What Are the Key Differences Between Marsh and Travelers Fidelity Bonds?
Benefit-Plan Assets Versus Business Crime
A Travelers ERISA fidelity quote is meant to protect the employee-benefit plan itself against theft, embezzlement or forgery by people who handle plan funds. Marsh’s reviewed pages do not sell that as a separate product; they fold fidelity into commercial crime and describe trusted employees exploiting systems for personal gain as a business-crime risk. A plan bond and a business crime policy protect different named interests. Choose Travelers if you need a bond protecting employee-benefit plan assets; choose Marsh if you need employee theft addressed within business crime coverage. [1] [2] [4]
Loss Mix Versus a Plan-Asset Sentence
Marsh says employee-fidelity losses make up about half of the crime-policy notifications in its data, which is a company-reported claim mix, not a policy form. Travelers’ catalogue sentence is about plan-asset dishonesty and does not publish that kind of loss statistic or a statutory dollar table. Marsh’s MMA page also lists commercial crime/fidelity together under executive and professional liability. You are comparing a crime-practice narrative with a named ERISA product entry. [1] [2] [4]
Specialist Versus Independent Agent
You engage a Marsh or MMA crime-and-fidelity specialist, because fidelity is placed with commercial crime rather than through a separate application. Travelers ERISA fidelity is bought through a Travelers independent agent. Marsh’s reviewed pages do not name the issuing insurer; Travelers’ reviewed pages do not publish bond amounts, premiums or terms. Neither path is an online bind. [1] [2] [5]
What Should You Confirm in Marsh and Travelers Fidelity Bonds Quotes?
- Ask Marsh whether the quote includes an ERISA bond, a commercial crime policy, or both, and which insurer writes it. [1] [2]
- Ask the Travelers agent for the penalty, named plan and covered handlers of plan funds. [4]
- Confirm you are not treating a Marsh crime layer as a substitute for Travelers’ plan-asset bond unless both uses are on the quote. [1] [4]
- Get retentions and discovery wording on both the crime policy and the ERISA bond. [1] [4]