Lockton vs The Hartford

Lockton’s US site describes the firm as an independent insurance brokerage that arranges customized risk, employee benefits and retirement solutions. US Terms of Business treat Lockton Companies, LLC and affiliated Lockton companies as intermediaries that market, place and service insurance, not as the risk-bearing insurer on a placed policy. ^1,13,20

Public US terms name Lockton Companies, LLC (and Series, subsidiaries and affiliates) as the brokerage group and Lockton, Inc. as the website operator. Certificates produced by Lockton also use the California DBA Lockton Insurance Brokers, LLC. Confirm the legal name on any broker-of-record or services agreement; these pages do not by themselves establish which entity would be appointed for a California company. ^13,14,21

Lockton-produced certificates print California license number 0F15767 for Lockton Companies, LLC DBA Lockton Insurance Brokers, LLC. Current license status, classes and expiration remain independently unverified. Treat California producer authority as unresolved until a regulator record or the proposed engagement papers are checked. ^21,22

The Hartford is the brand of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc., a financial holding company whose subsidiaries underwrite property-and-casualty insurance, employee benefits and other financial products. Independent agents and brokers, and Hartford employees who sell insurance, distribute those products. The brand is not itself the insurer on a policy. ^26,47,43,29

Lockton markets to organizations seeking risk, benefits and retirement brokerage. Its US technology practice says it works with clients in electronic hardware, information technology, internet, medical equipment, semiconductors, software and telecommunications. Separate pages address private-equity firms, including portfolio-company programs. The reviewed pages do not publish a minimum company size, funding stage or revenue floor for technology clients. ^1,2,10

The Hartford markets small-business insurance to SaaS companies, software startups, cloud and IT consulting firms, and other small businesses, and separately sells midsize/large commercial and employer benefits products. ^23,24,46,45

Public US application starts as an inquiry: the US contact form (Ask an Expert) and industry pages invite buyers to connect with a team. The privacy notice refers to soliciting an insurance policy quote. The Cyber & Technology page publishes cyber@lockton.com. Reviewed pages do not describe a self-serve bind flow, published quote turnaround, or an unauthenticated online application that issues a policy without a Lockton representative. ^12,1,15,3,14

The Hartford says eligible small-business buyers can get a free quote online in minutes or by phone, and can also buy through independent agents. Its public quote-and-buy portal shows steps from Basics through Payment and Confirmation. It also says buyers can purchase without an agent. Commercial auto for small businesses is not currently offered on that online path and may be quoted through a local agency or Tivly. Management-liability pages direct buyers to find a local agent. ^{24,23,30,29,39,41}

For technology clients, Lockton highlights cyber liability and directors and officers liability, plus related services such as contract review and international program design. Dedicated US product pages describe brokerage for casualty lines (auto, cargo, general and product liability, umbrella and excess, workers’ compensation), commercial property, fiduciary liability for employee-benefit-plan fiduciaries, and People Solutions employee benefits. A private-equity capabilities list also names errors and omissions, crime and financial-institution bonds, employment practices liability, surety, key-person insurance, transaction insurance including representations and warranties, and portfolio-company programs. Actual policy wording, limits and whether a given buyer is offered those lines remain quote-dependent. ^{2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}

Documented Hartford offerings for businesses include a business owner’s policy (general liability, commercial property and business income), stand-alone general liability and commercial property, workers’ compensation, cyber (including BOP data-breach add-ons, CyberChoice First Response and FailSafe Technology E&O), miscellaneous professional liability, employment practices liability, commercial auto and hired/non-owned auto, management-liability packages (Private Choice Premier: directors and officers, EPL, fiduciary, crime, kidnap and ransom), commercial umbrella, employee benefits, and inland marine for midsize and large accounts. Actual forms, limits and availability vary by product, state and underwriting. ^{23,31,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,43,46,45}

The Hartford’s employment-practices page states there is no built-in EPL coverage in California, Minnesota, North Dakota or New York, and that the EPL program described on that page does not apply to EPL coverage written in California. Coverages also vary by state and class. ³⁸

Lockton describes claims advocacy as a service, not as the insurer paying claims. Technology, D&O and fiduciary pages say a Professional & Executive Risk Claims team, including insurance and claims counsel, is integrated with the broking team and that claims advocacy is not treated as a profit center. Loss-prevention pages describe claims consulting: investigations, mapping facts to policies, preparing presentations, and discussions with insurer lawyers and loss adjusters. Workers’ compensation pages mention claims service advocates. Terms of Business include claims handling and claims processing among Lockton’s intermediary services and state Lockton is not responsible for an insurer’s solvency or willingness to pay. These descriptions do not establish claims outcomes or handling quality. ^{2,4,9,11,7,13}

The Hartford provides phone and online claim reporting, including 800-327-3636 for general liability and other commercial claims, a cyber FirstResponse hotline at 800-370-0605, online claim-status tools and a mobile app. Offering claims intake is not evidence of how any claim would be paid. ^48,49,35,33