Harper vs 
HUB International Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance
Harper maps follow-form umbrella over GL, auto and workers’ comp; HUB brokers excess through a multi-industry casualty practice.
What Is Harper Insurance?
Harper is a commercial insurance brokerage for businesses with complex risks. Its specialists use AI tools to gather information, seek quotes from insurers and help customers manage coverage. 1,2
What Is HUB International?
HUB International is a North American insurance brokerage that arranges business insurance, employee benefits and related risk services through local offices and specialist practices. Smaller commercial accounts may be sent to Insureon for an online quote; other programs are handled by HUB advisors, with policy terms set by the insurers they use. 4,5,6
What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Commercial umbrella insurance can provide additional liability limits above scheduled underlying policies for covered claims. Don't assume umbrella and excess liability are the same coverage — the labels aren't proven synonyms. 8,9
Key Differences in Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance
Follow-Form Mapping Versus Casualty Placement
Harper places umbrella and excess as extra limits stacked above existing primary policies rather than reselling those primaries. HUB also brokers the line through its casualty practice and does not underwrite it. 3 7
Harper says the umbrella follows the terms of the policies underneath it and that it maps exactly which underlying policies sit under the umbrella so gaps do not open. HUB describes the coverage as protection against catastrophic settlements and judgments that exceed underlying general liability, auto or employers’-liability limits, without describing a follow-form mapping exercise. 3 7
Where the Layer Attaches and Who It Is Framed For
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. HUB’s casualty expertise for this line is framed across transportation, construction, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing/distribution and real estate. 3 7
Harper recommends an umbrella when a lease or contract requires limits above the primary, or as a judgment about how much of a claim the business could absorb. HUB’s reviewed casualty page does not use that lease-or-absorb framing; it emphasizes carrier relationships plus risk-services, claims, litigation and analytics across casualty programs that include umbrella. 3 7
How You Start and What Numbers Are Public
You request a Harper quote through an online form or by phone; a specialist reviews the underlying policies before recommending limits. HUB’s casualty page does not describe an online quote form for this line, and neither page publishes specific umbrella limit or premium amounts. 3 7
What to Confirm in Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Quotes
- Ask Harper which primary policies are scheduled and whether workers’ compensation employer-liability suits are included. 3
- Ask HUB which casualty industries and carrier panel apply to your umbrella placement. 7
- Compare follow-form language versus any drop-down or difference-in-conditions wording both brokers obtain. 3 7
- Get named issuing insurers from both, which the reviewed pages do not list. 3 7
Offering Details
Harper vs HUB International Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Harper Umbrella Insurance | HUB International Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Brokerage |
|---|---|---|
| Role in 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. 3Company-reported. Umbrella page introduction and 'What is Umbrella insurance?' section. | HUB brokers umbrella and excess liability insurance through its casualty practice rather than underwriting the coverage itself. 7Company-reported. Casualty insurance product page as read 2026-09-23; the page does not name an issuing insurer. |
| Issuing Insurer | Not described in the reviewed sources. | The casualty insurance page does not name an issuing insurer for umbrella or excess coverage; HUB places this coverage with insurers that vary by client and program. 7Not found in reviewed sources. Checked the casualty insurance page on 2026-09-23; no carrier is disclosed there. |
| Who It’s For | 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. 3Company-reported. Umbrella FAQ 'Do I need an umbrella?'. | HUB says its casualty expertise, which includes umbrella and excess liability, spans transportation, construction, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing/distribution and real estate industries. 7Company-reported. Product-page industry list for the broader casualty practice; not umbrella-specific eligibility criteria. |
| Coverage Features | 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. 3Company-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. 3Company-reported. Umbrella FAQ 'Does it cover everything my other policies cover?'; a described mapping practice, not an independently verified outcome. | HUB describes umbrella and excess liability coverage as protection against potentially catastrophic liability claim settlements and judgments that exceed the limits of a client's underlying general liability, auto or employers'-liability policies. 7Company-reported. Product-page coverage description; the issued policy and its exclusions control an actual claim. |
| Limits and Retentions | 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. 3Not publicly disclosed. Umbrella page 'We know this' section and FAQ 'What does it cost?'; figures would appear on an actual quote. | Published umbrella or excess limit amounts, attachment points or premium information were not found on the casualty insurance page. 7Not publicly disclosed. Checked the casualty insurance page on 2026-09-23; limits are set on the quote and declarations. |
| Risk Services | Not described in the reviewed sources. | HUB describes a "Global Reach, Local Touch" approach built on extensive carrier relationships and says it applies risk-services, claims, litigation and analytics expertise across its casualty programs, which include umbrella and excess placements. 7Company-reported. Product-page service description; a company-reported capability describing the broader casualty practice, not umbrella-specific service detail. |
| How to Apply | You request a quote through Harper's online form or by phone; Harper says a specialist reviews the underlying policies before recommending umbrella limits. 3Company-reported. Umbrella page quote form and 'Why Harper' process steps. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
Full Comparison
More Harper vs HUB International Comparisons
Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Harper
- Text Messaging Terms and Conditions. Harper Global Enterprises Inc.; Effective August 24, 2026; sections 1–3 (entity, consent and service messages), 5 (message costs), 9 (delivery) and 11 (coverage confirmation). Accessed 2026-09-15.
- We're Announcing $47M to Build the Insurance Company Every Business Deserves. Harper / Dakotah Rice; February 26, 2026 article: brokerage identity; AI-assisted submissions and follow-ups; 24–48-hour coverage statement; more than 165 underwriters; plans for additional direct appointments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Umbrella Insurance. Harper; Know your coverage: What is Umbrella insurance?; Excess over general liability, Excess over auto, Above a workplace-injury suit, Contract compliance; Why Harper; FAQs on whether an umbrella is needed, what it follows, and pricing. Accessed 2026-09-23.
HUB International
- About Us. HUB International; Opening description; 1998 formation of HUB International Limited; 2022 Insureon acquisition; headquarters and employee/office counts. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Contact Us. HUB International; Business Solutions paths for Commercial Insurance Solutions versus Small Commercial Insurance Solutions via Insureon; office search. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Insurance for Technology Companies. HUB International; Technology Company Insurance & Risk Management: startup, software, hardware and digital-media introduction; Business Coverage and People Protection lists; technology-client count. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Comprehensive Casualty Insurance Solutions. HUB International; Umbrella & Excess Liability section: protection for potentially catastrophic liability claim settlements and judgments; General & Product Liability section; Global Reach, Local Touch carrier-relationship description; industries served list; Connect With a HUB casualty insurance broker. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Guide
- 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.
- 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.
