ACE USA, the US-based retail operating division of the ACE Group, has enhanced its privacy protection and network liability protection policies, to help policyholders mitigate and manage the rising expense of data breaches.

The company has introduced an integrated and complementary suite of independent data breach specialists and comprehensive coverages. ACE risk’s data breach team, combined with the data breach team endorsement, bridges the gap between risk transfer and purchased loss control, creating a risk management program for privacy, data breach and network security risk.

According to ACE, the DigiTech and Privacy Protection policies now include access to the company’s data breach team. The policyholders will have access and can be referred to a panel of legal, computer forensic, notification, call center, public relations, crisis communications, fraud consultation, credit monitoring, and identity restoration firms with a specific focus on data breach response, with the benefit of discounted loss control service fees for such ACE policyholders.

The enhancements available with the Data Breach Team Endorsement include, increased limits for the Data Breach Fund; expanded data breach expenses to include, identity restoration services for individuals where identity theft has occurred or is imminent and no prior written approval required to incur voluntary notification expenses.

In addition, the enhancements include toll free hotline to a Data Breach Coach, a law firm providing data breach consultation services. The enhancements also covers legal, notification and call center services.

Toby Merrill, vice president of ACE professional risk, said: “As more of our policyholders experienced data breaches, it became clear that they needed additional guidance locating qualified vendors to deal with these events. Some companies simply do not have the bandwidth to handle the time-consuming process of developing their own data breach response team with pre-negotiated rates.”