Alliance Risk vs Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance

Alliance Risk places fiduciary liability coverage as a broker: it reviews a company's current coverage and markets the risk to carriers that specialize in fiduciary liability. ³Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page; Alliance Risk does not underwrite the policy itself.

Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ¹¹Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

The reviewed fiduciary liability page does not name the insurer that would issue a policy; it says Alliance Risk markets a company's risk to carriers that specialize in fiduciary liability, so the issuing insurer depends on the placement. ³Not publicly disclosed. Fiduciary liability product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability 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. ⁷Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

Alliance Risk targets fiduciary liability coverage at any employer sponsoring a 401(k), defined benefit pension or health plan, including multi-employer and union plans, nonprofits, sole proprietors and partnerships with plans, and professional groups managing partner retirement plans; it says even plans fully outsourced to a TPA still need fiduciary coverage because the sponsor retains oversight liability. ³Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page; eligibility for a particular company depends on underwriting.

Alliance Risk says a company should add fiduciary liability coverage when it launches a 401(k) or similar benefit plan, because ERISA fiduciary duty attaches the moment the plan goes live. ⁴Company-reported. Management liability page's program-staging guidance, describing fiduciary liability specifically among the three bundled lines.

Founder Shield markets fiduciary liability to plan sponsors offering a 401(k) or similar plan and to the individual fiduciaries who handle plan funds or property. ¹⁰Company-reported. Fiduciary Liability product page.

Alliance Risk lists legal defense costs, settlements and judgments, and Department of Labor audits and penalties as typically covered, responding to claims such as excessive-fee litigation and imprudent investment selection; it says criminal and fraudulent acts, bodily injury and property damage, and employee dishonesty (covered instead by an ERISA fidelity bond) are excluded. ³Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page; coverage and exclusions described in general terms, subject to the policy as issued.

Founder Shield lists claims of risky plan investments, poor investment advice, administrative errors in benefits processing, and improper denial or change of benefits as scenarios fiduciary liability responds to. ¹⁰Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

Founder Shield distinguishes fiduciary liability from D&O and general liability: it responds to breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims tied to ERISA plan administration, not general management or bodily-injury claims. ¹⁰Company-reported. Fiduciary Liability product page.

Alliance Risk states standard fiduciary liability deductibles it sees range from $5,000 to $50,000, with smaller, lower-risk plans qualifying for lower deductibles and higher deductibles reducing premium at the cost of more out-of-pocket exposure in a claim. ³Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page FAQ; illustrative range, not a quote for any particular plan.

Alliance Risk says entry-level management-liability packages that bundle fiduciary liability with D&O and EPLI often share a single aggregate limit, so a large D&O or EPLI settlement earlier in the policy year can reduce what is left for a fiduciary claim; it says a specialist broker structures shared versus separate limits to manage that risk. ⁴Company-reported. Management liability page's discussion of bundled D&O, EPLI and fiduciary programs.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Alliance Risk offers a no-charge review of an existing fiduciary liability policy, identifying gaps and exclusion risks and comparing the program to market options. ³Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page, Get Your Fiduciary Liability Risk Review section.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

For a fiduciary liability quote, Alliance Risk asks for the plan type, number of participants, total assets under management, current coverage and limits, whether an ERISA fidelity bond is in place, and a five-year claims history of DOL audits and participant complaints, and says it typically delivers proposals within a few business days. ³Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page, What We Need for Your Quote section; timing is a company estimate, not a guarantee.

You request Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability 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. ^11,7Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

The reviewed fiduciary liability page does not describe an Alliance Risk claims-handling or claims-advocacy process; it discusses what a fiduciary liability policy covers rather than how Alliance Risk itself supports a claim. ³Not found in reviewed sources. Fiduciary liability product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Not described in the reviewed sources.