https://completemarkets.com/company/mcgowancompanies/General-Contractors-Umbrella-Insurance/
McGowan Excess & Casualty
General Contractors Umbrella Insurance
Overview
The McGowan Companies offers General Contractors Umbrella Insurance through its McGowan Excess & Casualty program to help agents place excess/umbrella capacity for commercial general contractors. This program provides standalone commercial umbrella liability and follow-form excess liability, with lead umbrella limits starting at $1 million and capacity available up to $100 million. Coverage is underwritten by a variety of carriers and is available in most states.
Ideal Accounts and Appetite
This program targets commercial general contractors and GC operations for mid-size to large projects. Typical classes we can consider include:
Office buildings
Schools and educational facilities
Post offices and government facilities
Nursing homes and assisted care facilities
Shopping centers and retail developments
Accounts with established loss control practices, disciplined subcontractor management, and lead umbrella placements from admitted or non-admitted carriers are preferred. Heavy civil, mining, oil & gas well sites, and specialty subcontractor-only operations are generally outside the appetite unless specifically negotiated.
Coverage Highlights
Products: Commercial Umbrella Liability and Follow-Form Excess Liability.
Umbrella Limits: Lead umbrella placements from $1M (capacity available up to $100M).
Excess Layers: Ability to write excess layers over lead umbrellas from $1M to $100M.
Required Underlying Rating: A- / VII (exceptions may be made for employers’ liability carriers where appropriate).
Carriers: Varies by submission—The McGowan Companies places with multiple facultative and treaty markets to secure capacity.
Underwriting Notes
Underwriters review account-level exposures such as payroll and contract values by operation, subcontractor usage, safety programs, and loss history. Typical information that speeds placement includes current primary and umbrella policies, five years of loss runs, a description of current operations and project types, and contractor payroll or project values by trade. The program can place follow-form excess layers over existing lead umbrellas subject to carrier approval.
Territories and Admitted Status
Availability: Most Available States. The program is available in the following jurisdictions:
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, DC, WV, WI, WY.
Some placements may be admitted or non-admitted depending on the carrier and state rules; please consult underwriting on a per-submission basis.
Example Accounts
You have a regional general contractor building a new office campus with a $10M project value and a $1M lead umbrella—this program can provide follow-form excess layers up to higher limits to align with contract requirements.
You represent a developer GC for multiple school renovation projects seeking $5M–$20M aggregate umbrella capacity where consolidated excess placement and coordinated terms reduce gaps in coverage.
Why Place This Business With The McGowan Companies
Managing general underwriter with a construction-focused excess and casualty practice.
Access to multiple carriers and the ability to assemble layered capacity up to $100M.
Flexible placement—standalone umbrella or follow-form excess options to match primary program structure.
Underwriting experience in commercial GC classes and willingness to consider reasonable exceptions for underlying employers’ liability carriers.
Submission Tips
To expedite evaluation, include complete primary and umbrella policy forms, five years of loss runs, description of operations by trade, payroll and contract values, and any risk control/safety documentation. If seeking excess layers over an existing lead umbrella, provide the lead umbrella policy and information on the lead carrier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of general contractors are a good fit for this program?Commercial general contractors working on office buildings, schools, nursing homes, post offices, shopping centers and similar projects are the primary targets. Accounts with formal safety programs, controlled subcontractor use, and stable loss history fit best.
What limits and layering options are available?Lead umbrella limits start at $1M with capacity available up to $100M. The program can also write excess layers over existing lead umbrellas ranging from $1M to $100M, subject to underwriting and carrier approval.
Are there minimum underlying carrier requirements?Yes. The typical required underlying rating is A- / VII. Underwriters may consider exceptions for employers’ liability carriers on a case-by-case basis—discuss exceptions with McGowan Excess & Casualty underwriters at submission.
Which states is this program available in?The program is available in most states (see the list on the program page). Admitted vs. non-admitted placement depends on the carrier selected and state regulations; confirm availability with underwriting for the specific jurisdiction.
Need help placing an account? Connect with a market specialist.