Foundershield vs Marsh: Fidelity Bonds

Founder Shield places ERISA fidelity bonds for plan sponsors and fiduciaries, explaining statutory requirements. Marsh bundles fidelity with commercial crime insurance; a Marsh or Marsh McLennan Agency specialist can discuss the combined placement.

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

What Are the Key Differences Between Founder Shield and Marsh Fidelity Bonds?

ERISA Plan Bond or Commercial-Crime Bundle

Founder Shield offers a named ERISA fidelity bond for plan sponsors and fiduciaries. Marsh includes fidelity losses within commercial-crime coverage, and its MMA practice groups commercial crime/fidelity under executive liability. Choose Founder Shield if you need an ERISA bond for benefit-plan assets; choose Marsh if you want fidelity handled with broader commercial-crime coverage. [2] [4] [5]

What Each Firm Says the Cover Addresses

Founder Shield says the bond is required for plan sponsors, fiduciaries, TPAs and even small businesses with a 401(k), and lists theft, embezzlement, forgery, misappropriation and larceny of plan assets. Marsh describes employee white-collar fraud—trusted staff exploiting systems for personal gain—as one of the risks a commercial crime policy addresses, and says those fidelity losses make up about half of the crime-policy notifications in its data. [2] [4]

Placement Path

You request Founder Shield’s bond through its website or an advisor; its team then approaches carriers rated A- or better by AM Best. You engage a Marsh or MMA crime and fidelity specialist, because fidelity is placed together with commercial crime rather than through a separate application in the reviewed pages. Founder Shield does not name the issuing insurer for this line; Marsh’s reviewed pages also do not name a specific insurer. [1] [3] [4] [5]

What Should You Confirm in Founder Shield and Marsh Fidelity Bonds Quotes?

  • Ask Founder Shield which A-rated carrier would issue the bond and what penalty it uses relative to the statutory 10% / $1,000–$500,000 (or $1 million) figures on its page. [2] [3]
  • Ask Marsh which commercial crime/fidelity wording is on the quote, since the reviewed pages treat fidelity as part of crime rather than a separate product. [4] [5]
  • Confirm which dishonest acts are listed for plan-asset handlers on Founder Shield’s form and how Marsh’s crime placement describes employee fidelity losses. [2] [4]
  • Get the issuing insurer from both quotes. [3] [4]

Founder Shield places ERISA fidelity bonds for plan sponsors; Marsh folds employee fidelity into commercial-crime coverage rather than offering a separate bond.

Sources consulted

  1. 01
    About Us

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

  2. 02
    ERISA Fidelity Bond

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

  3. 03
    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

  4. 04
    Commercial crime insurance

    Marsh · Employee white-collar fraud: Marsh data shows around 50% of crime policy notifications are for employee fidelity losses, involving trusted employees who exploit systems for personal gain · accessed 2026-09-23

  5. 05
    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

  6. 06
    Glossary of Insurance Terms

    National Association of Insurance Commissioners · Fidelity; Surety Bond · accessed 2026-09-16

  7. 07
    Crime Terms and Conditions

    Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America · I.A.1–3 p.1; III.S pp.8–9; V.B.1–2 pp.18–20; CRI consideration p.1; III.P p.8; V.A.3 pp.16–17; V.A.4 p.17; V.B.3 p.20; IV.L p.15 · accessed 2026-09-16

  8. 08
    Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2008-04: Guidance Regarding ERISA Fidelity Bonding Requirements

    U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration · Q1–Q3 pp.2–3; Q2 pp.2–3 · accessed 2026-09-16

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 ERISA Fidelity Bond 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 says this bond is required for plan sponsors offering a retirement plan, the fiduciaries who manage it, third-party administrators, and even small businesses with a simple 401(k). ERISA Fidelity Bond product page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Founder Shield lists theft and embezzlement of plan assets, forgery, misappropriation and larceny by those who handle a benefit plan's funds as what an ERISA fidelity bond covers. Product page; the issued bond and its terms control actual coverage.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: Founder Shield's page states the federal ERISA bonding requirement: at least 10% of plan funds handled, with a minimum bond of $1,000 and a maximum of $500,000 (up to $1 million for plans holding employer securities). This is the statutory minimum, not a Founder Shield-specific limit. Product page describing the ERISA statutory bonding requirement.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield ERISA Fidelity Bond, 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 ERISA Fidelity Bond 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 does not sell fidelity coverage as a separate product line in the pages reviewed. It bundles fidelity with commercial crime insurance, and MMA lists "commercial crime/fidelity" together as one item in its executive and professional liability practice. MMA executive and professional liability page and Marsh's commercial crime page.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: Marsh describes employee white-collar fraud, meaning fidelity losses caused by trusted employees who exploit systems for personal gain, as one of the risks a commercial crime policy addresses; it says these losses make up about half of the crime-policy notifications in its data. Commercial crime insurance page; a fidelity-specific policy form was not identified as a distinct product from crime coverage.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: The reviewed pages do not name a specific insurer for fidelity or crime/fidelity coverage. Commercial crime insurance and MMA executive and professional liability pages as read on 2026-09-23.not-disclosedSource ↗Source ↗
  • application: You would engage a Marsh or MMA crime and fidelity specialist directly, since fidelity is placed together with commercial crime rather than through a separate application path in the reviewed pages. Commercial crime insurance and MMA executive and professional liability pages.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗

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

Contact Van Ness Partners