Lockton vs 
USI Insurance Services D&O Insurance
Lockton names a dedicated D&O claims team; USI instead cites a benchmarking case study that cut one client's D&O premium by over $100,000 a year.
What Is Lockton?
Lockton is a privately held insurance brokerage that arranges commercial risk, employee benefits and retirement programs. US pages describe a technology practice and intermediary placement with insurers, not Lockton as the policy’s insurer. 1,2,3
What Is USI Insurance Services?
USI Insurance Services is a U.S. insurance brokerage and consulting firm that arranges property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk, and retirement programs. Its Technology practice says it works with software, hardware, and related companies from early seed stage through IPO, using a consultative process rather than a published self-serve quote. 5,6,7
What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?
Directors and officers liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging wrongful acts in managing an organization. 10
Key Differences in D&O Insurance
Named Claims Team Versus a Named Endorsement Program
Lockton describes a specific team model for handling D&O claims once they're filed. 4 USI instead leads with a product it built to find gaps before a claim ever happens:
USI is a broker for D&O coverage. It says it helps clients identify D&O exposures, review any existing management liability policies for gaps, and place coverage, including through its own named endorsement package, ExecuSafe. 8Company-reported. ExecuSafe article's "How USI Can Help" section.
Who Each Side Says Is at Risk
USI's framing centers on smaller businesses it says are often underinsured because their broker never flagged the exposure. 8 Lockton's eligibility language instead lists who within an organization can be covered under a program it places — trustees, committee members, volunteers — without singling out underinsurance as the problem. 4
A Reported Outcome on One Side Only
USI cites a specific benchmarking result for a technology client, saving that company more than $100,000 a year in D&O premium. 6 Lockton's page has no comparable case study; it emphasizes market intelligence and staying ahead of emerging risks rather than a documented savings outcome. 4
What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes
- Ask Lockton which insurers it typically places D&O with; the reviewed page doesn't name one. 4
- Ask USI which insurer would underwrite an ExecuSafe-endorsed policy; the reviewed pages have the same gap. 8
- Ask USI whether the benchmarking savings example reflects your company's size and risk profile before assuming similar results. 6
- Confirm how claims are handled at each firm, since Lockton names a specific integrated team that USI's pages don't mirror for this line. 4
Offering Details
Lockton vs USI Insurance Services D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Lockton Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance Brokerage | USI ExecuSafe Directors & Officers Liability Program |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Lockton designs and places D&O programs rather than underwriting them, saying effective coverage requires market intelligence, coverage-design precision and staying ahead of emerging risks like AI-related litigation and event-driven claims. 4Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. | USI is a broker for D&O coverage. It says it helps clients identify D&O exposures, review any existing management liability policies for gaps, and place coverage, including through its own named endorsement package, ExecuSafe. 8Company-reported. ExecuSafe article's "How USI Can Help" section. |
| Issuing Insurer | The D&O page does not name the insurers Lockton places D&O coverage with. 4Not publicly disclosed. D&O product page checked 2026-09-23. | USI does not name the insurer that underwrites ExecuSafe or other D&O placements on the pages reviewed; it describes ExecuSafe as an endorsement package it applies to policies placed with the market. 8Not publicly disclosed. ExecuSafe article and Technology/Business Services practice pages as read on 2026-09-23. |
| Who It’s For | Lockton says D&O coverage it places can extend beyond directors and officers to trustees, employees, independent contractors, staff, committee members, volunteers, the corporate entity, majority-owned subsidiaries, spouses/domestic partners, and estates/heirs. 4Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. Describes who can typically be covered under a program Lockton structures, not a guarantee for any specific client. | USI targets small- and medium-sized businesses for ExecuSafe, saying many either skip D&O coverage or buy insufficient limits because their brokers do not help them identify the exposure. Its Technology practice separately places D&O for software, hardware and communications clients from seed stage through IPO. 8,6Company-reported. ExecuSafe article eligibility framing and Technology practice client description. |
| Coverage Features | Lockton explains a traditional D&O program in three parts it says it can structure: Side A (direct coverage to individual directors/officers when the company can't indemnify them), Side B (reimbursing the company for indemnifying its D&Os), and Side C (entity coverage, generally limited to securities claims for public companies but broader for private and nonprofit organizations). 4Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. General educational description of program structure, not a specimen policy form. | USI says D&O insurance is meant to protect a company's leadership from personal loss in a lawsuit, since the corporate veil does not shield directors and officers from personal liability for the business's actions and debts. It lists breach of contract, breach of duty, misrepresentation, unfair competition, misappropriation of trade secrets, securities lawsuits and creditor lawsuits as common claim types the coverage responds to. 8Company-reported. ExecuSafe article's description of D&O purpose and claim types; actual insuring agreements and exclusions are set by the issued policy. |
| Limits and Retentions | Not described in the reviewed sources. | USI cites a 2016 Chubb survey that found 43% of private companies carry no D&O coverage, with an average private-company D&O claim cost of $450,000, but the article does not publish USI's own placed limits, retentions or premium ranges for ExecuSafe. 8Not publicly disclosed. Third-party statistic cited by USI to illustrate exposure, not USI's own placement data. |
| Risk Services | Not described in the reviewed sources. | USI's Technology practice cites a case study where its benchmarking analysis showed a software company was buying more D&O limit than peers with similar risk profiles, and says the resulting change saved the client more than $100,000 per year in D&O premium. 6Company-reported. Single case study on the Technology practice page; company-reported outcome, not independently verified. |
| How to Apply | Not described in the reviewed sources. | USI directs small- and medium-sized businesses interested in ExecuSafe to email Select.Business@usi.com; its Technology and Business Services practices separately route inquiries to pcinquiries@usi.com or a local USI office. 8,6,9Company-reported. Contact instructions on the ExecuSafe article and the Technology and Business Services pages. |
| Claims Support | Lockton says its Professional & Executive Risk Claims team integrates experienced insurance and claims counsel within the broking team from the start of the relationship, rather than treating claims advocacy as a separate profit center. 4Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
Full Comparison
More Lockton vs USI Insurance Services Comparisons
Other D&O Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Lockton
- Lockton United States. Lockton; Opening description of independent insurance brokerage for risk, benefits and retirement; Ask an Expert link to contact-us. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology. Lockton; Industry introduction; cyber liability heading; dedicated technology team; listed services including claims advocacy, contract review, directors and officers liability, and international program design; 24/7 service model. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- US Terms of Business. Lockton; Opening entity definition; Surplus Lines; Use of a Particular Insurer; Compensation Disclosure; servicing, claims handling and renewal language in Confidentiality section; Intermediaries. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- D&O Insurance. Lockton; What is D&O insurance?; Side A/B/C coverage components; Who can be covered under a D&O program?; Claims management. Accessed 2026-09-23.
USI Insurance Services
- The Power of ONE. USI Insurance Services; History, client-count, nationwide office, and P&C / benefits / personal risk / retirement description. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology Insurance. USI Insurance Services; USI's Technology Practice provides risk management advisory and insurance placement for: ...Directors & Officers Liability...; CASE STUDY: USI Benchmarking Saves Software Company $100,000 in D&O Premiums. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Commissions and Fees. USI Insurance Services; Licensed-producer authority, insurer-paid commission default, contingent compensation, and client request right. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Protect Your Company and Personal Assets From Management Liability Risks. USI Insurance Services; JULY 5, 2023 article; common D&O claim types (Breach of Contract, Breach of Duty, Misrepresentation, Unfair Competition, Misappropriation of Trade Secrets, Securities Lawsuits, Creditor Lawsuits); Creditor Suit and Competitor Disputes scenarios; How USI Can Help; ExecuSafe endorsement packs. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Business Services. USI Insurance Services; USI advises clients...and provides solutions for...Directors & Officers Liability... Accessed 2026-09-23.
D&O Insurance Guide
- Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
