A commercial general liability (CGL) policy is one place for a business to start building its insurance program. This type of coverage protects the policyholder from financial losses related to property damage or personal injury resulting from business operations or advertising. The Insurance Information Institutes offers the following examples of the types of events that may be covered under a CGL policy:

• While visiting your business, a customer trips on loose flooring and is injured.
• An employee in your painting or construction business accidentally leaves water running, causing substantial damage to a customer's home.
• A class action lawsuit is filed against your business, alleging advertisements constituted misleading information.

This type of insurance also covers legal costs related to business-related lawsuits when the business is deemed responsible for a loss. Standard CGL policies include clauses for bodily injury, property damage, personal and advertising injury, and medical payments. However, businesses often require additional coverages for their leadership; food and beverage service; product liability; and more. Navigating such insurance needs is where an informed agent or broker can be invaluable. When insurance coverage confusion arises in the face of a claim, agents and brokers can turn to FC&S Expert Coverage Interpretation for answers to complex policy questions. The slideshow above illustrates a selection of CGL-insurance questions recently submitted and answered by FC&S Editors. See also: 9 Commercial insurance questions answered