Coterie Insurance vs Founder Shield Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance

Coterie writes Miscellaneous Professional Liability (MPL) as a claims-made policy sold through agents and brokers to protect a small-business client against third-party claims for errors or omissions in their professional services. ⁴Company-reported. MPL brochure policy-overview paragraph.

Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ¹¹Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

Founder Shield says E&O (professional liability) is often packaged with technology E&O and cyber coverage since the two types of claims tend to intertwine. ¹⁰Company-reported. Errors & Omissions Insurance product page.

The MPL brochure names the policy form 'Coterie Professional Liability Errors and Omissions Insurance Declarations' (form code CTPL CWW PL) but does not name the issuing insurer; that appears only on the policy declarations. ⁴Company-reported. MPL brochure 'Mandatory Countrywide PL Policy Forms' table.

Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. ⁷Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

Coterie lists dozens of eligible professions for MPL, including accounting services, architects and engineers, bookkeeping, human resources consulting, interior design, property management, real estate agents/brokers, and technology services/IT consulting, each with profession-specific exclusions in some cases (for example, barbers/beauticians exclude services like electrolysis and tattoo services). ⁴Company-reported. MPL brochure 'Eligible Professions' and 'Eligible Professions (Continued)' lists.

Coterie says MPL is available in most states but is currently unavailable in DC, IL, MA, MT, ND, and VA. ⁴Company-reported. MPL brochure 'MPL unavailable' note.

Founder Shield markets E&O to venture capital firms, consultants, media and advertising agencies, SaaS marketplaces, and software developers who perform services for other parties. ¹⁰Company-reported. Errors & Omissions Insurance product page.

Coterie's MPL policy covers economic or financial (non-physical) damages arising from wrongful acts in professional services, such as faulty reports or verbal advice that cause a client financial loss; it is written on a claims-made basis covering incidents reported during the policy period or an extended reporting period, occurring after the policy's retroactive date. ⁴Company-reported. MPL brochure policy overview and 'Professional Liability Limits of Insurance' definitions.

Coterie's MPL base form excludes bodily injury or property damage claims, fraud or intentional wrongful acts, wrongful termination or discrimination claims, and claims based on contractual liability assumed beyond what would exist without the contract, among other listed exclusions. ⁴Company-reported. MPL brochure 'Professional Liability Policy Base Form Exclusions' list.

Founder Shield lists defense costs, defense against disciplinary or regulatory proceedings, lost-earnings coverage, and claims from errors by employees or contractors as what E&O responds to. ¹⁰Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

Coterie offers MPL each-claim limits of $25,000, $50,000, $250,000, $500,000, or $1,000,000, with the aggregate set at two times the each-claim limit (three times for the $1,000,000 option); the basic policy includes a 60-day extended reporting period, with optional purchased extensions of 1 to 6 years, and up to 6 years of prior-acts (retroactive) coverage. ⁴Company-reported. MPL brochure 'Available Limits' table and 'Extended Reporting Period'/'Retroactive Date' definitions.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

MPL is distributed only through agents and brokers using Coterie's quoting platform; the reviewed brochure does not describe a direct-to-business application path. ⁴Company-reported. MPL brochure framing as 'for Agents and Brokers'.

You request Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. ^11,7Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.