Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Foundershield: Commercial Crime Insurance

Founder Shield is a retail brokerage that places crime with third-party carriers, calling it a priority for healthcare, financial services and non-profit firms; Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance includes crime in one portfolio form with limits up to $50 million.

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 Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Founder Shield Crime Insurance?

Coverage Structure and Crime Scope

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance includes Commercial Crime in Executive First with D&O, EPL, fiduciary, and employed-lawyer coverage. Founder Shield places crime with outside carriers and describes employee dishonesty, forgery, computer fraud, and social-engineering funds-transfer fraud. Founder Shield calls out healthcare, finance, nonprofits, manufacturing, and retail as priority industries, giving buyers a sector-specific broker conversation alongside BHSI’s private-company portfolio route. [1] [5]

Limits, Eligibility, and Placement

Founder Shield says it selects carriers rated A- or better but does not name the issuer before placement. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance identifies private companies with at least $10 million revenue and advertises limits up to $50 million, shared or separate. A buyer comparing the two should distinguish carrier selection criteria from the named policy issuer and establish whether each crime limit stands alone. [1] [5]

What Should You Confirm in Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Founder Shield Crime Insurance Quotes?

  • Ask Founder Shield which carrier will issue the quote and whether its fraud and forgery protections include the scenarios your controls face.
  • Ask Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance how the crime limit is allocated within Executive First and what revenue threshold applies.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance combines crime with management-liability protections; Founder Shield brokers crime coverage from third-party carriers.

Sources consulted

  1. 01
    Executive First Private Company Portfolio

    Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance · Product Highlights, lines 11–15: D&O, EPL, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and Employed Lawyers in one comprehensive form; shared or separate limits up to $50 million; EPL First HR resources and attorney helpline. Top Targets, lines 16–25: private companies with at least $10 million revenue and listed industries. Reopened 2026-09-30. · 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

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

  • role: BHSI describes Executive First Private Company Portfolio as one comprehensive form combining D&O, EPL, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and employed-lawyer insurance. Portfolio marketing establishes a listed product structure, not a buyer’s entitlement or standalone availability.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: BHSI identifies private companies with at least $10 million in revenue among the portfolio’s target accounts. Portfolio-level target, not a guarantee that a particular applicant qualifies for the crime component.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: The portfolio page advertises shared or separate limits up to $50 million. This is a portfolio-wide figure, not a crime-specific limit; the page does not say how limits would be allocated on a specific policy.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: The portfolio page specifically names Commercial Crime as one component of the comprehensive form. The page names the line but does not state its insuring agreements, coverage triggers or relationship to fidelity bonds.company-reportedSource ↗

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 ↗

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