Markel Insurance: Specialty Business and Products
Markel Insurance is Markel Group's specialty and small-business insurance business, with offerings across packages, workers' compensation, cyber, professional and management liability, property, marine, and surety. Products use different insurers and distribution routes, so compare the issuer and terms shown on the specific quote. 1,2
Read the Markel Insurance profile
Read the Markel Insurance Employment Practices Liability Insurance page
What Is The Hartford?
The Hartford suits SaaS and software small businesses seeking a BOP and an online quote; buyers needing commercial auto through self-service or built-in California EPL coverage should use another route. Eligible small-business quotes can start online in minutes. 4,5,6
Read the The Hartford Employment Practices Liability Insurance page
What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
EPLI can help pay covered defense costs and losses when applicants or workers allege discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination or other workplace wrongdoing. If you employ people, check the claim definition, defense costs and prior acts. 8,9,10
Key Differences in Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Package Choices and State Availability
The Hartford describes EPL as built into its Business Owner’s Policy for most classes, included in Private Choice Premier, or available standalone as Employers Premier Choice. Its published footnotes say built-in EPL is not available in California, Minnesota, North Dakota or New York, and state that the described program does not apply to California EPL. Markel’s reviewed page describes EPL for private companies and nonprofits without comparable package or state detail. A buyer needs to establish which Hartford form applies in the business’s state and whether Markel’s underwriting team offers a suitable option. 7 7 3
Claim Scope and Employer Support
The Hartford names retaliation, FMLA violations and third-party claims from customers or vendors, and describes training, model policies and handbooks through hartfordhelp.com when increased limits are purchased. Markel names discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and unfair hiring practices, but its cited description does not detail third-party allegations or a comparable resource portal. This matters when comparing employee-only protection with customer-facing exposures and practical prevention support. 7 7 3
What to Confirm in Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes
- For your state, is Hartford EPL included in the proposed BOP or a separate form, and what comparable Markel option is available? 7 3
- Are third-party allegations, wage-and-hour defense costs and FMLA claims included, and what limits apply? 7 3
- Does access to Hartford’s training portal require an increased limit, and is that service offered in your state? 7
Review Scores
These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.
Markel Insurance
Review Score
2 rated sources
There is little public customer feedback on Markel. Trustpilot shows 2.5 out of 5 from just 5 reviews, and BBB lists 12 complaints closed in the last three years.[4][3]
Read Markel Insurance reviewsThe Hartford
Review Score
5 rated sources
The Hartford’s service record is mixed: NerdWallet rates it 4.5/5 but reports below-average small-business satisfaction. Low Trustpilot ratings add a service concern, although they mix policy types.[1][2][4][5][6][7]
Read The Hartford reviewsOffering Details
Markel Insurance vs The Hartford: Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Markel employment practices (official overview) | The Hartford Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Markel describes offering employment practices for the audience stated on the cited product page. 3Company-reported. employment practices marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. | The Hartford's EPLI is built into its Business Owner's Policy for most classes, is included in its Private Choice Premier package policy, and is also sold stand-alone as Employers Premier Choice. 7Company-reported. EPLI product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | The Hartford names Hartford Underwriters Insurance Company as the writing company for the described $25,000 Spectrum EPL limit, though other EPLI products on the page (BOP-included, Private Choice Premier, Employers Premier Choice) are not each tied to a named writing company on this page. 7Company-reported. EPLI product page footnote as read 2026-09-23. |
| Who It’s For | Private companies and not-for-profit organizations described on the product page; exact underwriting class and terms remain risk-specific. 3Company-reported. employment practices marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. | The Hartford's footnotes say there is no built-in EPL coverage in California, Minnesota, North Dakota or New York, and that the EPL program described on the page does not apply to EPL coverage written in California. Coverage and limits also vary by state and business class. 7Company-reported. EPLI product page footnotes as read 2026-09-23 (page last updated by The Hartford November 26, 2025). |
| Coverage Features | The cited product page describes EPL for named workplace claims such as discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and unfair hiring practices. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 3Company-reported. employment practices marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. | The Hartford says its EPLI covers claims of discrimination (including age), retaliation, FMLA violations, wrongful discipline or termination, failure to promote, and harassment, and that third-party EPLI (claims from customers, vendors or business invitees, not just employees) is included for most businesses. Its BOP also automatically includes Wage and Hour Defense Cost coverage as part of the built-in EPLI. 7Company-reported. EPLI product page as read 2026-09-23. General coverage description; the issued policy controls. |
| Limits and Retentions | The cited overview does not set a universal limit or retention for this line. Ask for the proposed policy form, limits, retentions, exclusions, and conditions in the quote. 3Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred. | The Hartford's EPLI footnote states a $25,000 limit applies to Spectrum business written in Hartford Underwriters Insurance Company. 7Company-reported. EPLI product page footnote as read 2026-09-23. Applies specifically to Spectrum-program business at that writing company; other products/limits are not addressed. |
| Risk Services | Confirm in your quote. | The Hartford says it gives employers access to hartfordhelp.com, a proprietary site with web-based training on topics like sexual harassment and wrongful termination, current articles on employment-practices trends, and model employment policies and handbooks; this program requires purchase of increased EPL limits and may not be available in all states. 7Company-reported. EPLI product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| How to Apply | The page invites prospective customers or brokers to contact Markel or the named underwriting team. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 3Company-reported. employment practices marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. | Confirm in your quote. |
Full Comparison
More Markel Insurance vs The Hartford Comparisons
Other Employment Practices Liability Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Markel Insurance
- About us. Markel; Markel at a glance; description of Markel Insurance within Markel Group Inc. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Markel Group Inc. 2025 Form 10-K. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; filed by Markel Group Inc.; Cover page; Part I, Item 1 Business—Markel Insurance, U.S. Wholesale and Specialty, Programs and Solutions; Part II, Item 7/8 for group and segment risks. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Private and Nonprofit Management Liability Insurance. Markel; Employment practices liability section; listed workplace claims; policy highlights. Accessed 2026-09-30.
The Hartford
- Legal Notice. The Hartford; The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. holding-company description; no representation that all products are available in all locations; P&C writing-company table as of December 31, 2025 including Hartford Fire (NAIC 19682) and Hartford Underwriters (NAIC 30104); life writing companies including Hartford Life and Accident (NAIC 70815). Accessed 2026-09-16.
- SaaS Insurance for Your Business. The Hartford; Audience list (software startups, SaaS, IT consulting); Get a Business Owner’s Policy; What Is Business Owner’s Policy Insurance?; general liability introduction and Get a Quote; Get Commercial Property Insurance; Commercial Property Insurance for Your Business; Benefits of The Hartford’s WC Insurance for Employers and Employees; cyber insurance and data breach descriptions; Get a quote for cyber insurance; EPLI introduction and Private Choice Premier; add-ons (workers’ compensation, data breach, commercial auto); technology professional liability mention; small-business availability banner; industry-average premium footnote; footnote 2 state restrictions; footer product-availability disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Find a Local Insurance Agent. The Hartford; Small-business and midsize agent locators; FAQ that buyers can purchase without an agent by calling or quoting online; statement that agents may charge fees. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance | EPL Insurance. The Hartford; What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?; Why Do I Need EPLI?; If You Have Employees, You Need EPLI; Prevention Is Your Best Protection; footnotes 1-4 on state availability and Wage and Hour Defense Cost. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance Guide
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening; What EPLI covers; Steps to limit employment liability risk. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Employment Practices Liability Coverage. Travelers; I.A/II.A p.1; III.A.4–6 p.7; II.F Employment Claim, PDF p.2; I.B p.1; II.U–V p.5; II.L p.3; III.A.9 and A.13, pp.7–8; III.B.2 p.8; IV.A Settlement, PDF pp.8–9. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Liability Coverage Terms and Conditions. Travelers; III.F–H p.6; III.O pp.8–9; III.F p.6; III.B–D, PDF pp.3–5; III.E–F, PDF pp.5–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
