---
title: "Embroker vs Marsh D&O Insurance"
description: "Embroker prices D&O through its own online underwriting; Marsh prices it through an advisory relationship and separately flags ESG-related risk."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/directors-officers"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

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# Embroker vs Marsh D&O Insurance

Embroker prices D&O through its own online underwriting; Marsh prices it through an advisory relationship and separately flags ESG-related risk.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate Embroker and Marsh for D&O Insurance against the same documented criteria. It identifies differences and questions to confirm; it does not select a winner for a particular business. Offering claims are what each provider publishes about this line unless marked otherwise. “Not found” describes the evidence reviewed, not proof that a feature is unavailable. Confirm the insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and cost in an actual quote.

## Summary

Embroker publishes D&O limit and retention ranges by funding stage on its own quoting platform, while Marsh brokers the same coverage through an advisory relationship and names ESG-related governance scrutiny as an added pressure its page doesn't quantify. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)")

## What Is Embroker?

Embroker is a business insurance broker and online platform serving startups, technology companies and professional-services firms, with proprietary programs and broker-assisted placements. [1](https://www.embroker.com/ "Embroker") [2](https://www.embroker.com/terms/ "Terms And Conditions") [3](https://access.embroker.com/ "Embroker Access")

[Embroker profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/embroker)

## What Is Marsh?

Marsh is a global insurance broker and risk advisor. In the United States it places coverage through core Marsh teams and through Marsh McLennan Agency for many middle-market buyers, including technology, cyber, property, casualty and benefits programs. [5](https://www.marsh.com/en/home.html "Marsh | Leader in risk, strategy, people, and investments") [6](https://www.marsh.com/content/dam/marsh/Documents/PDF/US-en/us-client-compensation-guide.pdf "Compensation guide for US clients") [7](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/marsh-mclennan-agency.html "Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA)") [8](https://www.marsh.com/en/industries/technology.html "Technology | Insurance Broking & Risk Management")

[Marsh profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/marsh)

## What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

Directors and officers liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging wrongful acts in managing an organization. [11](https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/glossary-of-business-insurance-terms "Glossary of Business Insurance Terms")

## Key Differences in D&O Insurance

### How You Get a Quote

Embroker prices D&O itself, running revenue, industry risk and claims history through its own online underwriting, while Marsh's financial and professional liability practice prices the same coverage through an advisory relationship rather than a self-serve form. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)") Choosing between them is really a choice between answering Embroker's questions directly or working through a broker who shops the placement on your behalf.

### What Triggers a Claim

Embroker names specific misconduct its policy answers to, such as misuse of company funds and breach of fiduciary duty, while Marsh instead sorts exposure by company type, saying public companies more often face securities suits from shareholders and private or nonprofit companies more often face employment-practices claims. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)") Both are describing who ends up defending a D&O claim, just organized around a different starting question.

### A Published Number and an Unquantified Risk

Marsh's D&O page does not publish a limit range, but Embroker does:

For its startup package, Embroker publishes illustrative D&O/EPLI/fiduciary limit and retention ranges by funding stage, from roughly $1-2 million in limits with a $10-25k retention for companies raising up to $10 million, up to $8-10 million in limits with a $25-75k retention for companies raising $100-250 million. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page cost table for the Embroker Startup Package; actual limits, retentions and premiums depend on underwriting..)

Marsh instead names a risk category Embroker's page never raises, pointing to ESG-related governance scrutiny over board diversity and executive pay as added pressure on directors. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)")

## What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

- Ask Embroker whether the published funding-stage table applies to your company or whether underwriting would set a different limit and retention. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained")
- Ask Marsh to name the entity that would actually issue your policy, since its D&O and MMA pages describe the practice but not an insurer. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)")
- If a public-company seat is on your board, ask Marsh how its securities-exposure framing changes underwriting versus a private-company board. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)")
- If board diversity or executive-pay scrutiny is live at your company, ask Marsh how that factors into pricing, since Embroker's page doesn't address it. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)")

## Offering Details

| Criteria | Embroker Directors and Officers Insurance | Marsh Directors and Officers Liability (D&O) Insurance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Role in This Line | Embroker sells D&O as a standalone policy and offers to package it with cyber and workers' compensation; it also says EPLI, D&O and related coverages are sometimes bundled into a management liability program. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page description; not a statement about the issuing insurer..) | Marsh's financial and professional liability practice places D&O insurance for public, private and non-profit companies; MMA also places D&O coverage within its executive and professional liability practice for middle-market clients. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)") [10](https://www.marshmma.com/us/solutions/executive-and-professional-liability.html "Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Marsh D&O page and MMA executive and professional liability page..) |
| Issuing Insurer | Not described in the reviewed sources. | The reviewed pages do not name a specific D&O insurer. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)") [10](https://www.marshmma.com/us/solutions/executive-and-professional-liability.html "Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Marsh D&O page and MMA executive and professional liability page as read on 2026-09-23..) |
| Who It’s For | Embroker markets D&O to any private or public company with a board of directors, startups that have received or are about to receive venture capital funding, and nonprofit corporations, saying VC and private equity investors commonly require it before funding. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page eligibility and 'Why Do Startups Need D&O Insurance?' sections; not a guarantee of coverage for a particular company..) | Marsh says public company directors and officers typically face more securities-lawsuit exposure from shareholders and regulators, while private and non-profit organizations more often face employment-practices claims from customers, vendors or regulators; directors and officers of all organization types can face cyber-related liability exposure. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Marsh D&O page, common risks FAQ..) |
| Coverage Features | Embroker lists coverage for misuse of company funds, misrepresentation of company assets, breach of fiduciary duty, failure to comply with workplace laws and lack of corporate governance. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page What's covered section; the issued policy and declarations control..)<br><br>Embroker says the policy excludes lawsuits between members of the same company, criminal or deliberately fraudulent activity, prior-knowledge claims, and claims against directors actively engaged in antitrust violations. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page What's not included section..)<br><br>Embroker structures its D&O policy with three insuring agreements: Side A covers individual directors and officers when the company cannot indemnify them, Side B reimburses the company for indemnifying its leaders, and Side C covers the company itself when it is sued for financial mismanagement. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page 'What are Side A, B, and C insuring agreements?' section; specific policy structure, not a claim about every insurer's D&O form..) | Marsh says D&O insurance typically has three coverage sides: Side A protects directors' and officers' personal assets when the organization cannot or will not indemnify them; Side B reimburses the organization for indemnifying directors and officers; Side C offers balance-sheet protection when the entity itself is named, generally limited to securities claims for public companies. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Marsh D&O page FAQ; illustrative policy structure, not a specific policy form..)<br><br>Marsh says ESG-related stakeholder scrutiny, covering areas such as carbon emissions, renewable-energy use, labor practices, board diversity and executive compensation, can add regulatory, legislative or litigation pressure on directors and officers beyond traditional D&O exposures. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html "Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Marsh D&O page, What other risks do directors and officers face? section..) |
| Limits and Retentions | For its startup package, Embroker publishes illustrative D&O/EPLI/fiduciary limit and retention ranges by funding stage, from roughly $1-2 million in limits with a $10-25k retention for companies raising up to $10 million, up to $8-10 million in limits with a $25-75k retention for companies raising $100-250 million. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page cost table for the Embroker Startup Package; actual limits, retentions and premiums depend on underwriting..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| How to Apply | Embroker offers an online quote for D&O coverage through its digital platform, describing underwriting factors including revenue, industry risk and claims history. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page 'Quick quotes' feature and cost-factor list; no quote was requested during this research..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |

## Full Comparison

- [Embroker vs Marsh](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/directors-officers): Directors and officers insurance can help pay for covered claims against company leaders over decisions they make in running the business.
- [Embroker vs Marsh Commercial Property Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/commercial-property)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/crime)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/cyber)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Employment Practices Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/employment-practices)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Fiduciary Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/fiduciary)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Management Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/management-liability)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/professional-errors-omissions)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Surety Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/surety-bonds)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Tech E&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/technology-errors-omissions)
- [Embroker vs Marsh Workers’ Compensation Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-marsh/workers-compensation)
- [Alliance Risk vs Embroker D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-embroker/directors-officers)
- [Alliance Risk vs Marsh D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-marsh/directors-officers)
- [Amelia Risk vs Embroker D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-embroker/directors-officers)
- [Amelia Risk vs Marsh D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-marsh/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs Embroker D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-embroker/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs Marsh D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-marsh/directors-officers)

## Sources

### Embroker

1. [Embroker](https://www.embroker.com/). Embroker; Industry navigation; quote and sign-in links; coverage options; footer availability qualification. Accessed 2026-09-15.
2. [Terms And Conditions](https://www.embroker.com/terms/). Embroker; Introduction; §§2A–B Insurance services, 13 Applications and quotes, 15 Insurance companies and underwriting guidelines, 16 Certificates, 21 Surplus lines products, 22 Payments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
3. [Embroker Access](https://access.embroker.com/). Embroker; EMIS announcement; appointed-broker quoting, binding and issuance; product links; footer identifies Embroker Insurance Services, LLC. Accessed 2026-09-15.
4. [Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/). Embroker; Why it's essential; Who needs this coverage; What is Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance?; What's covered; What's not included; What are Side A, B, and C insuring agreements?; What does Directors and Officers insurance cost?. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### Marsh

5. [Marsh | Leader in risk, strategy, people, and investments](https://www.marsh.com/en/home.html). Marsh; Hero and capability tiles; FAQ: What does Marsh do?; industries served; Is Marsh the same as Marsh McLennan? January 2026 brand change. Accessed 2026-09-16.
6. [Compensation guide for US clients](https://www.marsh.com/content/dam/marsh/Documents/PDF/US-en/us-client-compensation-guide.pdf). Marsh; US broking segments; broker role; retail commissions, client fees, wholesale, insurer consulting, contingent and supplemental commissions; Marsh LLC and Marsh USA LLC; page 3: broker role and Marsh & McLennan Agency segment; page 7: copyright © 2024 Marsh LLC. Accessed 2026-09-16.
7. [Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA)](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/marsh-mclennan-agency.html). Marsh; Middle-market US organizations; wholly-owned subsidiary; business insurance, employee health and benefits, retirement, private client. Accessed 2026-09-16.
8. [Technology | Insurance Broking & Risk Management](https://www.marsh.com/en/industries/technology.html). Marsh; Opening Technology Practice description; practice links including data center insurance, fintech and Stratus; Talk to us. Accessed 2026-09-16.
9. [Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/directors-and-officers-liability.html). Marsh; Opening positioning for public, private and non-profit companies; FAQs: What are the most common risks for directors and officers?; What does D&O insurance cover? (Side A, B, C); What other risks do directors and officers face?; Ruth Kochenderfer, D&O Product Leader. Accessed 2026-09-23.
10. [Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance](https://www.marshmma.com/us/solutions/executive-and-professional-liability.html). Marsh McLennan Agency; Directors and Officers subsection: covers costs from claims for alleged wrongful acts, including defense costs for civil, criminal and regulatory investigations. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### D&O Insurance Guide

11. [Glossary of Business Insurance Terms](https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/glossary-of-business-insurance-terms). The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated 2026-09-23. 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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