Founder Shield vs Harper Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance

Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Umbrella Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ⁷Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

Harper places umbrella and excess liability coverage as extra limits stacked above a client's existing primary policies, rather than re-selling the underlying coverage itself. ¹⁰Company-reported. Umbrella page introduction and 'What is Umbrella insurance?' section.

Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Umbrella 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. ³Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Founder Shield's page describes umbrella coverage broadly for high-net-worth individuals, business owners, property owners, and professionals such as doctors, lawyers or architects; it does not distinguish a business-only umbrella product from personal umbrella coverage. ⁶Company-reported. Umbrella Insurance product page; wording mixes personal and commercial umbrella use cases.

Harper recommends an umbrella when a lease or contract requires liability limits above a business's primary policies, and otherwise frames it as a judgment call based on how much of a claim the business could absorb. ¹⁰Company-reported. Umbrella FAQ 'Do I need an umbrella?'.

Founder Shield describes umbrella insurance as extra liability coverage above the limits of underlying policies, responding to bodily injury, property damage, and personal-liability claims like libel or slander once primary limits are exhausted. ⁶Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

Harper describes the umbrella responding above general liability claims, above auto liability claims, and above a workers' compensation claim when an injured employee separately sues. ¹⁰Company-reported. Umbrella page's four coverage tiles; the underlying and umbrella policies as issued control which claims actually qualify.

Harper says the umbrella follows the terms of the policies underneath it, and that it maps exactly which underlying policies sit under a client's umbrella so there are no coverage gaps. ¹⁰Company-reported. Umbrella FAQ 'Does it cover everything my other policies cover?'; a described mapping practice, not an independently verified outcome.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Harper says each additional million in umbrella limits typically costs a fraction of the first million, and that industry and underlying limits drive price, but the reviewed page does not publish specific limit amounts, retentions or premium figures. ¹⁰Not publicly disclosed. Umbrella page 'We know this' section and FAQ 'What does it cost?'; figures would appear on an actual quote.

You request Founder Shield Umbrella 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. ^7,3Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

You request a quote through Harper's online form or by phone; Harper says a specialist reviews the underlying policies before recommending umbrella limits. ¹⁰Company-reported. Umbrella page quote form and 'Why Harper' process steps.