Heffernan Insurance Brokers vs USI Insurance Services Cyber Insurance

Heffernan says it maintains a cyber risk team with expertise in determining a client's cyber exposure, shopping the market, presenting options and guiding the selection of coverage. It arranges the policy with insurance carriers rather than underwriting cyber coverage itself. ⁴Company-reported. Cyber Security Insurance page's description of the cyber risk team.

USI is a broker, not an insurer, for cyber coverage. It places cyber and privacy liability policies for clients and layers on its own manuscripted program, PrivaSafe, rather than underwriting the risk itself. ^8,6Company-reported. PrivaSafe program page and USI's property & casualty and technology practice pages.

The cyber page does not name the insurer that would issue a cyber policy arranged through Heffernan. ⁴Not publicly disclosed. Checked the Cyber Security Insurance page on 2026-09-23. The issuing insurer would appear on the quote and declarations.

USI does not name the insurer that issues PrivaSafe or other cyber policies on the pages reviewed. PrivaSafe is described as a manuscripted (custom-drafted) coverage form that USI negotiates with the market, so the carrier varies by placement. ⁸Not publicly disclosed. PrivaSafe program page as read on 2026-09-23; no dedicated cyber carrier list was found.

Heffernan says cyber insurance is for any business handling sensitive customer information, relying on digital operations or storing data electronically, and names healthcare, finance, retail and technology among the industries it serves, alongside small businesses and large corporations. ⁴Company-reported. Cyber Security Insurance page's FAQ answer on who needs cyber insurance; this is general educational content on Heffernan's own page rather than a stated underwriting appetite.

USI markets PrivaSafe to middle-market firms, saying they are particularly vulnerable to cyber events because they have limited in-house access to security expertise. The page also says any business that gathers personal or health information, manages a network, or accepts electronic payments is a potential target. ⁸Company-reported. Program page marketing description, not an underwriting appetite statement.

Heffernan describes cyber policies it arranges as covering costs from a cyber incident, such as data recovery, legal fees, notification expenses and business interruption, and says a policy can also provide access to incident-response experts, including IT forensics specialists and public relations advisors. ⁴Company-reported. Cyber Security Insurance page's coverage description and FAQ; specific insuring agreements, sublimits and exclusions depend on the policy form selected.

USI describes PrivaSafe as covering three areas: liability costs (including inability to protect information and related tort liability), compliance and corrective costs (data breach and forensic costs, privacy regulatory costs, payment-card standards), and direct costs (network interruption, data reconstruction, cyber extortion, bricking, voluntary shutdown, reputational harm business interruption, and cyber crime). ⁸Company-reported. PrivaSafe program page; actual insuring agreements and exclusions are set by the issued policy form.

The cyber page does not publish specific limits or retentions for a Heffernan-arranged cyber policy; its FAQ gives only a general premium range of a few hundred to several thousand dollars annually across the market. ⁴Not publicly disclosed. Checked the Cyber Security Insurance page on 2026-09-23.

USI says PrivaSafe can prevent uninsured or underinsured losses up to $10 million, includes up to $2 million in notification-cost coverage in addition to the policy's aggregate limit, and $250,000 in defense-cost coverage outside the limit (with additional limit available). ⁸Company-reported. Program page figures describe the PrivaSafe structure generally; a buyer's actual limits, sublimits and retentions are set on the policy declarations.

Beyond claim payment, Heffernan says a cyber policy can give access to incident-response experts such as IT forensics specialists and public relations advisors, and that its cyber risk team helps with exposure assessment and coverage selection before a policy is bound. ⁴Company-reported. Cyber Security Insurance page's services description.

USI says PrivaSafe includes pre-breach services to help avoid cyber threats and post-breach services designed to streamline incident response and recovery, on top of USI's general property & casualty cyber specialists. ^8,9Company-reported. Program page and property-casualty practice team description.

Heffernan's FAQ says getting cyber insurance starts with assessing your business's data types and cybersecurity measures, then working with an experienced broker to obtain and compare quotes from multiple providers. ⁴Company-reported. Cyber Security Insurance page's 'How Do I Get Cyber Insurance?' FAQ answer.

To review cyber exposure with USI, the program page says a buyer should be ready to provide current cyber policies (if any), an assessment of its largest financial and operational cyber vulnerabilities, and its most recent audited financials. ⁸Company-reported. PrivaSafe program page intake description.