CNA vs Newfront: How Do They Compare for Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?

CNA lists four built-in umbrella features. Newfront brokers umbrella/excess through its casualty practice and describes analytics, claims advocacy and risk control across those placements. 4,9

CNA Small Business Insurance: Products, Agents and Service

CNA directs small-business buyers to independent agents and describes CNA Connect as a businessowners policy for more than 600 small-business classes. Issuer and availability vary by policy and state, so confirm both in a quote. 1,2,3

Read the CNA profile

Read the CNA Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance page

What Is Newfront?

Newfront suits growing and enterprise businesses seeking specialist insurance and benefits teams plus Navigator policy tools; small firms wanting an instant direct quote should compare online carriers. Its Partner Management tool is included in client service agreements. 5,6,7,8

Read the Newfront profile

Read the Newfront Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance page

What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?

Umbrella or excess insurance adds liability limits above the policies named in the quote after a covered claim exhausts their limits. It may fit if a contract sets higher limits; check which primary policies are listed and any gaps between them. 10,11,12,13,14

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance

Risk Services and Form Detail

Newfront says its casualty practice provides predictive analytics and benchmarking, claims advocacy and integrated risk control across umbrella/excess placements. CNA’s record instead names four built-in features—key-employee replacement, crisis management, waiver of subrogation and most-favorable venue—and describes its underwriting. A buyer evaluating program support can ask Newfront what services apply to this placement; a buyer comparing policy wording can inspect CNA’s listed enhancements. The categories are complementary but not interchangeable. 9 4

Broker Placement and Carrier Form

Newfront says it negotiates structure and terms with carriers rather than underwriting the policy. CNA describes its own underwriting and says forms align with most underlying conditions. The actual insurer and terms therefore need to be confirmed in Newfront’s proposal, while CNA buyers should check the specific CNA form and attachment. Neither record establishes matching capacity or quote terms. 9 4

What to Confirm in Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Newfront which carrier and form it proposes and which stated risk services cover this account. 9
  • Ask CNA for the offered limit, attachment and enhancement clauses. 4
  • Compare exclusions against the same underlying schedule. 9 4

CNA and Newfront Review Scores for 2026

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.

CNA Review Score

9.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Customer feedback on CNA is mixed and hard to compare. NerdWallet gave it 4.5 out of 5 for manufacturers, while Trustpilot shows about 1.4 out of 5 from 49 mostly self-selected reviews.[1][5]

Read CNA reviews

Newfront Review Score

10.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Newfront has too little firmwide customer feedback for a reliable review verdict. An individual agent’s BBB grade does not establish the wider company’s service quality.[6]

Read Newfront reviews

CNA vs Newfront Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Compared

CNA vs Newfront: Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCNA Commercial Umbrella and Excess LiabilityNewfront Umbrella/Excess Liability
Role in This Line

Confirm in your quote.

Newfront places umbrella and excess liability coverage through its Casualty practice rather than underwriting it; the practice negotiates placement structure and terms with carriers on the client's behalf. 9Company-reported. Casualty page Our Approach and Key Coverages sections.

Issuing Insurer

Confirm in your quote.

The reviewed Casualty page does not name an insurer for umbrella or excess placements; it describes 'strong carrier relationships' generally without naming a carrier. 9Not publicly disclosed. Casualty page as read on 2026-09-23; carrier depends on the specific placement.

Who It’s For

Confirm in your quote.

Newfront says its Casualty team protects companies of every size and scope, and lists industry verticals it serves, including construction, manufacturing, technology, and life science, without a stated minimum size or premium threshold for umbrella/excess placements specifically. 9Company-reported. Casualty page intro and Areas of Expertise list.

Coverage Features

CNA says its umbrella forms are designed to align with most underlying terms and conditions. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing CNA subsidiary may vary by product/state Product: United States commercial insurance Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: US commercial umbrella/excess Claim limitation: Company-reported; policy wording, underwriting and jurisdiction-specific availability control.

CNA lists key-employee replacement, crisis management, waiver of subrogation and most-favorable venue as built-in enhancements. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing CNA subsidiary may vary by product/state Product: United States commercial insurance Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: US commercial umbrella/excess Claim limitation: Company-reported; policy wording, underwriting and jurisdiction-specific availability control.

Umbrella/Excess Liability is listed as one of the Key Coverages within Newfront's Casualty practice, alongside general liability, product liability, auto liability, and workers' compensation, but the page does not describe specific attachment points or underlying-policy requirements. 9Company-reported. Casualty page Key Coverages list; no policy form reviewed.

Limits and Retentions

Confirm in your quote.

Newfront's Casualty page does not publish umbrella or excess limit options; it describes program structuring (guaranteed cost, large deductible, self-insurance, captive) as a service rather than stating specific limit tiers. 9Not publicly disclosed. Placement Expertise section; no limits schedule available.

Risk Services

CNA says its commercial umbrella/excess underwriting draws on more than 50 years of experience and offers flexible underwriting. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing CNA subsidiary may vary by product/state Product: United States commercial insurance Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: US commercial umbrella/excess Claim limitation: Company-reported; policy wording, underwriting and jurisdiction-specific availability control.

Newfront says its Casualty team provides predictive analytics and benchmarking, claims advocacy, and integrated risk control to reduce claim frequency and total cost of risk, which the page frames as relevant across the casualty coverages it places, including umbrella/excess. 9Company-reported. Our Approach and The Newfront Difference sections.

How to Apply

Confirm in your quote.

You engage Newfront for umbrella/excess placement by requesting a consultation through the Casualty page, led by Frannie Epps, Head of the Casualty Practice; the page does not describe an online quote or bind flow. 9Company-reported. Casualty page call-to-action and Leadership section.

Related Pages for CNA vs Newfront Umbrella and Excess Liability

Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Pages for CNA and Newfront

Other Coverage Lines Compared for CNA vs Newfront

Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons

Sources for CNA vs Newfront Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance

Sources About CNA

  1. Insurance for Small Businesses. CNA; Insurance for Small Businesses, lines 38-50 and 65-67 (CNA Central and agent route); lines 79-106 (product and stated appetite lists); page footer line 132 (CNA registered service mark). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. CNA Connect Small Businessowners Policy (BOP) | CNA Insurance. CNA; CNA Connect; coverages, product range, services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. General Disclaimer. CNA; General Disclaimer paragraphs 1 and 5 (HTML lines 24 and 28): CNA describes Continental Casualty Company and its relevant affiliates; references to CNA may include one or more CCC affiliates; each particular policy/product/service is the responsibility only of the specific CNA company that issues or supplies it. Footer line 57 identifies CNA Financial Corporation as trademark registrant. Re-read 2026-09-29. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Umbrella Insurance and Excess Liability Insurance | CNA Insurance. CNA; Forms, enhancements, underwriting. Accessed 2026-09-28.

Sources About Newfront

  1. Business Insurance. Newfront; Purpose-Built Team; Full Transparency; Streamlined Program Management. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  2. Employee Benefits. Newfront; Employee Benefits heading; Tailored Solutions; Comprehensive Expertise: Benefits, Global Benefits, Compensation and Retirement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Newfront Navigator. Newfront; Total Access. Real Confidence; Explore What You Can Do in Navigator; product demonstration image. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  4. WTW Completes Acquisition Of Newfront. WTW; 27 January 2026 release; completion announcement and allocation of Business Insurance and Total Rewards to WTW segments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  5. Casualty. Newfront; Key Coverages to Protect Your Business: Umbrella/Excess Liability; Our Approach: Market Intelligence, Placement Expertise, Risk Quantification & Optimization; Leadership: Frannie Epps. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Sources for the Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Guide

  1. Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Heading Umbrella Liability Insurance; sentence Umbrella Liability—also known as Excess Liability Insurance; underlying policies listed with limits; typically GL, auto and employers’ liability; starts when a covered loss exhausts the primary per occurrence limit; Most umbrella policies exclude EPL, professional liability, product recall, workers compensation, asbestos, pollution, war and terrorism. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Commercial Umbrella; excess over a basic liability policy; auto/CGL/WC or any liability policy can be covered; may respond if basic policy not in force or for gaps; SIR when no underlying. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Lines of Insurance. California Department of Insurance; Umbrella or Excess Liability Policy: excess limits over existing liability; may provide additional coverages not provided by underlying policies. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Coverage Hub. Coverdash; Excess & Specialty: Umbrella; Excess Liability. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  5. Products. Kinro; 09 Umbrella/Excess: additional limits above scheduled underlying policies; when to review; reviewed with. 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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