CFC vs Newfront: Representations and Warranties Insurance

CFC underwrites transaction liability and offers small-deal products under $20 million; Newfront brokers R&W through a deal-focused group with diligence and analytics support during M&A.

Kearny Risk organizes these comparisons for firms whose advice, content or technology creates professional exposures.Research updated 2026-09-29

CFC can put up to $50 million on a single deal and cover deals under $20 million through Buyer Protect or Seller Protect within 24 hours of applying, even after closing; Newfront is a broker whose deal team runs diligence and shops insurers for you. Newfront publishes no limits.

What Are the Key Differences Between CFC and Newfront Representations and Warranties Insurance?

Fast Small-Deal Cover vs a Broker Embedded in Your Deal

CFC writes R&W itself and offers Buyer Protect and Seller Protect for deals under $20 million, which it says it can place within 24 hours of an application, including after closing. Newfront places R&W through its Private Equity & Transaction Advisory Group, which it calls an extension of your deal team, and names no R&W insurer. Choose CFC if your deal is under $20 million or you need cover fast; choose Newfront if you want a broker running diligence and comparing insurers across a larger or complex deal. [3] [6]

Published Capacity vs Diligence Staff

CFC says it can put up to $50 million of limit on one transaction, or up to $150 million of excess cover for certain fundamental representations, writing for Lloyd's syndicates and insurers rated A or better by AM Best. It also offers secondary liquidity solutions for fund-interest transfers. Newfront publishes no limits but says its due-diligence staff work on deal time to find exposures, fixes and cost savings, supported by data analytics. [3] [6]

Tax Cover Inside the Policy vs Separate Placements

CFC's core policy covers representations and warranties, contingent tax and other M&A liabilities. Newfront places tax insurance and contingent-liability insurance as separate policies for hard-to-place risks. If a known tax issue is driving the deal, ask Newfront for a standalone tax quote; with CFC, check what the core form's contingent-tax cover excludes. [3] [6]

What Should You Confirm in CFC and Newfront Representations and Warranties Insurance Quotes?

  • Ask Newfront which insurer is quoting, and ask CFC which syndicate or company will issue the policy. [6] [3]
  • Ask CFC whether your quote is the core form, a Protect product, excess or a secondaries solution. [3]
  • Ask Newfront for its quoted limit and retention, and whether tax or contingent-liability cover is part of the same deal. [3] [6]

Areas of coverage

CFC

  • role: CFC's Transaction Liability practice underwrites representations and warranties (R&W) insurance for M&A deals, available to both buyer-side and seller-side purchasers, alongside standalone small-deal products and secondary liquidity solutions. Transaction liability product page overview, describing CFC as a deal facilitator working with private equity firms and strategic buyers and sellers.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Beyond its main R&W policy, CFC sells two standalone small-deal products: Buyer Protect, described as covering a buyer for up to 100% of enterprise value, and Seller Protect, described as protecting sellers of small businesses during an M&A transaction. Both are limited to deals under $20 million. Product page descriptions and the 'Solutions' section, which caps buyer protect/seller protect at deals under $20m. The page's key-features bullets for these two products use near-identical wording about the buyer bringing a claim, so the exact difference in claims mechanics between the two products was not independently confirmable from this page alone.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: The core transaction liability policy covers representations and warranties, contingent tax, and other M&A liabilities, and CFC also offers excess coverage layered on top for certain fundamental representations. Product page key features and the 'Limit & appetite' section; exact terms are set by the policy as issued.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: CFC separately offers secondary liquidity solutions for private market investors acquiring, divesting, or restructuring interests in private equity, private credit, or other fund assets, through what it calls a dedicated secondaries underwriting practice. Secondary liquidity solutions section of the product page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: CFC says it underwrites transaction liability business on behalf of Lloyd's of London syndicates and insurance companies rated 'A' or better by AM Best, without naming a specific carrier for any individual deal. Limit & appetite section of the product page; the specific carrier for a given policy would appear on that policy's documents.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: CFC says it can underwrite up to $50 million of limit on a single transaction, or up to $150 million of excess coverage for certain fundamental representations. Limit & appetite section of the product page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: For the Buyer Protect and Seller Protect products, CFC says coverage can be placed within 24 hours of receiving the application form, and can be arranged after closing. Buyer protect and seller protect key features on the product page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • claims: CFC has a dedicated transaction liability claims team in its London and New York offices, says it has handled nearly 300 claims to date, and aims to send an acknowledgement within 24 hours of a claim notification. Claims section of the product page; outcome statistics are company-reported and not independently verified.company-reportedSource ↗

Newfront

  • role: Newfront places representations and warranties (R&W) insurance through its Private Equity & Transaction Advisory Group, which it describes as operating as "an extension of your deal-team" during M&A transactions. Newfront brokers R&W coverage; it does not underwrite it. Mergers & Acquisitions page's Transaction liability paragraph.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Newfront markets R&W insurance to clients executing mergers and acquisitions, working alongside private-equity deal teams; the reviewed page does not set a minimum deal size or industry restriction. Mergers & Acquisitions page; a practice-wide description, not a stated R&W-specific eligibility threshold.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Newfront describes R&W insurance as protecting clients "across unknown risks" arising from a transaction, distinguishing it from the tax insurance and contingent-liability insurance the same team also places for "hard-to-place transaction risks." The reviewed page does not describe R&W policy exclusions, retention structure or claims-made terms. Mergers & Acquisitions page's Transaction liability paragraph; general description, not a policy form summary.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: Newfront says it has relationships with transaction liability insurers but does not name an R&W carrier. As a broker, the insurer varies by deal. Mergers & Acquisitions page's Subject matter expertise section.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • limits: Published limits, retentions or premium rates for R&W coverage were not found on the reviewed page. Mergers & Acquisitions page as read on 2026-09-23; limits and pricing are deal-specific for broker placements.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • services: Newfront says its due-diligence professionals "operate on deal-time identifying key risk exposures, mitigation solutions, and cost-savings opportunities," and that its technology and data-analytics capabilities support the M&A insurance team's work, including transaction-liability placement. Mergers & Acquisitions page's Due diligence and Technology & data-driven results sections; describes the M&A practice generally, not R&W-exclusive services.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: You engage Newfront's Private Equity & Transaction Advisory Group for R&W placement by requesting a consultation, which asks for your industry, company details and the service you need rather than issuing an instant quote. General consultation intake, not an R&W-specific application path.company-reportedSource ↗

Sources reviewed

  1. 01
    Mergers & Acquisitions

    Beazley · Product overview: buyer and seller protection for inaccuracies in representations or warranties · accessed 2026-09-16

  2. 02
    Regulatory information

    CFC · CFC Underwriting Limited; CFC Lloyd's Syndicate 1988 · accessed 2026-09-23

  3. 03
    Transaction liability insurance | Representation and indemnities insurance

    CFC · What are representations and warranties?; Who should buy representation and warranty insurance?; Available to buyers & sellers; Limited seller security; Is transaction liability insurance available to sellers · accessed 2026-09-16

  4. 04
    Transactional Risk Insurance

    Coverdash · Transactional risk insurance; representations and warranties coverage; buy-side policies; tax and contingent liability products · accessed 2026-09-16

  5. 05
    Get Started Today

    Newfront · Consultation form: schedule a consultation to see how Newfront can reduce your risk · accessed 2026-09-23

  6. 06
    Mergers & Acquisitions

    Newfront · Transaction liability: "Our deep expertise across R&W insurance, Tax insurance, and Contingent Liability insurance provides significant protection for clients across unknown risks"; Due diligence; Subject matter expertise; Leadership: Ted Dobos · accessed 2026-09-23

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