★ Commercial · Directors & officers
Your personal assets are on the board's agenda too.
Directors and officers can be sued personally (by shareholders, employees, regulators, competitors) for decisions they made running the company. D&O insurance protects their personal assets and reimburses the company when it indemnifies them. If you have outside investors or a real board, this is not optional.
Free quotes · No obligation · A licensed specialist answers, usually within one business day
★ What it covers
What’s covered and what isn’t.
Plain English, no fine-print games. Every policy has exclusions; here are the ones that actually matter for Directors & Officers.
What it covers
- Side A: directors & officersPays directors personally when the company cannot or will not indemnify them, including in bankruptcy, when it matters most.
- Side B: company reimbursementReimburses the company when it indemnifies its directors and officers.
- Side C: entity coverageCovers claims against the company itself, typically for securities claims.
- Defense costsManagement claims are expensive to defend even when meritless. Defense is often the biggest part of a D&O claim.
- Regulatory investigationsCosts of responding to regulatory inquiries, per the policy's terms.
What it doesn’t cover
- Bodily injury and property damageThat is GL territory. D&O is a financial-loss policy.
- Fraud and intentional illegal actsAdjudicated fraud is excluded. 'Adjudicated' matters. Allegations alone do not void coverage.
- Insured-vs.-insured claimsOne insured suing another insured is typically excluded.
- Known prior claimsLike all claims-made policies, what you knew about before inception is out.
- Professional services liabilityE&O is a separate tower for most firms. D&O does not cover professional negligence claims.
All quotes are subject to carrier underwriting and final approval. Coverage availability, terms, and pricing vary by state and carrier. The lists above describe typical Directors & Officers policies, not any specific carrier’s form.
★ Who needs it
If this sounds like you, you need D&O.
The businesses that buy Directors & Officers most, and the one-line reason each one does.
Companies with outside investors
Investors expect D&O before they join your board. It is often in the term sheet.
Nonprofits
Board members are volunteers risking personal assets; D&O is how you recruit good ones.
Private companies planning to raise or sell
Due diligence will ask about D&O. Having it signals you are serious.
Businesses with a real board
If people are making decisions in a boardroom, they need the protection.
Companies with employee shareholders
ESOPs and equity-compensated teams create the claimant pool.
★ What it costs
What drives the price.
Carriers price Directors & Officers on exposure, not vibes. Here’s what moves your number, and what you can actually influence.
- Revenue and assets: Bigger companies face bigger claims.
- Funding and ownership: VC-backed and pre-IPO companies rate very differently from family businesses.
- Industry and regulatory exposure: Financial services, healthcare, and public-facing companies pay more.
- Claims and litigation history: Prior shareholder or employment suits follow the company.
- Limits and retention: $1M to $5M is common for private companies; the retention works like a deductible.
Volunteers are not immune from lawsuits over board decisions, and 'we are just a nonprofit' is not a defense.
★ Often quoted together
Pairs well with Directors & Officers.
Most businesses don’t buy one policy in isolation. These are the lines D&O buyers usually quote at the same time. One specialist quotes the whole package.
Employment Practices Liability
Wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, plus the legal defense.
Professional Liability
Covers negligence claims against your professional work. The policy expertise businesses can't skip.
Cyber Liability
Pays breach response costs and covers liability when customer data is exposed.
★ Straight answers
Questions D&O buyers actually ask.
The short version of what our licensed specialists explain on calls every week.
Do private companies really need D&O?
What are Sides A, B, and C?
Does D&O cover employment lawsuits?
I sit on a nonprofit board: am I protected?
What is excluded?
Is D&O claims-made?
Get my quote
Get your Directors & Officers quote. Two minutes.
Tell us about the business. A licensed specialist shops the carriers and comes back with real options.
- About 2 minutes, built for Directors & Officers
- A licensed specialist follows up, usually within one business day
- No bait prices, no call centers, no selling your information
Free quotes. No obligation. Written through Patriot Independent Insurance Partners, licensed in TX, FL, GA, SC, AL, MS, NC, CA, and CO. Your information is never sold to lead brokers.