparisons

Other D&O Insurance Comparisons

Sources

CFC

  1. About CFC. CFC; Matt Taylor biography: independent MGA and Syndicate 1988. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Technology. CFC; Introduction; Technology key features; Digitally traded. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Technology — United States product brochure. CFC; Page 1: coverage sections, including Products and services liability; Response app highlights; Limits and deductibles. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Regulatory information. CFC; CFC Underwriting Limited; CFC Lloyd's Syndicate 1988. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  5. Management liability. CFC; Our management liability products: Management liability, Side A DIC. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  6. Management liability — United States product brochure. CFC; Directors and officers cover; At a glance: What we like; What we decline; What else is in the policy? Accessed 2026-09-23.
  7. Claims. CFC; Notify a claim or cyber incident; We're in it with you. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Markel Insurance

  1. About us. Markel; Markel at a glance; description of Markel Insurance within Markel Group Inc. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. 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.
  3. Private and Nonprofit Management Liability Insurance. Markel; What we offer; private/nonprofit segment; D&O, EPL, fiduciary and optional coverage sections. Accessed 2026-09-29.

D&O Insurance Guide

  1. Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Updated . 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. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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