CNA is one of the largest commercial property and casualty insurance companies in the US–and it also operates in Canada and Europe. Having been around for 120 years and counting, CNA is known for providing a broad range of standard and specialized insurance products and services for businesses and professionals of all sizes and across a wide array of industries including Construction, Financial Institutions, Healthcare, Law Firms, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Real Estate, and Technology.
CNA Pros and Cons
CNA doesn’t believe in off-the-shelf packages, so policyholders get to really define their needs. And qualified agents help them make their unique, tailored plans. But what else makes CNA a better choice for some–or a worse one for others?
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CNA Commercial Insurance Rating
- Overall rating: [3.2] / 5 stars
- Coverage options: [5] / 5 stars
- Cost: [3] / 5 stars
- Ratings and complaints: [2]/ 5 stars
- Digital experience: [4] / 5 stars
- Customer service: [2] / 5 stars
CNA Coverage Options
CNA states that companies need an insurance carrier that understands their unique exposures and the industry trends that impact their business.They believe that their Primary Casualty team can provide these much-needed customized solutions–starting with their comprehensive insurance coverage options including:
- Casualty: CNA’s casualty insurance plans include Automobile Liability, General Liability, Physical Damage, and Workers’ Compensation. It can encompass more than that too and can be part of a holistic insurance solution across property, casualty and financial lines.
- CNA Connect (Businessowners Policy): CNA Connect, their flagship Businessowners Policy (BOP), includes a range of coverages tailored to the specific risks of small business owners — many of which aren’t typically offered in today’s competitive marketplace.
- CNA Paramount (Commercial Package): CNA Paramount is the premier business package policy for mid-sized businesses. The package policy seamlessly integrates essential and critical coverages, including Property, Crime and General Liability solutions, into one simple package – enhanced with a new umbrella policy.
- CNA Surety: CNA Surety provides a full range of commercial and contract surety bonds in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico.
- Commercial Auto: Provides coverage for bodily injury and property damage caused by owned, hired and non-owned vehicles used for business. In addition to their general auto coverages, CNA also offers optional endorsements such as our Drive Other Car coverage for executive officers.
- Cyber: CNA’s plan will cover Network Failure, Dependent Business Income, Wrongful Collection, Broad Media, E-Theft and Social Engineering, Reputational Harm, Voluntary Shutdown, and Payment Card Industry (PCI).
- Equipment Breakdown: CNA’s Equipment Breakdown insurance is unique in that it not only addresses repair or replacement of equipment, but also damage as a result of breakdowns, such as the loss of certain perishable property due to spoilage, loss to computer or data equipment and more.
- General Liability: CNA’s Commercial General Liability insurance provides for amounts a business may become legally obligated to pay as damages to third parties. This may include slips, trips, falls or property damage.
- Management & Professional Liability: Capabilities include a powerful combination of Directors & Officers Liability (D&O), Employment Practices Liability (EPL), Fiduciary Liability, Fidelity and Crime insurance, and Kidnap, Ransom and Extortion insurance.
- Marine: Inland Marine coverages are varied, spanning risks related to accounts receivables, buildings under construction, medical equipment, electronic data processing, fine art, mobile property and more. Ocean Marine coverages address goods shipped by water or air – including incidental warehouse storage and intermediate transit by rail or truck. To ensure the highest level of flexibility, multiple levels of risk coverage are available in addition to customized coverages for specialized commodities.
- Property: Provides coverage for losses to property owned by a business and the legal liability that may result from damage to the property of others that is in the care, custody or control of a business.
- Umbrella & Excess Casualty: CNA’s Umbrella policies have built-in coverage enhancements for key employee replacement, crisis management, waiver of subrogation and most favorable venue.
- Warranty & Alternative Risks: With over $5 billion in annual gross revenue and an estimated 17% market share in the U.S., CNA is one of the largest and most experienced underwriters and providers of warranty-related products and insurance.
- Workers’ Compensation: Offers coverage for medical expenses and wage replacement for employees injured in the course of employment.
CNA Insurance Cost
Most providers will say that every company is different, so it can be difficult to find insurance plan costs prior to receiving an official quote. And that’s pretty true. While some insurance providers will strive to provide some level of insight into pricing, companies like CNA that tailor-make policies, choose to refrain from setting expectations. To truly get an idea of what a CNA insurance plan will cost, you’ll have to connect with an agent and get a quote.
CNA Ratings and Complaints
CNA reports that they have an “A” rating for financial strength with approximately $45 billion of assets. As far as customer satisfaction goes though, the company does not share policyholder reviews on their site–and off-site feedback is widely lackluster.
Outside of having an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau, even though they are not BBB accredited, CNA has a total of 5 reviews that tally up at only one star. The important thing to note though, is that in the past three years the organization has only received 30 complaints in total. That’s much less than the hundreds of complaints that other competitors, like The Hartford, have received.
What’s at the heart of all of these 1-star reviews? One review from a BBB user shared:
“I have tried multiple times to reach out to the claims agent due to someone hitting my parked car (that is a member of CNA) and they have refused to call me back for a full month – no one has came out to get an estimate of damage, etc. A claim has been made with no further action.”
Out of 55 reviews on Yelp, CNA is also rated as a 1-star provider. A user from September of 2021 shared: “Terrible insurance company. Didn’t listen to my concerns about a false claim against my business and just settled.”
CNA Insurance Digital Experience
CNA’s digital experience is clean and fairly simple to navigate. They don’t have the most sleek appearance, the vibe is a little drab–but you will be able to easily shop plans and navigate by either your product or industry. Ultimately, you’ll have to speak with an agent at some point to get specific plan details, so you won’t see any “get a quote” options, but the company does make it simple to find an agent who can help you beyond initial product acclamation.
CNA Insurance Customer Service
As previously mentioned, CNA does not perform well with off-site reviews–that being said, overall they have far fewer complaints filed against them compared to other leading names in the insurance industry.
In regards to customer service specifically, CNA seems to leave much to be desired. Another 1-star review from September 2021 reported to the BBB:
“If I could give a 0 I would. The customer service I’ve received is past horrible. My claims specialist doesn’t respond to emails or calls. I called his supervisor and left messages twice two weeks apart, still no response free either of them. There is no excuse for this type of service when you are dealing with people’s lively livelihood. My case was sent to this company 2 months ago and I’ve spent the last month just trying to get an update or status. Very inconsiderate especially considering the times we are in. My last communication was them requesting a document I had already provided weeks prior. If you have to go through this company God help you because the workers don’t seem [to] care or have the person who filed the claim in mind at all.”
With that review, and similar, in mind, the company does claim to offer 24/7 support. They provide both a phone number and email address as options for contact.
Other Services and Features That CNA Offers
When working with CNA, policyholders get access to a number of in-house resources, including litigation counsel, special investigations and recovery. The special investigations unit can identify, investigate and pursue fraud, leveraging predictive models and machine learning to help resolve claims.
CNA also offers training to help ensure that workplaces are safe to begin with, and their Risk Control professionals have expertise in building health and safety programs for companies of all sizes.
What Is CNA’s Claims Process?
CNA offers 24/7 online filing for 15 different types of claims via their Online Claims Center or by phone, fax, or email. CNA claims professionals specialize not only by type of business, but also by claim type and severity. Once a claim is filed, you’ll be matched to a specialist who will handle your issue.
How to Get Quotes From CNA
To get a quote, you will have to contact an agent. To be matched with an agent you will have to share the location, size of your business and industry type via an online form.
Bottom Line: Is CNA a Good Company?
Sure, CNA is a good company if you are looking for a custom insurance plan and want a big name to back it up. On paper, CNA offers their policyholders a wide variety of options and a network of global knowledge. Still, some of those 1-star reviews do cause concern. After all, it doesn’t matter however good your insurance plan seems to be if you are going to endure a struggle to actually use your coverage. It is worth nothing once more though, that while the reviews were bad, there were not that many of them.
Alternatives to CNA
If you’re unsure of where to start when shopping for commercial insurance, consider using a company like CoverWallet, which will generate various quotes from various companies and will then provide you with an agent to help you make the best choice.
Further, if you are looking for a seamless experience and don’t want to have to talk to someone in order to get a quote consider going with a provider like Embroker or Next Insurance. These companies offer a wide range of customizable commercial insurance products and both have positive customer service reviews that one can easily find online.