Foundershield vs Marsh: Commercial Crime Insurance

Founder Shield, a retail brokerage, calls crime a priority for healthcare, financial services, nonprofit and manufacturing or retail firms; Marsh places crime through advisors and says its team has handled complex placements of about $10 million to $110 million.

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

Founder Shield names healthcare, finance, nonprofits and manufacturing or retail as priority buyers and screens for AM Best A- or better financial-strength ratings; Marsh serves large programs and offers social-engineering top-ups, with placements described up to $110 million.

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

Marsh’s cited $10 million to $110 million range describes placements it has handled, not a promised policy limit; it also describes excess social-engineering cover. Founder Shield names its priority industries but does not publish crime limits. [6] [4]

A-Rated Screen Versus Stated Placement Range

Founder Shield places crime only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best. Marsh says it has handled complex crime placements ranging from about $10 million to $110 million, and Marsh McLennan Agency also places crime bundled with fidelity; Marsh does not name a crime insurer and says definitions differ across insurers. Founder Shield’s reviewed pages do not publish crime limits. [5] [6] [7]

Ransomware and Social-Engineering Infill

Marsh lists employee white-collar fraud, third-party fraud, collusion, hacking or computer-related crime, social-engineering fraud and tangible asset theft, notes that crime policies usually exclude ransomware, and offers infill and top-up social-engineering cover. Founder Shield lists employee dishonesty, forgery or alteration, computer fraud, and funds-transfer fraud from social engineering, without discussing ransomware or excess social-engineering infill on the reviewed page. [6] [4]

Buyer Mix and How You Engage

Founder Shield names healthcare, financial services, non-profits and manufacturing/retail. You request coverage through its website or an advisor. You engage Marsh’s crime specialists (corporate or MMA) directly for advisor-led placement. [4] [3] [6] [7]

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

  • Ask Marsh whether the sought limit sits in its $10–110 million experience range and whether ransomware is excluded. [6]
  • Ask Founder Shield which A-rated carrier is issuing. [5]
  • Ask Marsh whether infill social-engineering cover is being quoted. [6]
  • Confirm whether the quote is Marsh corporate or MMA. [7]

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 ↗

Marsh

  • role: Marsh's financial and professional liability practice places commercial crime insurance; Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), the middle-market subsidiary, also places crime coverage bundled with fidelity as part of its executive and professional liability practice. Marsh corporate commercial crime page and MMA executive and professional liability page.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: Marsh lists employee white-collar fraud (including fidelity losses from trusted employees), third-party fraud, collusion, hacking or computer-related crime, social engineering fraud, and tangible asset theft as risks a commercial crime policy can address. It notes that crime policies usually exclude ransomware, though most cover direct financial losses from funds stolen by hackers. Commercial crime insurance page; the page is Marsh's global/UK financial-professional-liability practice content and cites a UK-based crime leader, so figures and coverage descriptions may not reflect a US-specific program.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: Marsh says its team has experience handling complex crime placements ranging from about $10 million to $110 million (also stated in GBP as £10 million to £100 million elsewhere on the page), but does not publish standard limits, retentions or premiums for a specific placement. Commercial crime insurance page; a description of Marsh's placement experience range, not a quoted limit for any individual buyer.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: The reviewed pages do not name a specific crime insurer. Marsh says definitions and extensions for crime coverage differ across insurers and that it works to secure coverage aligned with a client's risks, implying the carrier varies by placement. Commercial crime insurance page as read on 2026-09-23.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • services: Marsh says it provides insights on emerging crime risks, claim examples, market conditions and product education throughout renewal and placement, and offers infill and top-up social engineering cover in excess of a client's existing program. Commercial crime insurance page, Why Marsh section.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: You engage Marsh's crime specialists (Marsh corporate or MMA) directly to identify crime exposure and place coverage; the reviewed pages describe advisor-led placement rather than an online quote tool. Commercial crime insurance and MMA executive and professional liability pages.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
    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
    Commercial crime insurance

    Marsh · Opening positioning; The crime risks businesses cannot ignore; What does commercial crime insurance cover? (employee white-collar fraud, third-party fraud, collusion, hacking, social engineering fraud, tangible asset theft); Why Marsh: complex crime placements up to $110 million · accessed 2026-09-23

  7. 07
    Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance

    Marsh McLennan Agency · Our policies include D&O, E&O, EPL, commercial crime/fidelity, network security privacy risk/cyber, fiduciary, media liability, IP, architects and engineers, lawyers professional, and kidnap and ransom · accessed 2026-09-23

  8. 08
    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

  9. 09
    Crime Non-Financial Applications and Forms

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

  10. 10
    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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