Counterpart vs Foundershield: Commercial Crime Insurance

Counterpart presents its insurance for small businesses and is reached through a wholesale broker; Founder Shield, a retail brokerage, places crime only with carriers rated A- or above, taking requests through its website or an advisor.

Van Ness Partners presents a practical comparison of source materials relevant to financial crime exposures.Research updated 2026-10-01

Founder Shield calls crime a priority for theft-exposed industries; Counterpart presents its insurance and risk-management products to small businesses.

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

Industry Focus and Small-Business Audience

Founder Shield calls crime coverage a priority for healthcare, financial services, nonprofits, and manufacturing or retail businesses. Counterpart presents its products and risk-management services for small businesses without listing a crime-specific industry focus. If your exposure comes from patient funds, retail cash, or financial operations, ask Founder Shield how its stated sector focus fits your risk and ask Counterpart’s wholesaler about eligibility for your operation. [4] [5] [7]

Theft Scenarios and Carrier Selection

Founder Shield lists employee dishonesty, forgery, computer fraud, and funds-transfer fraud tied to social engineering; as a brokerage, it places the policy with a third-party carrier rather than underwriting it. Counterpart’s crime examples include employee theft, forgery, computer fraud, funds transfer, and social engineering, with distribution through wholesale brokers. Founder Shield says its carriers are rated A- or better but does not name the issuer for a particular crime quote; Counterpart’s records do not map an issuer to this placement. Compare the named carrier and wording, not just the matching scenario labels. [4] [3] [5] [7] [6] [8]

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

  • Which carrier will Founder Shield approach for your sector, and what employee or third-party theft terms will it quote? [6] [8]
  • Which Counterpart carrier will issue the policy, and how are social-engineering controls treated? [5] [4]

Crime coverage

Counterpart

  • role: Counterpart says its insurance is offered through Counterpart Insurance Services, Inc., which it describes as a producer and surplus-lines broker; its help center says businesses reach the program through a wholesale broker. Company-published distribution description; it does not identify the insurer for this crime placement.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: Counterpart’s crime page lists employee theft, forgery, computer or system fraud, funds-transfer fraud and social-engineering scenarios. These are marketing examples, not a complete insuring agreement; the actual policy defines covered loss and conditions.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Counterpart presents its insurance products and risk-management services for small businesses. The general audience statement is not a crime-specific underwriting rule.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: Counterpart separately lists funds-transfer fraud and social-engineering as crime examples. The examples do not define authentication conditions, sublimits, exclusions or how a claim would be adjusted.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 ↗

Sources consulted

  1. 01
    Commercial Insurance Guide

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

  2. 02
    Social Engineering Fraud Insurance

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

  3. 03
    How can I get insurance through Counterpart?

    Counterpart Knowledge Center · Retained source: article describes wholesale-broker referral route; prior access 2026-09-28. · accessed 2026-09-28

  4. 04
    Commercial Crime Insurance

    Counterpart, Inc. · Retained provider source: product page lists employee theft, forgery, computer/system fraud, funds-transfer and social-engineering examples; prior access 2026-09-28. Direct reopen failed in this session. · accessed 2026-09-28

  5. 05
    Counterpart | Agentic Insurance™

    Counterpart, Inc. · Retained provider source: footer states insurance products are offered by Counterpart Insurance Services, Inc., described as a licensed producer and surplus-lines broker; product/state availability varies, issuer not mapped by product/state. Prior access 2026-09-29. · accessed 2026-09-29

  6. 06
    About Us

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

  7. 07
    Crime Insurance

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

  8. 08
    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

  9. 09
    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

  10. 10
    Crime Non-Financial Applications and Forms

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

  11. 11
    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

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