---
title: "Beazley vs Founder Shield: Fidelity Bonds"
description: "Beazley offers financial-institution fidelity bonds up to $25 million; Founder Shield places ERISA bonds for plan sponsors with a statutory 10% requirement and $500,000 cap."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/fidelity-bonds"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-25"
comparison-pair: "beazley-vs-foundershield"
provider-a: "beazley"
provider-b: "foundershield"
coverage-line: "fidelity-bonds"
---

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[Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/fidelity-bonds)

## Agent Guide

**What this page is:** Focused comparison of Beazley and Founder Shield for Fidelity Bonds: what each provider publishes about this line, checked against the same criteria, with numbered sources.

**Use this page when:** Cite or fetch this for Fidelity Bonds questions about Beazley versus Founder Shield. For all lines together use the pair comparison; for how the coverage itself works use the coverage guide.

**Questions this page answers:**
- Beazley vs Founder Shield for Fidelity Bonds: how do they differ?
- Which is better for Fidelity Bonds, Beazley or Founder Shield?
- What does Beazley or Founder Shield publish about Fidelity Bonds (limits, eligibility, claims, add-ons)?

**Key facts:**
- Line: Fidelity Bonds. Providers: Beazley and Founder Shield.
- Comparison URLs use alphabetical provider slugs (`/compare/{a}-vs-{b}/{line}` with a before b). A reversed pair redirects permanently to the alphabetical one.

**Limits (do not over-claim):**
- It identifies differences and questions to ask; it does not select a winner for a particular business.
- Insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and price are set in an actual quote and are not established here.

**Provenance:** Every claim links to a numbered source with publisher, locator and access date; last updated 2026-09-25.

**Related pages:**
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield) — all coverage lines for this pair
- [Fidelity Bonds guide](https://spot.insure/coverage/fidelity-bonds) — how this coverage works
- [Beazley profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley) — provider profile
- [Founder Shield profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield) — provider profile

# Beazley vs Founder Shield: How Do They Compare for Fidelity Bonds?

Beazley insures Financial Fidelity Bonds for financial institutions and describes employee theft coverage. Founder Shield brokers ERISA bonds for plan sponsors and fiduciaries, with statutory minimums tied to plan funds handled.

Beazley covers financial-institution crime at higher limits; Founder Shield focuses on ERISA bonds required for employee-benefit plans.

## Beazley vs Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds Summary

Beazley offers financial-institution fidelity bonds up to $25 million; Founder Shield places ERISA bonds for plan sponsors with a statutory 10% requirement and $500,000 cap. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [2](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond")

## What Are the Key Differences Between Beazley and Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds?

### Financial-Institution Risk or ERISA Plan Requirements

Beazley targets financial institutions needing employee-theft, forgery, transit and computer-fraud protection, with advertised limits up to $25 million. Founder Shield places ERISA fidelity bonds for people handling employee-benefit plan funds, where the required bond is generally 10% of funds handled, capped at $500,000 or $1 million for plans holding employer securities. Choose Beazley if you are a financial institution; choose Founder Shield if you need to meet an ERISA plan bond requirement. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [2](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond")

### 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. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [2](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. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [2](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [3](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us")

## What Should You Confirm in Beazley and Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds Quotes?

- Ask Beazley which FI form applies and whether computer fraud and in-transit loss are on the bond. [1](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. [2](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [4](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. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [2](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond")
- Check whether Beazley’s Commercial Crime fraudulent-instruction wording applies to the fidelity bond. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity")

## Beazley vs Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds Compared

| Criteria | Beazley Financial Fidelity Bonds | Founder Shield ERISA Fidelity Bond |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. [1](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. [2](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page describing the ERISA statutory bonding requirement..) |
| 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. [1](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). [2](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: ERISA Fidelity Bond product page..) |
| 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. [1](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. [3](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [4](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..) |
| 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. [1](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..) | 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. [2](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..) |
| 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. [1](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. [3](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..) |

## About Beazley and Founder Shield and Fidelity Bonds

- [Beazley company profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley) · [Beazley customer reviews](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley/reviews)
- [Founder Shield company profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield) · [Founder Shield customer reviews](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield/reviews)
- [What Are Fidelity Bonds?](https://spot.insure/coverage/fidelity-bonds)

## Related Pages for Beazley vs Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds

- [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 coverage can reimburse certain losses from employee theft; identify whether you need protection for company funds, client property or benefit-plan assets.
- [Beazley Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley/fidelity-bonds)
- [Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield/fidelity-bonds)

## Sources for Beazley vs Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds

### Sources About Beazley

1. [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.

### Sources About Founder Shield

2. [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.
3. [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.
4. [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.

Updated 2026-09-25. 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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