
Commercial Insurance · Product Capability
Private Company
As an independent broker serving Pittsburgh, Western PA, and beyond, Simpson | McCrady brings 100+ years of expertise and direct access to specialty carriers, for privately held companies that need more than a policy renewal.
Why This Requires Expertise
Private Company Risk Is More Complex Than Most Brokers Acknowledge
Privately held companies operate without the institutional risk infrastructure that public companies take for granted: no dedicated risk management department, no in-house counsel scrutinizing every policy, and no benchmark data from public filings to anchor coverage decisions. That gap creates real exposure. Management liability claims (whether a D&O dispute among shareholders, an employment practices allegation, or a fiduciary breach tied to a benefit plan) can surface without warning and land directly on the personal balance sheets of the owners and directors who built the company. Layer in cyber risk, key person dependency, and succession-related coverage gaps, and the privately held business owner faces a risk profile that standard commercial programs simply aren't structured to address. Answering the question 'what insurance does a private company need?' requires a broker who understands these exposures specifically, not one who maps a generic commercial package onto a business that deserves a more precise fit. Simpson | McCrady has spent over 100 years building that depth of knowledge for businesses across Pittsburgh, Western PA, and the Mid-Atlantic region. It shows in the programs we place and in the carriers willing to compete for our clients' accounts.
What We Cover
What Private Company Covers
What This Coverage Includes
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Directors & Officers (D&O) Liability
Protects the personal assets of company directors and officers against claims alleging wrongful acts in their management capacity — including shareholder disputes, creditor actions, and regulatory investigations. D&O insurance is frequently underutilized by privately held companies until it's urgently needed.
Employment Practices Liability (EPL)
Covers claims arising from wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and other employment-related allegations. EPL is one of the fastest-growing exposures for middle-market companies across every industry — and one of the most frequently excluded from standard general liability policies.
Fiduciary Liability
Addresses personal liability exposure for plan administrators and trustees managing employee benefit plans, including 401(k) and pension programs. A single claim of plan mismanagement can expose leadership to significant personal liability without this coverage in place.
Cyber Liability & Data Privacy
Structured cyber coverage for middle-market companies facing ransomware, business email compromise, data breach, and regulatory notification obligations. Cyber risk ranks among the top five exposures for privately held companies in technology, professional services, manufacturing, and healthcare — and standard property policies provide no meaningful protection.
Commercial Property & Equipment
Covers buildings, equipment, inventory, and business personal property against loss from fire, weather, theft, and other covered perils. We verify that replacement cost values are current and that policy sublimits don't create unexpected gaps when a claim occurs.
General Liability
Foundational coverage protecting against third-party bodily injury and property damage claims arising from your operations, products, or premises. We structure GL programs to coordinate correctly with umbrella and excess layers — closing the gaps that often emerge in package policies.
Commercial Umbrella & Excess Liability
Extends liability limits above your underlying policies — general liability, auto, and employers liability — to provide meaningful protection against catastrophic claims. For privately held companies with significant assets or contractual requirements, adequate umbrella limits are non-negotiable.
Commercial Auto & Fleet
Covers company-owned, leased, and hired/non-owned vehicles used in business operations. We address the gray areas — personal vehicles used for business, driver qualification standards, and telematics considerations — that standard auto policies frequently leave unresolved.
Workers' Compensation
Statutory coverage protecting employees injured on the job while managing the employer's exposure to costly claims and regulatory penalties. We actively support loss control strategies that reduce claim frequency and protect your experience modification rate over time.
Key Person & Life Insurance
Addresses the financial exposure created when the loss of a critical owner, executive, or producer would materially impact business continuity, debt repayment, or buy-sell obligations. Key person coverage is a foundational element of private company risk management that is frequently deferred until a triggering event makes delay costly.
Crime & Fidelity
Protects against employee theft, forgery, funds transfer fraud, and social engineering losses — exposures that are underreported and underinsured in privately held companies where internal controls may be less formal than at public counterparts.
Professional Liability (E&O)
Errors and omissions coverage for companies providing professional advice, services, or design — including technology firms, consultants, architects, and professional services providers. We structure E&O programs aligned with contractual indemnification requirements and client-facing risk transfer obligations.
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Not Sure Your Current Coverage Goes Far Enough?

Our Approach
Independent Advocacy. Direct Carrier Access. A Relationship Built Around Your Business.
Most privately held companies encounter two kinds of insurance brokers: large national platforms that process accounts at scale and have little time for the nuanced conversation a private company owner needs, and transactional agencies that quote and bind without ever truly understanding what they're covering. Simpson | McCrady has operated differently for more than 100 years, and our clients in Pittsburgh and across Western PA and the Mid-Atlantic region notice the difference.
As an independent broker, we are not captive to any single carrier. That independence is a tangible advantage for our private company clients. When we go to market on your behalf, we access a broad panel of specialty and admitted carriers, including markets for management liability, D&O, cyber, and other complex coverages that many regional brokers cannot reach. We present your risk the way it deserves to be presented: with the context, the narrative, and the direct carrier relationships that move underwriters to compete for your account.
Our engagement model mirrors the advisory relationship you have with your attorney or CPA. We assess your full risk profile, not just the lines you think you need, but the succession gaps, key person exposures, and management liability vulnerabilities that only surface when it's too late to address them properly. We manage the carrier relationship through the full policy lifecycle: renewal, endorsement, loss control, and claims advocacy. When a claim arises, you have a dedicated advocate making calls on your behalf, not an 800 number routing you through a national queue. That's the difference between a firm rooted in this region for generations and a platform that treats Pittsburgh as a zip code.
Firm Credentials
The Depth Behind Your Coverage

Speak With an Advisor
Speak with a Trusted Advisor
One straightforward conversation is all it takes to understand where your coverage stands, and where it should be. Protecting Tomorrow Today.
Prefer to call? 412-261-2222
info@simpson-mccrady.com



