Foundershield vs Heffernan: Commercial Crime Insurance

Founder Shield, a retail brokerage, calls crime a priority for healthcare, financial services, nonprofit and manufacturing or retail firms; Heffernan Insurance Brokers builds third-party theft crime into home care packages and offers a free rate quote.

Van Ness Partners presents a practical comparison of source materials relevant to financial crime exposures.Research updated 2026-09-25

Founder Shield names healthcare, financial services, nonprofits and manufacturing or retail as priority crime buyers; Heffernan’s documented crime cover is limited to home-care, home-health and hospice packages.

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
    About Us

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

  4. 04
    Crime Insurance

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

  5. 05
    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

  6. 06
    Home Care Business Insurance

    Heffernan Insurance Brokers · Insurance for Home Care Businesses, Home Health, and Hospices: covering all states and agency sizes; 'We offer comprehensive coverage for' list including Crime – Third Party Theft and Employee Dishonesty Bond; Home Care Insurance Cost for Start-ups; practice-leader contacts · 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

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

The healthcare overlap is specific: Founder Shield names healthcare as a priority industry, while Heffernan’s crime listing is attached to home-care, home-health and hospice insurance packages. If your business is outside those categories, Heffernan’s reviewed sources do not describe a crime offer for it. [4] [6]

Cross-Industry Placement Versus Home-Care Package

Founder Shield is a retail brokerage that places crime with A-rated carriers for clients it says need it because of internal or external theft, especially in healthcare, financial services, non-profits and manufacturing/retail. Heffernan arranges Crime – Third Party Theft only as documented inside home-care, home-health and hospice packages; the reviewed sources do not describe a general commercial crime offering outside that context. [3] [4] [6]

Healthcare Overlap Is Not the Same Product

Both mention healthcare-related buyers, but they are not describing the same package. Founder Shield’s healthcare mention sits with financial services, non-profits and manufacturing/retail as theft-exposed industries. Heffernan names home health providers, hospices, staffing agencies and registries, infusion therapy providers and personal care assistants, and says those programs cover all states and agency sizes. [4] [6]

Bonds, Timing and Carrier Screen

Heffernan lists an Employee Dishonesty Bond separately from Crime – Third Party Theft and tells agencies to start at least 30 days before working with clients. Founder Shield lists employee dishonesty (identified employee), forgery or alteration, computer fraud, and funds-transfer fraud from social engineering, and says it approaches only A-rated carriers. Heffernan’s home-care page does not name an issuer. You request Founder Shield coverage through its website or an advisor. [6] [4] [5] [3]

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

  • If you are not a home-care operator, ask Heffernan whether crime is available outside that package. [6]
  • Ask Founder Shield which A-rated carrier it is approaching. [5]
  • Ask Heffernan how third-party theft crime and the employee dishonesty bond coordinate. [6]
  • Compare social-engineering funds-transfer wording on Founder Shield’s placed form with Heffernan’s home-care crime listing. [4] [6]

Crime coverage

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 ↗

Heffernan Insurance Brokers

  • role: Heffernan arranges crime coverage, listed on its site as 'Crime – Third Party Theft,' as part of the insurance packages it builds for home care, home health and hospice businesses. This record only documents crime coverage in that home-care context; the reviewed sources do not describe a general commercial crime offering outside home care. Home Care Business Insurance page's coverage list.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Heffernan markets this crime coverage to home health care and in-home health care providers, hospices, staffing agencies and registries, infusion therapy providers and personal care assistants, and says its home care programs cover all states and agency sizes. Home Care Business Insurance page's client-type and coverage-area descriptions; 'all states' is a company statement, not independently verified state-by-state licensing.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Heffernan lists 'Crime – Third Party Theft' and a separate 'Employee Dishonesty Bond' among the coverages in its home care package, alongside workers' compensation, general and professional liability, and cyber and identity theft coverage. Home Care Business Insurance page's coverage list; specific insuring agreements, exclusions and endorsements for the crime coverage are not published there.company-reportedSource ↗
  • services: Heffernan says its home care insurance specialists can walk clients through coverage and premium options, and it names a dedicated Home Care Practice Leader and regional practice leaders as points of contact. Home Care Business Insurance page's workers'-compensation guidance and practice-leader contact sections.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: Heffernan tells home care businesses to begin the insurance application process at least 30 days before working with clients and to contact Heffernan for a free rate quote, since rates vary by state. Home Care Business Insurance page's cost-and-timing section.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: The home care page does not publish specific limits or bond amounts for the crime or employee dishonesty coverage; it discusses only general cost ranges for the overall home care insurance package. Checked the Home Care Business Insurance page on 2026-09-23.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • insurer: The home care page does not name the insurer that would issue the crime or employee dishonesty coverage. Checked the Home Care Business Insurance page on 2026-09-23. The issuing insurer would appear on the quote and declarations.not-disclosedSource ↗

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