Gallagher vs Heffernan: Fidelity Bonds

Gallagher arranges ERISA fidelity bonds through outside carriers and reviews limits and policy terms for plan sponsors. Heffernan Insurance Brokers places distinct fidelity bond options for home-care agencies and financial firms.

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

Gallagher helps ERISA plan sponsors set bond limits using requirements, peer analysis and claims-trigger review. Heffernan lists an Employee Dishonesty Bond for home-care agencies and a fidelity bond for family offices, without publishing wording or penalties.

What Are the Key Differences Between Gallagher and Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds?

Plan-Limit Advice Versus Named Specialty Bonds

Gallagher’s Executive and Financial Risk practice places fidelity alongside employee-dishonesty (crime) cover and sizes limits using ERISA requirements, peer analysis and an exposure index. Heffernan lists an Employee Dishonesty Bond for home-care, home-health and hospice agencies, and a Fidelity/financial institution bond for family offices, trustees, advisers, private-equity firms and foundations. Choose Gallagher if you need help setting an ERISA plan limit; choose Heffernan if you need one of its home-care or family-office bonds. [1] [4] [3]

How Each Firm Describes the Work Around the Bond

Gallagher says its method includes peer analysis using third-party databases and an exposure index developed by the Surety Association of America with the American Institute of Accountants, and that it reviews wording so the carrier allows appropriate treatment of older incidents and does not use claims triggers that are too difficult to prove. Heffernan’s two practice pages name the products and stop; they do not describe insuring agreements, exclusions or claim triggers, and they do not publish a penalty or deductible. Gallagher sells an advisory process; Heffernan sells two named catalogue items. [1] [4] [3]

Insurer, Limits and Claims Path on the Public Pages

Neither Gallagher’s executive-risk page nor Heffernan’s practice pages name the issuing insurer or publish a dollar limit for the bond. Gallagher’s limit work is a method, not a published number. Heffernan’s claims-advocacy page lists workers’ compensation, general liability, auto and property support and does not describe fidelity-bond claims handling. Ask Gallagher how the method produced your penalty; ask Heffernan who would take a fidelity claim. [1] [4] [3] [2]

What Should You Confirm in Gallagher and Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds Quotes?

  • Ask Gallagher whether the quote is an ERISA fidelity bond, a crime policy, or both, and for the peer-analysis limit. [1]
  • Ask Heffernan which of the two listed products applies and which carrier would write it. [4] [3]
  • Compare covered persons and deductibles; both public pages leave those off. [1] [4]
  • Ask Heffernan who would handle a fidelity claim, given the advocacy page does not list that line. [2]

Crime coverage

Gallagher

  • role: Gallagher's Executive and Financial Risk practice places fidelity bond coverage with outside carriers alongside its employee-dishonesty (crime) coverage; it does not underwrite the bond. Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page; fidelity bonds are described jointly with crime coverage, not as a fully separate section.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Gallagher ties fidelity bond limit-setting to a client's required bond limits under ERISA, indicating this offering is aimed at plan sponsors and fiduciaries needing ERISA fidelity bonding rather than a general commercial audience. Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • services: Gallagher says its methodology for fidelity bond and crime limits includes peer analysis using third-party databases and an exposure index developed by the Surety Association of America with the American Institute of Accountants. Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • claims: Gallagher says it reviews coverage to confirm the carrier allows appropriate treatment of older incidents and does not use claims triggers that are too difficult to prove, a review it applies to the same crime-and-fidelity offering. Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page; a stated review practice, not a guarantee of claim payment.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: The executive-and-financial-risk page does not name the insurer that would issue a given client's fidelity bond. Checked the group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • limits: The page does not publish specific fidelity bond limits or premium ranges beyond describing the ERISA-linked methodology used to recommend a limit. Checked the group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page.not-disclosedSource ↗

Heffernan Insurance Brokers

  • role: Heffernan arranges fidelity-type bonds as one line within two specialty practices: an Employee Dishonesty Bond for home-care agencies and a Fidelity/financial institution bond for family offices and financial firms. It places these bonds with insurers rather than issuing them itself. Home Care and Family Office practice-page listings; no dedicated fidelity-bond product page was found.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • eligibility: Heffernan lists fidelity-type bonds for two named buyer segments: home care, home health, and hospice agencies, and family offices, trustees, financial advisors, private equity firms, and foundations. Direct practice-page listings; no minimum size or other eligibility criteria for the bond specifically were published.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: Heffernan uses two different bond product names for its two client segments: "Employee Dishonesty Bond" for home-care agencies and "Fidelity/financial institution bond" for family offices and financial firms. Neither page describes the bond's insuring agreement, exclusions, or claim triggers. Home Care and Family Office pages as read on 2026-09-23.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • insurer: The reviewed pages do not name the insurer or bond underwriter for either the home-care Employee Dishonesty Bond or the family-office fidelity bond. Home Care and Family Office pages as read on 2026-09-23.not-disclosedSource ↗Source ↗
  • limits: Neither the home-care nor the family-office page publishes a bond penalty amount, limit, or deductible for the fidelity coverage. Home Care and Family Office pages as read on 2026-09-23.not-foundSource ↗Source ↗
  • services: Heffernan's published claims-advocacy services list workers' compensation, general liability, auto, and property claims support; fidelity or crime-bond claims handling is not described on that page. Claims Advocacy page as read on 2026-09-23; does not establish that fidelity-bond claims receive no support, only that this page does not describe it.not-foundSource ↗

Sources consulted

  1. 01
    Executive and Financial Risk Insurance

    Gallagher · Employee Dishonesty (Crime) and Fidelity Bond insurance section · accessed 2026-09-23

  2. 02
    Claims Advocacy

    Heffernan Insurance Brokers · Services We Offer: Workers' Compensation Claims Expertise; Medical Triage Services; General Liability, Auto & Property Claims Support; Online Risk Management & HR Support; Streamlined Vendor Compliance · accessed 2026-09-23

  3. 03
    Family Office

    Heffernan Insurance Brokers · Coverage for Family Offices, Trustees & Financial Firms: ... Trustee liability insurance, Property and auto insurance, Fiduciary liability insurance, Fidelity/financial institution bond, Cyber liability insurance, Crime insurance, General liability insurance · accessed 2026-09-23

  4. 04
    Home Care Business Insurance

    Heffernan Insurance Brokers · We offer comprehensive coverage for: ... Crime - Third Party Theft, Employee Dishonesty Bond, Cyber & Identity Theft, Medical Billing E&O, Property Coverage and more · accessed 2026-09-23

  5. 05
    Glossary of Insurance Terms

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

  6. 06
    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

  7. 07
    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

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