Heffernan vs Travelers: Fidelity Bonds

Heffernan Insurance Brokers arranges fidelity bond options for home-care and financial-sector clients. Travelers offers ERISA fidelity coverage for employee benefit plans against fraud or dishonesty by people handling funds.

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

Travelers describes ERISA fidelity for benefit plans and routes buyers through independent agents; Heffernan lists fidelity bonds for home-care agencies and family offices.

Sources consulted

  1. 01
    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

  2. 02
    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

  3. 03
    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

  4. 04
    Glossary of Insurance Terms

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

  5. 05
    Management and Professional Liability Insurance

    Travelers · "Select a product" list: ERISA fidelity insurance — "helps cover an employee benefit plan against losses caused by acts of fraud or dishonesty such as theft, embezzlement or forgery" · accessed 2026-09-23

  6. 06
    Surety Bonds

    Travelers · "Surety bonds provided by Travelers" list, including ERISA Fidelity · accessed 2026-09-23

  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

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

ERISA Plan Coverage Versus Specialty Bonds

Travelers describes ERISA fidelity as covering a benefit plan against fraud or dishonesty by people handling plan funds. Heffernan lists an Employee Dishonesty Bond for home-care agencies and a Fidelity/financial-institution bond for family offices, without describing their insuring agreements. [5] [3] [2] Choose Travelers if you need fidelity protection for an employee benefit plan; choose Heffernan if your buyer profile is a home-care agency or family office.

What Each Cover Is Said to Protect

Heffernan’s pages do not describe insuring agreements. Travelers describes cover for an employee benefit plan against fraud or dishonesty such as theft, embezzlement or forgery by people who handle plan funds—a different use case than a home-care employee-dishonesty bond or a family-office financial institution bond. [3] [2] [5]

Buying Path

Heffernan’s listings sit on specialty practice pages without an online bind description. Travelers ERISA fidelity is bought through a Travelers independent agent. Heffernan does not name the issuer; Travelers does not publish bond amounts on the reviewed pages. [3] [2] [6]

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

  • Ask Heffernan which product applies and whether you also need an ERISA bond for a retirement plan. [3] [2]
  • Ask the Travelers agent for the penalty, named plan and covered handlers. [5]
  • If you run a family office, ask whether a financial institution bond and an ERISA bond are separate placements. [2] [5]
  • Get deductibles and the issuing entity from both quotes. [3] [6]

Crime coverage

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 ↗

Travelers

  • role: Travelers lists ERISA fidelity as one of its Management & Professional Liability products, and separately lists ERISA Fidelity among the bond types it provides on its surety bond page. Management & Professional Liability product list and Surety Bonds product list.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: Travelers describes ERISA fidelity insurance as covering an employee benefit plan against losses caused by acts of fraud or dishonesty, such as theft, embezzlement or forgery, by the people who handle plan funds. Management & Professional Liability Insurance page, ERISA fidelity insurance entry; exact terms and required minimum bond amounts are set by ERISA and the issued bond.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Travelers offers ERISA fidelity coverage as part of a product suite that also covers private companies, public companies, nonprofit organizations and financial institutions, but the reviewed pages do not name specific eligible business sizes or industries for the ERISA fidelity product itself. Management & Professional Liability Insurance page general eligibility statement.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • limits: Neither reviewed page publishes bond amounts, premiums or terms for ERISA fidelity coverage; federal ERISA rules set minimum bonding requirements, but Travelers' specific offer would appear on a quote. Management & Professional Liability and Surety Bonds pages as read on 2026-09-23.not-foundSource ↗Source ↗
  • application: ERISA fidelity coverage is bought through a Travelers independent agent. Surety Bonds page "Find an insurance agent" call to action.company-reportedSource ↗

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