Chubb vs Hiscox: Professional Liability / E&O Insurance

Hiscox says professional liability is licensed for sale in 49 states and DC, excluding Alaska, with online quote and purchase for eligible buyers. Chubb Pro ERM is quoted by agents and brokers and bundles professional, media and cyber cover.

Kearny Risk organizes these comparisons for firms whose advice, content or technology creates professional exposures.Research updated 2026-09-25

What Are the Key Differences Between Chubb and Hiscox Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance?

One Bundled Policy or a Standalone Line

Chubb's Pro ERM combines professional liability with media and cyber exposures in a single underwritten policy for non-licensed professional-services firms. Hiscox sells professional liability as a standalone line, underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. and sold directly to small businesses through its online Hiscox NOW catalogue rather than bundled with other coverages by default. [1] [4]

How You Buy It

Chubb's Pro ERM is quoted by agents and brokers through Chubb's own Cyber Central or Marketplace platforms, not by the buyer directly. Hiscox lets eligible buyers quote and purchase professional liability online themselves, with licensed advisors available by phone during posted hours, and says a specialist broker can help where it doesn't sell the product online in a buyer's state. [1] [5]

Coverage Trigger and Claims Access

The reviewed Chubb page does not state whether Pro ERM is written on a claims-made or occurrence basis. Hiscox describes its professional liability policy explicitly as claims-made, covering a claim only if it is made and typically reported while the policy is active, and separately tells current customers its professional-liability claims line is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. [6]

What Should You Confirm in Chubb and Hiscox Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Quotes?

  • Ask Chubb for the Pro ERM liability limit and retention, since the reviewed page only states 100% worldwide defense-cost coverage without a separate limit figure. [1]
  • Confirm whether your state is one where Hiscox sells professional liability online directly, or whether you'd need its specialist-broker path instead. [5]
  • Ask Hiscox for its published limit and retention options, since the reviewed pages describe the claims-made trigger but not standard figures. [5]
  • Ask Chubb whether Pro ERM's professional disciplinary proceedings coverage and broadened technology-services definition apply to your specific services. [1]

Chubb combines professional liability, media and cyber in Pro ERM through brokers; Hiscox sells standalone E&O online to eligible small businesses.

Sources reviewed

  1. 01
    Cyber Insurance Coverage & Products

    Chubb · Professional Enterprise Risk Management section: target clients and product features beyond Cyber ERM · accessed 2026-09-23

  2. 02
    Insurance for Software Product & System Developers

    Chubb · Financial-lines coverage solutions list for software and systems developers · accessed 2026-09-23

  3. 03
    About Hiscox US Insurance

    Hiscox · Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent · accessed 2026-09-16

  4. 04
    Hiscox US Agent Appetite Guide

    Hiscox · Hiscox NOW admitted GL, PL, cyber and BOP underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Inc.; technology classes including IT consultants and software development · accessed 2026-09-16

  5. 05
    Professional Liability Insurance for Small Businesses

    Hiscox · Professional liability/E&O product; licensed in 49 states and Washington, D.C. (Alaska excluded); specialist-broker assistance if not licensed in a state; licensed-advisor hours · accessed 2026-09-16

  6. 06
    What is Professional Liability Insurance?

    Hiscox · Claims-made description; current-customer claim number described as open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week · accessed 2026-09-16

  7. 07
    Professional Liability – US Direct Errors and Omissions Insurance

    Hiscox Inc. specimen · About this Policy / Coverage for Claims Made Against You; I.A Insuring Agreement; I.B Defense; I.C Settlement; II.A Notice of Claims; II.C Optional Extended Reporting Period; III.A, III.K, III.M, III.R, III.S Exclusions; IV.A–B Limits and Deductible; VI.O Professional Services; VI.U Wrongful Act · accessed 2026-09-16

  8. 08
    Professional liability insurance

    Insurance Information Institute · Opening paragraphs (professional services/advice and E&O name); Claims not covered by general liability; What types of businesses need professional liability insurance?; What’s covered… and what’s not (claims-made versus occurrence, defense and judgments, non-financial/intentional limits, BOP/in-home exclusion) · accessed 2026-09-16

  9. 09
    FAQ: Professional liability insurance

    Texas Department of Insurance · What’s professional liability coverage?; What types of damages…; What’s general liability insurance?; Do I need professional liability… if I have general liability…?; Is professional liability insurance required?; Can a client require…?; What’s the difference between occurrence policies and claims-made policies · accessed 2026-09-16

  10. 10
    Get business insurance

    U.S. Small Business Administration · Six common types of business insurance table · accessed 2026-09-16

Areas of coverage

Chubb

  • role: Chubb underwrites professional errors and omissions coverage through Pro ERM, a single policy combining professional liability, media and cyber exposures for non-licensed professional-services firms. Cyber Insurance Coverage & Products page, Professional Enterprise Risk Management section.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Chubb says Pro ERM is available to non-licensed professional-services firms of all sizes, naming examples including associations, consultants, business process administrators, event planners, interior and graphic design firms, marketing and PR firms, printers, staffing firms, travel agents and trustees. Pro ERM Target Clients list.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Beyond the Cyber ERM base, Chubb says Pro ERM adds E&O coverage including personal injury from professional services, a broadened definition of professional services that expressly includes professional technology services, coverage for independent contractors performing duties on the insured's behalf, automatic additional-insured status for clients when required by contract, and coverage for professional disciplinary proceedings. Pro ERM Product Features list; subject to the policy as issued.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: Chubb says Pro ERM includes coverage for 100% of defense costs for covered claims worldwide, but the reviewed page does not publish a separate liability limit or retention. Pro ERM Product Features list.company-reportedSource ↗
  • services: Chubb says Pro ERM policyholders get access to legal counsel with extensive professional-liability experience, in addition to the general cyber-incident-response services shared with Cyber ERM. Pro ERM Product Features list.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: Agents and brokers can quote Pro ERM through Chubb's Cyber Central or Marketplace quoting platforms. Cyber Insurance Coverage & Products page quoting section.company-reportedSource ↗

Hiscox

  • role: Hiscox Inc., a licensed insurance intermediary, sells professional liability (errors and omissions) coverage directly online to small businesses as part of its Hiscox NOW admitted small-business catalogue. Company-stated online small-business channel.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • insurer: Hiscox's appetite guide and About Hiscox US page name Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. (NAIC 10200) as the underwriter of admitted Hiscox NOW professional-liability policies. Admitted small-business professional liability as described in company materials; the exact contracting entity for a particular state or channel should be confirmed on the quote.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • eligibility: Hiscox says professional liability is licensed for sale in 49 states and Washington, D.C., excluding Alaska, and that if it does not sell the product online in a buyer's state, a specialist broker may be able to help instead. Company-stated jurisdiction for the online small-business catalogue; the appetite guide's technology classes (IT consultants, software development) illustrate typical buyers but do not guarantee acceptance for any one applicant.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: Hiscox describes professional liability as a claims-made policy, meaning a claim is covered only if it is made (and typically reported) while the policy is active, rather than an occurrence policy covering incidents regardless of when the claim surfaces. Product FAQ description; exact triggers, retroactive dates, exclusions and wording are set by the issued policy.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: The professional-liability pages reviewed do not publish standard limit, retention or deductible amounts; specific figures are shown only on a quote. Public product and FAQ pages as previously reviewed.not-disclosedSource ↗Source ↗
  • application: Hiscox says eligible buyers can quote and buy professional liability online, with licensed advisors available by phone during posted hours for questions during the process. Company-described online application; eligibility and binding conditions require confirmation on the actual application.company-reportedSource ↗
  • claims: A professional-liability FAQ tells current customers that the claims phone line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, separate from the general claims-center hours listed elsewhere on the Hiscox site. Company-described claims-reporting availability for this product's FAQ; does not establish claim outcomes or turnaround time.company-reportedSource ↗

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