---
title: "Beazley vs Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds"
description: "Beazley underwrites Financial Fidelity Bonds for institutions up to $25 million; Founder Shield places ERISA fidelity bonds at the statutory 10% / $500,000 floor."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/fidelity-bonds"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

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# Beazley vs Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds

Beazley underwrites Financial Fidelity Bonds for institutions up to $25 million; Founder Shield places ERISA fidelity bonds at the statutory 10% / $500,000 floor.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate Beazley and Founder Shield for Fidelity Bonds against the same documented criteria. It identifies differences and questions to confirm; it does not select a winner for a particular business. Offering claims are what each provider publishes about this line unless marked otherwise. “Not found” describes the evidence reviewed, not proof that a feature is unavailable. Confirm the insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and cost in an actual quote.

## Summary

Beazley issues Financial Fidelity Bonds for financial institutions, with advertised limits up to US $25 million and dedicated FI bond application forms. Founder Shield brokers ERISA fidelity bonds for plan sponsors and fiduciaries, restating the federal 10% of funds handled requirement with a $500,000 statutory maximum ($1 million if the plan holds employer securities). [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond")

## What Is Beazley?

Beazley is a specialty insurance group whose MediaTech product combines technology and professional E&O, media and cyber coverage. Separate offerings address executive liability, digital health and other specialty risks. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/small-business-solutions-usa/mediatech-for-small-businesses/ "MediaTech for Small Businesses") [2](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/legal-information-en/ "Legal Information") [3](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary "Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)") [4](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/healthcare-usa/virtual-care "Virtual Care")

[Beazley profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley)

## What Is Founder Shield Insurance?

Founder Shield is a commercial insurance broker for venture-backed and growing businesses. Buyers can request coverage through its online portal and work with advisors on insurer selection, policy changes and claims reporting. [6](https://foundershield.com/ "Founder Shield") [7](https://apx.foundershield.com/ "Quote Portal") [8](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [9](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/what-if-our-company-grows-a-lot-or-things-change-during-the-year/ "What If Our Company Grows A Lot or Things Change During the Year?") [10](https://foundershield.com/claims/ "Claims")

[Founder Shield profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield)

## What Are Fidelity Bonds?

Fidelity bonds and employee-dishonesty policies address losses caused by dishonest employees, within the limits and terms purchased. [13](https://content.naic.org/glossary-insurance-terms "Glossary of Insurance Terms")

## Key Differences in Fidelity Bonds

### Institution Bond Versus ERISA Plan Bond

Beazley underwrites Financial Fidelity Bonds for financial institutions. Founder Shield, as a retail broker, places an ERISA Fidelity Bond with third-party carriers rated A- or better by AM Best. Beazley’s product is an institution crime-style bond; Founder Shield’s product is the statutory bond for people who handle employee-benefit plan assets. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [12](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [8](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?")

### What Each Says Is Covered

Beazley describes protection from loss of money and securities from employee theft plus third-party-related losses such as forgery, on-premises and in-transit loss, money-order and counterfeit-currency fraud, computer fraud, client-property loss, credit-card fraud and related expenses. Founder Shield lists theft and embezzlement of plan assets, forgery, misappropriation and larceny by those who handle a benefit plan’s funds. Beazley’s list is institution operations; Founder Shield’s list is plan-asset handling. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond")

### $25 Million Advertised Versus Statutory ERISA Amounts

Beazley advertises limits up to US $25,000,000 and uses FI Bond Forms 14, 15, 24 and 25. Founder Shield restates ERISA’s bonding rule: at least 10% of plan funds handled, minimum $1,000, maximum $500,000 (up to $1 million for plans holding employer securities)—a statutory floor, not a Founder Shield-specific limit. You apply to Beazley through those forms, not an online bind; you request Founder Shield’s bond on its site or through an advisor. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [12](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us")

## What to Confirm in Fidelity Bonds Quotes

- Ask Beazley which FI form applies and whether computer fraud and in-transit loss are on the bond. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity")
- Ask Founder Shield for the calculated ERISA penalty (10% of funds handled) and which A-rated carrier will issue it. [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [8](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?")
- Confirm whether you need an institution fidelity bond or an ERISA plan bond; they are different buyers on these pages. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond")
- Check whether Beazley’s Commercial Crime fraudulent-instruction wording applies to the fidelity bond. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity")

## Offering Details

| Criteria | Beazley Financial Fidelity Bonds | Founder Shield ERISA Fidelity Bond |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Role in This Line | Beazley underwrites Financial Fidelity Bonds, which it markets specifically to financial institutions, as a separate line from the Commercial Crime product it sells to ordinary commercial companies on the same page. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Crime and Fidelity product page; "fidelity bonds" is the name the page uses for the financial-institution version of this crime coverage..) | 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. [12](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line..) |
| Issuing Insurer | Not described in the reviewed sources. | 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. [8](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements..) |
| Who It’s For | Beazley says its expert team underwrites Financial Fidelity Bonds for financial institutions. The page does not name which types of financial institution (e.g., banks, credit unions, broker-dealers) qualify. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page target-customer statement; no institution-type list or asset-size threshold is published..) | 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). [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: ERISA Fidelity Bond product page..) |
| Coverage Features | Beazley describes fidelity bonds as protecting a financial institution from loss of money and securities caused by employee theft, plus third-party-related losses such as forgery or alteration, on-premises and in-transit loss, money-order and counterfeit-currency fraud, computer fraud, client-property loss, credit-card fraud and related expenses. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page's general description of crime/fidelity coverage; the page does not itemize a separate insuring-agreement list for fidelity bonds versus Commercial Crime..)<br><br>The reviewed page attributes its fraudulent-instruction (social-engineering) insuring agreement and out-of-band-authentication condition to "our Commercial Crime policy" specifically. It does not state that Financial Fidelity Bonds include this same insuring agreement. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Not found in reviewed sources; scope: Checked against the full product page text as of 2026-09-23; absence of a fidelity-bond-specific statement is not evidence the coverage is unavailable to financial institutions..) | 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. [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page; the issued bond and its terms control actual coverage..) |
| Limits and Retentions | The product page advertises limits of up to US $25,000,000 for this line without separately breaking out a fidelity-bond-specific maximum from the Commercial Crime figure on the same page. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Shared headline limit figure; retentions and bond-specific sub-limits are not published..) | 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. [11](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page describing the ERISA statutory bonding requirement..) |
| Risk Services | Beazley says its underwriting and claims professionals for this product family work side by side so that the original underwriting intent is respected when a claim arises. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Company-stated internal process description applying to the Crime and Fidelity product family generally; no fidelity-bond-specific service is separately described..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| How to Apply | Beazley lists dedicated Financial Institution bond application forms in its Tools & Resources: FI Bond Form 14, Form 15, Form 24 and Form 25, separate from the Commercial Crime application forms on the same page. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Tools & Resources section of the product page; the page does not describe an online quote or self-service purchase flow..) | 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. [12](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [8](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form..) |
| Claims Support | The product page links to Beazley's general claim-notification channel for this line. It does not disclose a claims response-time commitment or a dedicated claims process specific to Financial Fidelity Bonds. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Product page "Notify a Claim" link as read on 2026-09-23; response times were not found..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |

## Full Comparison

- [Beazley vs Founder Shield](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Are Fidelity Bonds?](https://spot.insure/coverage/fidelity-bonds): Fidelity bonds and employee-dishonesty coverage protect against specified losses caused by dishonest employees or people handling plan assets.
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Commercial Property Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/commercial-property)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/crime)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/cyber)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/employment-practices)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/fiduciary)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield General Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/general-liability)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/hired-non-owned-auto)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Media Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/media)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Product Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/product-liability)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/professional-errors-omissions)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Representations and Warranties Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/representations-warranties)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield Telehealth Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/virtual-care-telehealth)
- [Beazley vs Coverdash Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-coverdash/fidelity-bonds)
- [Beazley vs Gallagher Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-gallagher/fidelity-bonds)
- [Beazley vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-heffernan/fidelity-bonds)
- [Beazley vs HUB International Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-hub-international/fidelity-bonds)
- [Beazley vs Marsh Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-marsh/fidelity-bonds)
- [Coverdash vs Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/coverdash-vs-foundershield/fidelity-bonds)

## Sources

### Beazley

1. [MediaTech for Small Businesses](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/small-business-solutions-usa/mediatech-for-small-businesses/). Beazley; Opening product description; What we offer: E&O (Tech and Professional), Media, Cyber coverage includes; How can we help; SME placement paragraph; Tools & Resources. Accessed 2026-09-16.
2. [Legal Information](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/legal-information-en/). Beazley; Website conditions: US jurisdiction availability, surplus lines and policy wording disclaimers; Beazley plc identity. Accessed 2026-09-16.
3. [Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary). Beazley; ExecuGuard product introduction: combined EPL, D&O and fiduciary coverage for private organizations; What we offer: separate or shared limits, admitted or non-admitted; How can we help. Accessed 2026-09-16.
4. [Virtual Care](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/healthcare-usa/virtual-care). Beazley; Available Coverages; Who we can help; Where is this offered. Accessed 2026-09-16.
5. [Crime and Fidelity](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime). Beazley; What we offer: Financial Fidelity Bonds for financial institutions; Limits up to US $25,000,000; How can we help; Tools & Resources FI Bond application forms. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### Founder Shield

6. [Founder Shield](https://foundershield.com/). Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
7. [Quote Portal](https://apx.foundershield.com/). Founder Shield; Public landing screen, Create Account and Sign In links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
8. [How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/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.
9. [What If Our Company Grows A Lot or Things Change During the Year?](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/what-if-our-company-grows-a-lot-or-things-change-during-the-year/). Founder Shield; Carl Niedbala answer, November 25, 2024: operational changes and coverage adjustments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
10. [Claims](https://foundershield.com/claims/). Founder Shield; Our Approach; How We Support Claims Management, steps 1–5; Make a claim link. Accessed 2026-09-15.
11. [ERISA Fidelity Bond](https://foundershield.com/coverage/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.
12. [About Us](https://foundershield.com/about-us/). Founder Shield; “Founder Shield is the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group”; company history and mission. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### Fidelity Bonds Guide

13. [Glossary of Insurance Terms](https://content.naic.org/glossary-insurance-terms). National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Fidelity; Surety Bond. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated 2026-09-23. Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. [Editorial policy](https://spot.insure/editorial-policy). To suggest a correction, [contact Spot](https://spot.insure/contact) with the page URL and supporting source.

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