AIG vs Foundershield: Commercial Crime Insurance

Founder Shield is a retail brokerage placing crime only with carriers rated A- or higher, calling it a priority for healthcare, financial services, nonprofit and manufacturing or retail companies; AIG markets crime insurance for commercial and governmental entities.

Van Ness Partners presents a practical comparison of source materials relevant to financial crime exposures.Research updated 2026-09-30

What Are the Key Differences Between AIG and Founder Shield Crime Insurance?

Direct product versus broker placement

AIG describes crime insurance as its risk-bearing product for commercial and government entities. Founder Shield is a brokerage that places crime with outside carriers, selecting carriers rated A- or better by AM Best for the client's industry. Ask Founder Shield to name the proposed insurer and compare its policy form with AIG's CrimeGuard Choice sample. [1] [4] [6]

Industry focus and covered events

AIG describes its audience broadly as commercial and governmental entities, with potential losses from dishonesty, theft or fraud. Founder Shield calls out healthcare, financial services, nonprofits, and manufacturing or retail, and lists employee dishonesty, forgery, computer fraud and social-engineering transfer fraud. Those named sectors can use the quote process to test appetite; ask both providers how the policy treats your specific fraud pathway. [1] [1] [5] [5]

What Should You Confirm in AIG and Founder Shield Crime Insurance Quotes?

  • For AIG, ask for the exact policy form, covered-event schedule and limits relevant to the differences above. [1]
  • For Founder Shield, ask which carrier, endorsements and application route apply to the quoted placement, and confirm the specific terms above. [4]

AIG describes crime insurance as its risk-bearing product for commercial and government entities. Founder Shield is a brokerage that places crime with outside carriers, selecting carriers rated A- or better by AM Best for the client's industry.

Sources consulted

  1. 01
    Crime and Fidelity Insurance

    AIG · Official AIG page, lines 242–270 and 353–354: crime-loss examples, commercial/government entity audience, CrimeGuard Choice sample policy/application, and policy/state availability caveat. · accessed 2026-09-30

  2. 02
    Commercial Insurance Guide

    California Department of Insurance · Crime · accessed 2026-09-16

  3. 03
    Social Engineering Fraud Insurance

    Chubb · Opening; coverage highlights · accessed 2026-09-16

  4. 04
    About Us

    Founder Shield · “Founder Shield is the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group”; company history and mission · accessed 2026-09-23

  5. 05
    Crime Insurance

    Founder Shield · What Is Crime Insurance?; Who Needs Crime Insurance Coverage?; What Does Crime Insurance Cover? · accessed 2026-09-23

  6. 06
    How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?

    Founder Shield · FAQ answer on carrier selection: works exclusively with A-rated (AM Best) carriers, matched by industry appetite · accessed 2026-09-23

  7. 07
    Crime Terms and Conditions

    The Travelers Companies, Inc. · I.A–G, printed/PDF pages 1–4; III.RR, printed/PDF p.13; V.B.1–2, printed/PDF pp.18–20; Consideration, printed/PDF p.1; III.P p.8; V.A.3 pp.16–17; V.A.4 p.17; V.B.3 p.20; I.A.3 p.1; III.C p.7; III.S pp.8–9; III.II and III.KK p.12; III.QQ p.13; V.A.5 pp.17–18 (printed/PDF pages); IV.J–O, printed/PDF pages 14–15 · accessed 2026-09-16

  8. 08
    Crime Non-Financial Applications and Forms

    Travelers · Opening paragraph; Sample Policy Forms · accessed 2026-09-16

  9. 09
    Commercial Crime Coverage Application

    Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America · I–III pages 1–2; IX–XI pages 3–4; V–VII, printed/PDF pages 2–3 · accessed 2026-09-16

Crime coverage

AIG

  • role: AIG markets crime insurance as a risk-bearing insurance product for commercial and governmental entities, separate from its financial-institution bond offering. The policy issuer is not named for a particular buyer. Role in this product is limited to the description on the linked AIG source.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: AIG says its crime insurance is available for commercial and governmental entities. Financial-institution bonds are described separately for banks, non-bank lenders, asset managers and insurance companies. Audience is the segment AIG names on the linked source; this is not an underwriting decision, quote or guarantee of availability.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: AIG describes potential crime coverage for loss of money, securities and other assets from dishonesty, theft or fraud, including computer fraud. AIG links a CrimeGuard Choice sample policy; actual terms and state availability vary. AIG’s public product description is not the policy. Actual entitlement depends on the applicable issued form, endorsements and declarations.company-reportedSource ↗
  • services: AIG identifies a dedicated underwriting team and experienced claims professionals for its Crime and Fidelity business. The page does not promise claim outcomes or specify account-level service terms. The linked page describes company-reported support; specific account services and third-party arrangements must be confirmed.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: The reviewed page and linked product overview do not state a standard buyer-specific limit, retention or deductible. Confirm those in the quote and issued policy. This statement reports only what the linked public source discloses and does not substitute for a quote or issued policy.not-disclosedSource ↗

Founder Shield

  • role: Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Crime Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Founder Shield calls this coverage a priority for healthcare, financial services, non-profit and manufacturing/retail companies because of their exposure to internal or external theft. Crime Insurance product page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Founder Shield lists employee dishonesty (theft or embezzlement by an identified employee), forgery or alteration of financial instruments, computer fraud, and funds-transfer fraud from social engineering as the branches of crime coverage it places. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Crime Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: You request Founder Shield Crime Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗

Contact Van Ness Partners to discuss controls, exposures and insurance options.

Contact Van Ness Partners