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Bonds

A three-party contract under which the insurer agrees to pay losses caused by criminal acts (e.g., fidelity bonds) or the failure to perform a specific act (e.g., performance or surety bonds). The principal (i.e., the party paying the bond premium) is also called the obligor (i.e., the party with the obligation to perform). If there is a default, the surety (i.e., the insurer) pays the loss of the third party (the obligee). The obligor must then reimburse the surety for the amount of loss paid.

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Builder’s Risk

A property insurance policy that is designed to cover property in the course of construction. There is no single standard builders risk form; most builders risk policies are written on inland marine (rather than commercial property) forms. Coverage is usually written on an all risks basis and typically applies not only to property at the construction site, but also to property at off-site storage locations and in transit. Builders risk insurance can be written on either a completed value or a reporting form basis; in either case, the estimated completed value of the project is used as the limit of insurance.

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Commercial Auto and Fleet

The entire portfolio of coverage forms that furnish auto coverage for any type of commercial entity. It includes the business auto, physical damage, garage, motor carrier, and truckers coverage forms.

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Commercial Property

An insurance policy for businesses and other organizations that insures against damage to their buildings and contents due to a covered cause of loss, such as a fire. The policy may also cover loss of income or increase in expenses that results from the property damage (PD). Commercial property policies may be written on standard or nonstandard forms.

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Cyber

A type of insurance designed to cover consumers of technology services or products. More specifically, the policies are intended to cover a variety of both liability and property losses that may result when a business engages in various electronic activities, such as selling on the Internet or collecting data within its internal electronic network.

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Most notably, but not exclusively, cyber and privacy policies cover a business' liability for a data breach in which the firm's customers' personal information, such as Social Security or credit card numbers, is exposed or stolen by a hacker or other criminal who has gained access to the firm's electronic network. The policies cover a variety of expenses associated with data breaches, including: notification costs, credit monitoring, costs to defend claims by state regulators, fines and penalties, and loss resulting from identity theft.

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In addition, the policies cover liability arising from website media content, as well as property exposures from business interruption, data loss/destruction, computer fraud, funds transfer loss, and cyber extortion.

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Cyber and privacy insurance is often confused with technology errors and omissions (tech E&O) insurance. In contrast to cyber and privacy insurance, tech E&O coverage is intended to protect providers of technology products and services, such as computer software and hardware manufacturers, website designers, and firms that store corporate data on an off-site basis. Nevertheless, tech E&O insurance policies do contain a number of the same insuring agreements as cyber and privacy policies.

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Pollution Coverage

The contamination of an environment by substances known as pollutants. Liability from pollution is normally excluded to some degree by the General Liability, Commercial Auto, and Umbrella Liability policies. In recent years, insurers have attempted to introduce strict exclusionary language into these policies, making it necessary for insureds to seek coverage under separate "environmental impairment liability" policies.

 

Professional Liability

A type of liability coverage designed to protect traditional professionals (e.g., accountants, attorneys) and quasi-professionals (e.g., real estate brokers, consultants) against liability incurred as a result of errors and omissions in performing their professional services. Although there are a few exceptions (e.g., physicians, architects, and engineers), most professional liability policies only cover economic or financial losses suffered by third parties, as opposed to bodily injury and property damage claims.

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This is because the latter two types of loss are typically covered under commercial general liability policies. The vast majority of professional liability policies are written with claims made coverage triggers. In addition, professional liability policies commonly contain what are known as "shrinking limits," meaning that unlike CGL policies (where defense costs are paid in addition to policy limits), the insurer's payment of defense costs reduces available policy limits.

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Accordingly, when attempting to determine appropriate policy limits, insureds must consider the fact that because defense costs are often a high proportion of any claim settlement or judgment, they may need to purchase higher limits than they would have for indemnity only.

Note, however, that many professional liability policies (particularly for the medical, hospital, long-term care, and medical facility lines of professional liability) do provide defense coverage in addition to policy limits, an approach that is more in line with the structure of a General Liability  policy.

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Worker’s Compensation

The system by which no-fault statutory benefits prescribed in state law are provided by an employer to an employee (or the employee's family) due to a job-related injury (including death) resulting from an accident or occupational disease.