Harper vs Lockton: How Do They Compare for Business Insurance?

Businesses in hard-to-place industries can ask Harper for broker help; its listed specialties include contracting, restaurants, auto, care, manufacturing and transportation. ^9,14Company-reported. Examples of advertised appetite, not a verified customer census or eligibility guarantee.

Technology, hardware, software, internet, medical-device, semiconductor and telecom organizations can ask Lockton about brokerage; public pages give no company-size, funding or revenue minimum. ^20,21,29Company-reported. US technology, homepage and private-equity service pages. Presence of a technology practice is not an eligibility guarantee for a bootstrapped or early-stage startup.

If you need life or health insurance, look elsewhere for now: Harper’s privacy policy says it does not currently offer either, and its Georgia life qualification does not establish a life product. ^4,5Company-reported. Privacy section 2, information not intentionally collected; Georgia agency qualification independently checked. Distinguishes licensing authority from the company’s current product offering.

Businesses can ask Harper about general and professional liability, property, auto, cyber, garage, umbrella, bonds, workers’ compensation, equipment, liquor, malpractice, product liability and BOP; the BOP may combine property and liability. ^2,8Company-reported. Advertised product categories across the current homepage, directory and intake. No conclusion that all lines are available together, from one insurer, or in every jurisdiction.

Security firms can ask about liability for guard actions or professional negligence plus equipment and vehicles; Harper’s page does not name the insurer or policy wording for a specific operation. ¹²Company-reported. Company industry appetite. No adoption of the page’s broad claims about standard-policy exclusions or satisfaction of licensing requirements.

Businesses needing license, permit, contract, dealer, court or fiduciary bonds can approach Harper; review the indemnity agreement because the buyer may have to repay the bond company for claims it pays. ¹³Company-reported. Company product description. No blanket interpretation of a specific bond or personal guarantee.

Ask for the insurer-specific forms and endorsements before comparing prices; reviewed product pages are summaries and do not establish shared limits, deductibles or exclusions. ^8,10,12Not found in reviewed sources. Scoped search of current coverage directory and representative product/industry pages. No issued policy or private quote reviewed. Absence of a specimen in these sources is not absence of available coverage.

Technology and private-equity buyers can ask about cyber, D&O, contract review and international programs; Lockton also lists casualty, property, fiduciary, benefits, E&O, crime, EPL, surety, key-person and transaction products. Actual forms, limits and eligibility require a quote. ^{21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29}Company-reported. Direct US product and industry pages accessed 16 September 2026. Technology errors and omissions is discussed in educational Lockton articles but was not added from those articles alone. Catalogue entries from the private-equity page are marketed in that industry context.

You can request a quote by providing business, revenue, state, operations and coverage details; the form starts an inquiry and does not show a premium or issued policy. ²Company-reported. Browser inspection of the blank homepage footer form. No data entered or submitted, so later application, quote, payment and binding screens were not tested.

Harper says its internal Hub software helps staff complete forms, identify markets and manage client communication; the launch announcement describes greater automation as a future direction. ⁷Company-reported. Founder-authored description hosted by the accelerator; not independent verification of automation quality or a buyer-facing software subscription.

Harper says AI extracts document details, drafts messages and organizes follow-up, while licensed staff and carriers review eligibility and binding decisions; automated marketing does not mean a machine approves coverage alone. ⁴Company-reported. Privacy sections 3 and 8; stated controls only. No audit of model accuracy, staff review or underwriting delegation.

Before uploading sensitive records, understand how Harper uses them: its privacy policy says applications and loss data help train Harper’s models, while enterprise AI vendors say they do not train foundation models on customer data. ⁴Company-reported. Sections 2, 7 and 8. Company-reported data handling, not an independent privacy or security certification.

Do not rely on a text message to start or change coverage: Harper’s terms require written confirmation from Harper and the insurer, and text quotes remain subject to underwriting. ³Company-reported. Section 11, effective August 24, 2026. Does not establish a particular insurer’s required payment or signing sequence.

Harper advertises a 24–48-hour placement time, but it is a company estimate rather than a deadline; ask what approvals and documents remain before relying on a start date. ¹⁴Company-reported. February 26, 2026 marketing claim, not independently measured. Current homepage refers to same-week answers, a different milestone; neither is a binding service-level guarantee.

You can start with a Lockton team inquiry or email its cyber and technology group; reviewed pages do not offer a self-service bind flow or guaranteed quote turnaround. ^{31,20,34,22,33}Company-reported. US contact, privacy, technology and cyber-technology pages. Form submission was not completed. Website terms state site content is general information, not broking advice.

Harper advertises a network including Progressive, Kinsale, USLI, Atlantic Casualty, James River, GEICO, AIG and Hiscox, plus 165+ underwriters; that count does not mean every insurer will quote your risk. ^2,14Company-reported. Marketing logos and dated company statement. No direct appointments or live quoting access independently confirmed; no assignment of an insurer to a product.

Ask for the insurer named on your quote and its current rating: an older Harper article says it uses AAA-rated carriers without naming the rating agency, companies or dated rating records. ¹⁸Not found in reviewed sources. Page dated January 21, 2025, carrier-network assertions. Rating claim withheld as a finding; no rating assigned to Harper or any displayed insurer.

Ask which insurer will issue your policy because Lockton does not promise a particular carrier or acceptable terms; its pages mention 100+ workers’ compensation markets without naming them and do not identify insurers for your policy. ^32,22,26Not publicly disclosed. US Terms of Business, cyber-technology, and workers’ compensation marketing. Not a finding that Lockton lacks carrier access.

Harper says it can classify payroll by employees’ duties and prepare premium-audit information for workers’ compensation; audits can change the premium, and this is not a guarantee that cost stays fixed. ^11,19Company-reported. Public payroll and audit service description; not independently tested, and state employee thresholds are deliberately not generalized.

If another agent refers you, confirm who will be your ongoing contact: Harper says it owns the account and handles placement, service, renewals and claims, while the referring agent has no service duties. ^16,15Company-reported. Distinct advertised programs; not assumed contradictory or contractually identical. Account ownership is the program’s language, not a finding that a buyer cannot change brokers.

Harper’s portal advertises policy, certificate, payment and application-status access; customers need an invitation and should ask support about features available after sign-in. ¹⁷Company-reported. Public entry page viewed and captured without authenticating, requesting an invitation or supplying contact information.

Harper describes policy reviews and renewal reminders, but not a guaranteed renewal price or a commitment to shop every policy; agree on the renewal plan with your team. ^18,3Company-reported. Company service statements; no customer service agreement or renewal proposal inspected.

Lockton describes dedicated account teams, risk control and renewal service, including a round-the-clock technology service model; confirm actual service commitments and portal features because public pages provide no standard service agreement. ^{24,21,32,25,20}Company-reported. Company service descriptions and default Terms of Business; a signed services agreement can differ. Portal capabilities remain undocumented in this review.