CNA vs Travelers

Verdict

Travelers and CNA are both agent-and-broker carriers, and neither will sell you a business policy online. Travelers ranked No. 1 by 2025 commercial lines direct premiums at $27.13 billion; CNA ranked No. 8 at $13.47 billion (NAIC data). Travelers is the broader generalist, writing nearly every class at every size. CNA, a Chicago-based public company controlled by Loews Corporation, is more of a specialist: its profile points to professional, healthcare, management liability and surety lines as its edge.

That specialty shows in the rankings. CNA is No. 3 in medical professional liability and surety, and No. 2 in inland marine. Travelers is No. 1 in package policies, surety and fidelity, and No. 2 in general liability, commercial auto and workers' comp. CNA's affinity programs, covering lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers and healthcare professionals, are where many professionals meet it. For a contractor or manufacturer with a few million dollars of payroll, the two compete directly as package and casualty writers.

On ratings, Travelers holds A++ (Superior) from AM Best, affirmed August 2025, and AA from S&P. AM Best upgraded CNA to A+ (Superior) in December 2025, and S&P rates it A+. Both are strong. Price depends on class, loss history and the underwriter, so have your broker market to both.

Choose CNA if

• You are a lawyer, accountant, architect, engineer, dentist or other professional, possibly through an association-endorsed program.
• You run a healthcare organization; CNA is No. 3 nationally in medical professional liability.
• You want management liability (D&O, EPL, fiduciary) or a private equity portfolio program from a specialist.
• You are a small business with a BOP, and your agent can quote and bind in CNA Central; CNA says 80% of small business classes issue in real time.
• You have a hard-to-place account that a wholesale broker can take to Cardinal E&S.

Choose Travelers if

• You are a contractor who needs bonds and a casualty program from the country's largest surety writer.
• Your program centers on workers' comp, commercial auto or package policies, where Travelers ranks first or second.
• You want the highest AM Best grade, A++, for a lender, landlord or prime contractor.
• You are a large employer using National Accounts for loss-sensitive comp, auto or general liability.
• You have trucking exposure; Northland has its own claim line.

Key differences

Before you choose, ask which legal entity is on the quote and whether it is admitted or surplus lines, since Cardinal E&S and Travelers' Northfield both write non-admitted paper. Compare forms and endorsements, especially claims-made terms on professional policies, and ask how claims in your class are handled. CNA's claims line is weekday-only, so check how after-hours reporting works. how to judge a business insurance company, AM Best rating and the business insurance quote comparison worksheet help.