CalSurance Associates review for insurance agents: E&O cost, coverage and policy terms
Agent E&O pays your legal defense and any settlement when a client blames your advice or paperwork for a loss. CalSurance runs group E&O programs for insurance associations, so members buy under one master policy at group terms.
This review covers its two main programs: NAIFA for individual life and health agents and NABIP for benefits agents and agencies.
- Best for
- NAIFA and NABIP members who sell life, health, annuities and benefits
- Price
- Quote only, online in minutes
- Insurer
- Berkley Insurance Company for NAIFA, rated A+ (Superior). Markel American Insurance Company for NABIP, rated A (Excellent)
- Lines covered
- Life, health, disability, annuities and related financial products. NABIP adds P&C by endorsement
- Policy form
- Claims-made and reported on both: the claim must be made and reported during the policy period
- Admitted
- Admitted on both programs
Our take
Pick NABIP if you can. It pays defense on top of your limits, needs your consent to settle and includes cyber and social engineering coverage. Limits reach $5,000,000 per claim.
The NAIFA program is narrower. Berkley adds $250,000 just for defense, but defense beyond that reduces your limit, and Berkley can settle without asking you. It suits a solo life and health agent who wants low deductibles.
Pros
- NABIP pays defense outside the limits
- Cyber and social engineering included on NABIP
- Quote and bind online in minutes
- Low NAIFA deductibles from $500
Cons
- No published premiums
- NAIFA lets the insurer settle without your consent
- NAIFA excludes P&C work and subagents
Who can buy
- NAIFA program
- Individual life and health agents only. No P&C work, life settlements, wholesalers or subagents. Revenue up to $500,000, with no past claims or regulatory trouble
- NABIP program
- Individual agents and agencies that complete the application and pass underwriting
- Licenses
- The licenses your work requires, plus FINRA registration for securities products
- Membership required
- You apply through the sponsoring association. Both programs also enroll you in a risk purchasing group, a legal buying group for liability coverage, at no added cost
What it costs
- How it's priced
- You get a quote online. CalSurance doesn't post premiums for either program
- What sets the price
- Your coverage level, the products you sell and your deductible
- Discounts
- NABIP participants start with a 10% discount
- Payment options
- NAIFA offers 4 or 10 payments. NABIP offers payment plans
Compare the programs
| NAIFA | NABIP | |
|---|---|---|
| Insurer | Berkley Insurance Company | Markel American Insurance Company |
| Who can join | Individual agents | Individual agents and agencies |
| Limits per claim and year | $1M/$1M up to $2M/$2M or $1M/$3M | $100,000/$300,000 up to $5M/$5M |
| Deductible | $500 to $5,000 by product | $1,000 to $250,000 |
| Defense outside limits | Extra $250,000 for defense | |
| P&C coverage | By endorsement | |
| Cyber included | $25,000 privacy breach | $100,000 |
| Covers contractors | ||
| Group term | December 1, 2025 to December 1, 2026. Check the new term after that date | January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027 |
CalSurance also administers the American Agents Alliance program, which has its own review.
Insurer and admitted status
- Issuing insurer
- Berkley Insurance Company for NAIFA. Markel American Insurance Company for NABIP
- AM Best rating
- Berkley: A+ (Superior), July 2025. Markel American: A (Excellent), November 2025
- Admitted
- Both use admitted insurers, so state guaranty funds back them. NABIP is offered in all states
- Administrator
- CalSurance Associates, a division of Brown & Brown in Orange, California
Policy form, prior acts and tail
- Policy form
- Claims-made and reported. NAIFA uses form BIC 10001. NABIP uses form MGPL 0002
- Retroactive date
- The start of your first E&O policy kept in force with no gap, or on NABIP the date on the policy you replace. It's the earliest date of past work covered
- NAIFA tail
- A free 90 days to report if the group policy ends or you leave NAIFA. If you become disabled, retire or die, you can buy 1, 3 or 5 years at 100%, 200% or 300% of your last yearly premium
- NABIP tail
- A free year after your coverage ends, for claims only. You can buy 3 years at 200%, 5 years at 300% or unlimited at 400%, within 60 days
Claims-made means the policy in force when the claim is made pays it. Keep proof of unbroken past coverage so your retroactive date carries over.
Limits, deductibles and defense
The per-claim limit is the most paid on one claim, and the aggregate is the most paid in a year. The comparison above lists each program's limits and deductibles.
- NAIFA defense
- Defense costs use up your limit, but you get an extra $250,000 for defense on top
- NABIP defense
- Defense costs are paid on top of your limits
- Deductible
- Applies to damages only on both programs
- Shared limits
- NABIP members each have their own limits with no program cap. The NAIFA group policy has a $100 million cap, except in New York
Consent to settle and exclusions
- NAIFA
- Berkley can settle a claim without your consent
- NABIP
- Markel needs your consent. If you refuse a settlement the client would accept, Markel pays the offer, defense to that date and 40% of costs after that
Excluded on both
- Dishonest or criminal acts, though defense continues until a ruling
- Mixing or misusing client funds
- Life settlements and viatical settlements
Excluded on NAIFA
- P&C insurance
- Premium-financed life insurance
- Fee-based financial planning and investment adviser work
Who the policy covers
- Your business entity
- Covered for the enrolled agent's work on both programs
- Employees
- Covered while working for the enrolled agent
- Independent contractors
- NABIP only, for the agent's work
- Subagents
- NAIFA excludes them. On NABIP, each agent or agency enrolls on its own certificate
Included and optional coverage
| Coverage | Program | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Cyber management | NABIP | $100,000, $5,000 deductible |
| Social engineering fraud | NABIP | $100,000, $5,000 deductible |
| Pre-claim, subpoena and inquiry help | NABIP | $10,000 each |
| Privacy breach | NAIFA | $25,000, $5,000 deductible |
| Disciplinary proceedings | NAIFA | $10,000 |
| Subpoena help | NAIFA | $10,000 |
| Carrier insolvency | Both | Within the policy limit, for rated insurers |
NABIP sells mutual fund and P&C coverage as add-ons.
How to apply
Pick your association program
NAIFA for individual life and health agents, NABIP for agents and agencies in benefits.
Apply online
Answer the underwriting questions in the online quote.
Pick a limit and deductible
Choose a coverage level for your products.
Pay and bind
NABIP binds in as little as five minutes when no underwriter review is needed.
Download proof
Certificates are on the CalSurance site minutes after payment.
Coverage runs 12 months from enrollment. On NAIFA it starts on the first of the month.
Claims and risk management
- How to report
- Lancer Claims Services online or at 800-821-0540
- When to report
- Right away. If you're served with a lawsuit, tell Lancer within 24 hours
Cancellation and renewal
- If you cancel (NAIFA)
- Send written notice. You get a short-rate refund, which is less than the unused share
- If the insurer cancels
- 60 days' notice, or 10 days for nonpayment
- NABIP coverage end
- Each certificate ends after 12 months
CalSurance Associates alternatives
- American Agents AllianceQuote only for most agenciesAnother CalSurance program, open to P&C and life agents
- NAPA E&OFrom $355 a year, newly licensed, $1M/$3M, $0 deductiblePublished life and health prices with monthly plans
- EOforLessFrom $374 a year, Medicare only, $1M/$1M, $0 deductiblePublished prices, including a Medicare-only plan
- Travelers through AMBAQuote onlyTravelers policy for life and health agents
- PIA Agency InsuranceQuote onlyBroker that shops several E&O insurers
See every option in E&O insurance for insurance agents.
Frequently asked questions
How much does CalSurance E&O cost?
CalSurance quotes online and doesn't publish rates. NABIP members start with a 10% discount.
Do I need to be a NAIFA or NABIP member?
Both are run as association member programs, so plan to join. Association dues are separate from the E&O premium, and the application also enrolls you in a risk purchasing group, a legal buying group for liability coverage, at no extra charge.
Can P&C agents use CalSurance?
Only on NABIP, with a P&C add-on. The NAIFA program excludes P&C work.
How do I report a claim?
Contact Lancer Claims Services online or at 800-821-0540, within 24 hours if you've been served.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by CalSurance Associates, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.
Corrections
Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan CalSurance Associates quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where CalSurance Associates has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.