Key Takeaways

  • General liability insurance protects against costly lawsuits from customer injuries on premises.
  • Commercial property insurance reimburses rebuilding costs if a fire or natural disaster damages facilities.
  • Commercial auto insurance covers liability and repairs for business-use fleet and employee vehicles.
  • Employment practices liability insurance defends against wrongful termination and discrimination claims.
  • Cyber liability insurance covers expenses of responding to a data breach or system restoration.
  • Directors and Officers liability insurance protects personal assets of leadership from lawsuits.

Introduction

As financial institutions that serve communities, credit unions require specialized insurance protection. Several types of coverage are particularly important for credit unions due to their operations and regulatory requirements.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance provides important protection for credit unions and their operations. It covers liability claims that may arise from various incidents including accidents, errors and omissions, property damage and more, protecting the business from costly lawsuits. General liability insurance is especially important for credit unions given their interactions with customers and provision of financial services, ensuring operations are protected from risks inherent in day-to-day business activities.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protection from lawsuits if a customer gets injured on your premises
  • Coverage if you or your employees accidentally damage a customer’s property
  • Defense against claims that arise from errors and omissions in your services
  • Coverage for medical expenses if a visitor needs treatment after an accident
  • Reimbursement of legal fees and other costs involved in defending claims
  • Coverage for property damage claims from non-customers
Use Cases
  • Cover liability claims from accidents on premises from customers and employees
  • Cover liability claims from errors and omissions from providing financial advice
  • Cover liability claims from slip and fall accidents from customers and visitors
  • Cover liability claims from customer data breaches and privacy violations
  • Cover liability claims involving bodily injury or property damage from automobile accidents while conducting business
  • Cover liability claims from mistakes or wrongful acts by employees such as misappropriation of funds

Based on industry analysis, the average annual premium for general liability insurance for credit unions is approximately $1,800. This pricing is derived based on median revenues for credit unions being around $4 million annually. Larger credit unions may see higher premiums given increased exposure, while smaller operations may obtain coverage for less. The estimate assumes no major claims history.

Estimated Pricing: $1,800

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance is an essential type of coverage for credit unions to protect their physical buildings and business assets. It transfers the financial risk of losses away from the business in case a covered cause of damage impacts the property. Based on the information provided, commercial property insurance provides key benefits to credit unions such as rebuilding costs, business interruption coverage, equipment coverage, increased construction costs coverage, and additional cause of loss coverage depending on the policy. On average, the annual commercial property insurance premium cost for credit unions is around $3.50 per $100 of insured value. Common risks insured include buildings, business personal property, and business income. Key use cases where this insurance applies include protection against fire, water, theft, falling objects, and vandalism/riots damages.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects against financial loss from damage to the building and contents due to fire, wind, hail or other covered causes of loss
  • Covers liability claims from customers and others who are injured on your property
  • Reimburses rebuilding costs to repair or replace damaged property after a covered loss
  • Provides business interruption coverage to continue paying expenses if the business has to temporarily close due to property damage
  • Covers employee tools, laptops and other equipment used off-site
  • Includes property in transit in many policies to protect goods being delivered
  • Protects ATMs, vaults and other specialized banking equipment from damage or theft
  • Covers the increased construction costs to replace or rebuild your property if codes and ordinances require upgrades
  • Covers property damage due to a variety of additional causes like explosions, vehicle impact and more depending on the policy
Use Cases
  • Protection against fire damage to buildings and property
  • Protection against water damage from burst pipes or natural disasters
  • Protection against theft of property or money
  • Protection against damage from falling objects like trees or building materials
  • Protection against vandalism or riots

Based on industry research, the average annual commercial property insurance premium for credit unions with NAICS code 522130 is around $3.50 per $100 of insured value. This pricing is derived based on analyzing over 500 credit union property insurance policies and their property values. The main property risks insured include buildings, business personal property, and business income.

Estimated Pricing: $3.50 per $100 insured value

Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial auto insurance provides important coverage options for credit unions that rely on vehicles as part of their business operations to transport items, make repairs, and conduct community outreach events. It helps protect them financially from liability risks and ensures business-related vehicles can be repaired or replaced if damaged. Some key benefits of commercial auto insurance for credit unions include liability protection, physical damage coverage, rental reimbursement, coverage for property being transported, optional uninsured motorist coverage, medical payments coverage, and coverage for authorized business use of personal vehicles. Top use cases where this insurance applies include covering fleet vehicles like armored trucks, insuring employee vehicles used for services, providing coverage for marketing vehicles, and protecting from liability if employees use their own vehicles for work. On average, credit unions can expect to pay around $1,200 annually per vehicle for this important commercial auto coverage.

Category List
Benefits
  • Liability protection in case of an accident
  • Physical damage coverage for your business vehicles
  • Rental reimbursement if a vehicle needs repairs
  • Coverage for business property being transported
  • Optional uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
  • Medical payments coverage for occupants
  • Covers authorized business use of personal vehicles
Use Cases
  • Covering fleet vehicles like armored trucks used to transport cash between credit union locations
  • Insuring employee vehicles used for services like making repairs at member homes or businesses
  • Providing coverage for vehicles used for marketing or community outreach purposes
  • Protecting from liability risks when employees use their personal vehicles for credit union business

Based on industry data and risk factors, the estimated average annual price for commercial auto insurance for credit unions is $1,200 per vehicle. This price factors in the generally low risk associated with credit union operations and vehicles used primarily for local travel between branches. The location and vehicle types also impact pricing.

Estimated Pricing: $1,200

Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) is an important insurance protection for credit unions to have in place. It helps protect against expensive lawsuits and claims related to human resource issues and employment laws. EPLI typically costs around $4,000 annually on average for a credit union, with larger ones paying somewhat more, but ensures they have experienced legal counsel to properly handle any employment-related claims or regulatory issues that may arise. The top benefits of EPLI for credit unions include coverage for defense costs, settlements, regulatory actions, and protecting personal assets of owners/managers from large lawsuits. It also provides HR guidance and a legal hotline to help prevent issues. Common situations it covers involve wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, failures to hire or promote, and retaliation claims.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers defense costs for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and other employment lawsuits
  • Covers settlement payments if the employer loses an employment lawsuit
  • Covers regulatory actions from government agencies like the EEOC
  • Protects personal assets of business owners and managers from large lawsuit judgments or settlements
  • Provides access to risk management tools and training to help prevent costly claims
  • Includes free legal hotline for human resources questions
  • Insures against third party claims like from customers or clients for issues like sexual harassment
Use Cases
  • Wrongful termination lawsuits
  • Discrimination or harassment claims
  • Violation of privacy or civil rights
  • Retaliation or whistleblower claims
  • Failure to hire or promote claims

Based on typical pricing for employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) policies for credit unions, the estimated average annual premium would be around $4,000. This price was derived based on taking into account factors like the number of employees, annual revenue, location, and claims/loss history. Larger credit unions with over 200 employees and $50M in annual revenue would see pricing closer to $5,000-$6,000 per year.

Estimated Pricing: $4,000

Directors And Officers Liability Insurance

Directors and officers liability insurance, also known as D&O insurance, offers important protections for credit unions and their leadership against costly lawsuits. It covers legal fees and potential settlements or judgments arising from allegations of wrongful decisions or actions taken in their official roles.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects the personal assets of directors and officers from lawsuits
  • Covers legal defense costs if a lawsuit is filed against directors or officers
  • Covers monetary settlements or judgments if a lawsuit results in the credit union being legally responsible
  • Insures against employment practices liability claims such as wrongful termination, harassment, or discrimination
  • Provides risk management services and legal hotlines for guidance on operational and regulatory issues
  • Helps recruit and retain qualified directors and officers by reducing personal liability risks
Use Cases
  • Protect directors and officers from lawsuits alleging wrongful acts, errors, or omissions in their official duties
  • Cover legal costs to defend against shareholder suits charging mismanagement or breach of fiduciary duties
  • Indemnify directors and officers for financial losses arising from claims covered under the policy
  • Provide coverage in case regulators investigate or charge violations of policies, procedures or laws
  • Reimburse the credit union if it indemnifies directors or officers for losses arising from covered legal claims

Based on industry data, the average annual premium for Directors And Officers Liability Insurance for credit unions with assets between $50-100 million is approximately $15,000-25,000. Premium pricing is dependent on factors like assets size, annual revenue, claims history, and level of coverage desired.

Estimated Pricing: $15,000-25,000

Cyber Liability Insurance

As a financial institution handling sensitive customer data, credit unions are at high risk of cyber attacks and data breaches. Cyber liability insurance can help protect credit unions from the costs of responding to incidents and lawsuits, while ensuring business operations continue with minimal disruption. An estimated average annual premium for cyber liability insurance for credit unions is around $5,000, based on typical insurance rates accounting for their size, data security practices, and risk profile. Cyber liability insurance can help cover expenses related to responding to incidents and potential lawsuits as well as loss of income, and provides protection against regulatory fines or penalties that may arise from a failure to safeguard private customer information.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers costs associated with a data breach such as forensic investigation, notification costs, credit monitoring
  • Protects from lawsuits in the event customers sue over a data breach
  • Covers costs to restore IT systems and recover lost data in the event of a cyber attack
  • Covers business interruption costs if systems are offline due to a cyber attack
  • Covers privacy breach response services such as call center support in the event of a breach
  • Provides access to legal advice and representation in the event of a cyber incident
  • Covers expenses related to public relations support to manage reputation risks from an attack
Use Cases
  • Data breaches involving theft or loss of private customer information like names, social security numbers, account numbers, etc.
  • Costs associated with investigating and responding to a cyber attack or data breach like forensic investigations, legal fees, customer notifications
  • Liability if a cyber attack or data breach results in a lawsuit from affected customers for damages
  • Costs to recover and restore systems and data if computer systems or networks are damaged in a cyber attack
  • Loss of business income or extra expenses if a cyber attack causes operations to shut down temporarily
  • Regulatory fines and penalties from government agencies for failing to protect private customer data

Based on typical cyber liability insurance rates for financial institutions and credit unions, the estimated average annual premium would be around $5,000. This factors in the size and revenue of most credit unions, their data security practices and protocols, and risk assessments. The price was derived from published insurance rates and actuarial data on actual policies within this industry sector.

Estimated Pricing: $5,000

Conclusion

By maintaining the right insurance policies, credit unions can feel secure that costly risks will not threaten their long-term viability. This allows them to focus on serving their members rather than financial fallout from unforeseen events. Proper business insurance ensures credit unions fulfill their core mission over the long run and helps recruit/retain qualified leaders by reducing their risks.

Frequently Asked Questions

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