One bad accident can reach past your home and auto limits.
Your home and auto liability limits are the wall between an accident and your savings — and a serious lawsuit can go right over them. A personal umbrella adds a million dollars or more on top, covers things your base policies exclude, and pays your legal defense. It's some of the cheapest protection per dollar you can buy. Here's how it works, what it sits on, what it won't do, and why it isn't just for the wealthy. From an independent agency that places Auto-Owners every day.
The short answer
A personal umbrella is extra liability coverage that sits on top of your home and auto — usually starting at $1 million — and pays when a covered claim runs past those underlying limits. It also covers things base policies exclude, like libel, slander, and defamation, and it pays legal defense. It requires you to carry minimum underlying limits, and excess uninsured-motorist coverage can be added for when the other driver has nothing. It's one of the least expensive coverages per dollar of protection there is — backed by an A+ (Superior) carrier and quoted against 40+ others.
A second layer, above your limits.
Your auto or home policy pays a covered liability claim up to its limit. When the claim is larger, the umbrella takes over from there — up to its own much higher limit — instead of the balance landing on you.
It picks up where the underlying policy stops.
Say you carry $300,000 of auto liability and cause an accident with $800,000 in injuries. The auto policy pays its $300,000; without an umbrella, the remaining $500,000 comes from your savings, your home equity, and your future wages. A $1 million umbrella pays that gap and keeps going, and it pays the legal defense that a big claim brings with it.
An umbrella also broadens coverage: it can respond to liability claims your home and auto policies exclude — personal injury offenses like libel, slander, and defamation — and it follows you across your home, your vehicles, your watercraft, and off-premises. It's excess coverage doing two jobs at once: raising your limits and widening what's covered.
The exposures that reach past a base policy.
Umbrella isn't abstract. These are the everyday situations that can produce a judgment bigger than a home or auto limit.
A serious at-fault car accident
Multiple injuries, a long hospital stay, lost wages for someone else — auto claims are the most common way a family blows past its liability limit. The umbrella is what stands behind the auto policy.
Someone injured at your home
A guest hurt on the stairs, a delivery driver on the ice, an accident at a party — injuries on your property can turn into liability claims that exceed your homeowners limit.
Dog bites & attractive nuisances
A dog bite or a pool accident is one of the fastest routes to a large homeowners liability claim. If you have either, the case for an umbrella gets much stronger.
Libel, slander & defamation
Personal-injury offenses like defamation aren't covered by a standard home or auto policy, but an umbrella generally responds — a real exposure in an age of social media posts and online reviews.
A teen behind the wheel
A new driver raises the odds of a serious at-fault accident more than almost anything else in a household. Families with teen drivers are among those who benefit most from an umbrella.
Boats & recreational vehicles
Taking guests out on the lake or riding off-road adds liability exposure. An umbrella can extend over your watercraft and recreational vehicles when the underlying policy is in place.
An umbrella sits on a foundation.
Because it's excess coverage, an umbrella requires minimum liability limits on the policies beneath it — commonly around 250/500 on auto and roughly $300,000 of personal liability on the home, though the carrier sets the exact figure.
If the foundation is too low, you pay the gap.
The umbrella only starts paying once the required underlying limit is exhausted. If your auto or home liability sits below what the umbrella requires, the policy treats that shortfall as your deductible — the difference comes out of your pocket before the umbrella pays a dime. Getting the underlying limits set correctly, and keeping them there at every renewal, is exactly the kind of thing that quietly breaks when the home and auto are scattered across different agents.
One more piece worth asking about: a standard umbrella is excess liability, protecting you when you're at fault. Coverage for when the other driver is at fault and uninsured — excess uninsured/underinsured motorist — is usually a separate add-on that requires matching UM/UIM on the underlying auto. In a state where plenty of drivers carry only the minimum, that's worth having, and we'll set the auto policy up so it actually works.
What an umbrella won't cover.
It's broad, but it's still a liability policy — a few things sit firmly outside it.
Your own property & injuries
An umbrella is liability coverage — it pays for harm to others, not damage to your own home or car or your own injuries. Those stay with your home, auto, and health coverage.
Intentional or criminal acts
Harm you cause on purpose, or through a criminal act, is excluded. An umbrella responds to accidents and negligence, not deliberate conduct.
Business & professional liability
A personal umbrella doesn't cover business or professional exposures — those need a commercial umbrella or professional liability policy. If you run a business, that's a separate conversation we're glad to have.
The umbrella only works if the layers below it line up.
One agency keeps the foundation and the umbrella in agreement.
An umbrella is only as good as the underlying limits it sits on. When your home and auto are with the same agency as the umbrella, the required limits get set once and checked at every renewal, the excess UM/UIM matches the auto policy, and the boat and the toys on the auto policy are all accounted for. Split them up, and it's easy for a renewal to quietly lower an underlying limit and leave a hole under the umbrella that nobody sees until a claim.
Three things to get right on an umbrella.
First, match the limit to your exposure — a common rule of thumb is to cover at least your net worth, and higher if you have a pool, a teen driver, or rental property. Second, carry the required underlying limits so the umbrella actually attaches. Third, add excess UM/UIM if protecting your own family from an uninsured at-fault driver matters to you. We size all three together.
Backed by an A+ (Superior) carrier.
AM Best rates the members of Auto-Owners Insurance Group — the companies behind your Arkansas umbrella — with a Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "aa" (Superior), stable outlook, per its rating action dated October 31, 2024. A+ (Superior) is the second-highest of AM Best's rating levels and sits in its top "Superior" category. A financial strength rating is an opinion about an insurer's ability to pay claims — its solvency — not a grade of how a specific claim is handled, and not a recommendation. The current rating is at ambest.com.
Where we earn it on an umbrella.
The quiet umbrella mistakes are an underlying limit set too low to attach the umbrella, no excess UM/UIM when the household should have it, and a limit that doesn't match the assets it's supposed to protect. We check the home and auto limits, size the umbrella to what you actually have to lose, and add the excess UM/UIM where it fits. We don't adjust your claim and can't overrule an adjuster — but we make sure the umbrella was built to attach and respond, and we'll move you to another of our 40-plus markets if Auto-Owners isn't the best fit.
The most protection per dollar you can buy.
A general planning range for a first million dollars of personal umbrella coverage — not a quote, not carrier-specific, and not a guarantee. Each additional million typically costs less than the first. Your price depends on how many homes, vehicles, drivers, and watercraft the umbrella has to sit over, the household's history, and the limit you choose. Because the umbrella pays only after your underlying limits are exhausted, the premium is small relative to the coverage. Send your current home and auto declarations pages and we'll build the real figure with you, Auto-Owners against 40-plus carriers.
The umbrella sits over all of it.
Auto-Owners umbrella questions.
What is personal umbrella insurance and do I need it?
A personal umbrella policy adds a layer of liability coverage on top of your home and auto policies. When a covered lawsuit or claim exceeds the liability limits on those underlying policies, the umbrella picks up where they leave off, usually starting at $1 million and available in higher limits. It also covers some claims your base policies exclude, such as libel, slander, and defamation, and it pays legal defense costs.
You don't have to be wealthy to need it: a serious at-fault auto accident, a dog bite, an injury at your home, or a teen driver can all produce a judgment larger than your auto or home liability limit, and the difference comes out of your assets and future income unless an umbrella is there. It's some of the least expensive coverage per dollar of protection you can buy.
How much does umbrella insurance cost?
Umbrella is famously inexpensive for the protection it provides — a first million in coverage commonly runs a few hundred dollars a year, with each additional million costing less than the first. Price depends on how many houses, vehicles, drivers, and watercraft the umbrella has to sit over, the household's history, and the limit you choose.
Because it's excess coverage, the carrier is only exposed after your underlying limits are used up, which is why the premium is modest relative to the coverage. We'll give you a real number when we quote it, and show you what your underlying limits need to be to qualify.
What underlying limits do I need to carry to get an umbrella?
An umbrella sits on top of a foundation, so the carrier requires you to carry minimum liability limits on the policies beneath it — commonly around 250/500 on auto bodily injury and roughly $300,000 in personal liability on the home, though the exact requirement is set by the carrier.
If your underlying limits fall below what the umbrella requires, the umbrella treats that shortfall as your deductible and pays only above it — so a gap you didn't notice becomes money out of your pocket at claim time. Setting the underlying limits to qualify, and keeping them there, is part of what we handle when we place the umbrella.
Does an umbrella cover me if an uninsured driver hits me?
Not automatically. A standard umbrella is excess liability — it protects you when you are at fault. Coverage for when the other driver is at fault and has no insurance or too little (excess uninsured/underinsured motorist) is usually a separate option that has to be added, and it typically requires your underlying auto policy to carry matching UM/UIM limits.
If protecting your own family from an uninsured at-fault driver matters to you — and in a state where many drivers carry only the minimum, it should — tell us, and we'll structure the umbrella and the auto policy so the excess UM/UIM actually works.
Who actually needs umbrella insurance — isn't it just for the wealthy?
No. Umbrella is for anyone with assets or future income to protect, and the list of people who carry real liability exposure is longer than most expect: homeowners, anyone with a teen or new driver, pool owners, dog owners, boat owners, landlords, and people who host guests.
A liability judgment isn't capped at what you have today — future wages can be garnished — so the question is whether one bad accident or lawsuit could reach past your home and auto limits. For most families, an umbrella is a small premium standing between an accident and their savings.
How do I get an Auto-Owners umbrella quote in Bentonville or Rogers?
Start at our personal lines quote form or call (479) 286-1066. The simplest path is to send the declarations pages for your current home and auto policies — we'll check whether your underlying limits qualify for an umbrella, size the umbrella to your assets, add excess uninsured-motorist coverage where it fits, and quote Auto-Owners against 40-plus other carriers.
Because Auto-Owners only sells through independent agents, an agency like ours is the only way to buy it.
If our coverage explainers are useful, mark Cribb Insurance as a preferred source so more Northwest Arkansas families can find our local, plain-English guides.
A million in protection for the price of a tank a month.
Send the declarations pages for your current home and auto policies and we'll tell you whether your limits even qualify for an umbrella, size it to what you have to protect, and add excess uninsured-motorist coverage where it fits. If Auto-Owners is the right home for it, we'll place it. If one of our other 40-plus carriers fits better, we'll tell you that too.
Cribb Insurance Group Inc. is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas. We are not Auto-Owners, and this page is not endorsed, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by Auto-Owners. "Auto-Owners" and "Auto-Owners Insurance" are service marks or trademarks of Auto-Owners Insurance Company and its affiliates, used here nominatively to identify products we are appointed to place. Auto-Owners' Arkansas personal umbrella policies are issued by Auto-Owners-affiliated underwriting companies.
This page describes personal umbrella and excess liability coverage in general, industry-standard terms for informational purposes only. It is not a policy, not an offer of insurance, and not a guarantee of coverage, availability, eligibility, or price. Coverage amounts, required underlying limits, excess uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, defense provisions, endorsements, exclusions, and eligibility are set by the carrier, vary by state and by policy and over time, are subject to the carrier's underwriting approval, and apply only as written in the policy actually issued to you. A personal umbrella responds only after the limits of underlying policies are exhausted and requires those underlying policies to be maintained at the limits the carrier specifies; if underlying limits are not maintained, the shortfall is borne by the insured. A personal umbrella is liability coverage and does not cover the insured's own property or injuries, intentional or criminal acts, or business or professional liability. The underlying-limit figures and coverage descriptions here are illustrative and general; your policy's actual requirements and terms control.
Financial strength ratings are opinions of an insurer's ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, are subject to change, are not recommendations to purchase, hold or terminate any policy, and do not address an insurer's claims-handling practices; current ratings are at ambest.com. The A+ (Superior) rating referenced applies to the members of Auto-Owners Insurance Group. Cost figures are a general planning range for illustrative purposes, are not a quote, not carrier-specific, and not a guarantee of your rate; your premium is determined at quote.
Last reviewed July 2026.