CFC vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers

CFC is a specialist insurance provider operating an MGA model: a managing general agent performs underwriting functions for insurance capacity providers. Its disclosures identify CFC Underwriting Limited and the U.S. producer CFC USA, Inc.; the CFC brand should not be treated as the name of every policy’s insurer. ^5,4

Heffernan describes itself as an insurance broker and risk manager that shops markets, presents options, and places coverage with insurance carriers. It is not identified in the reviewed pages as the insurer that issues or pays claims on a buyer’s policy. Privacy language says it may share underwriting information with non-affiliated parties to solicit quotations from insurance carriers. ^35,38,34,30

Public pages and a 26 August 2026 company release use the name Heffernan Insurance Brokers and display California license number 0564249. They identify F. Michael Heffernan as President and CEO. The reviewed official pages do not print a longer corporate legal name such as an “Inc.” suffix. Confirm the contracting producer name on the engagement agreement and policy. ^30,53,31

Heffernan’s current site says it has been independent and employee-owned since 1988. A 2019 SkyKnight Capital announcement described a minority investment that recapitalized Heffernan’s ESOP while management said the firm would retain a culture of employee ownership. Current ownership percentages were not disclosed in the 2026 pages reviewed. ^30,31,54

Heffernan Network Insurance Brokers is described as a wholly owned subsidiary, formerly OLI Insurance Services, that acquires or partners with independent agencies. Costero Brokers Ltd. appears as Heffernan’s London location listing. Heffernan Benefit Advisors is the name used on the employee-benefits page. These related names do not by themselves identify the producer or insurer on a California technology policy. ^50,51,40,32

CFC’s U.S. technology brochure describes errors and omissions, cyber, media/IP infringement and general liability protection, including liability arising from client contract breaches. The brochure describes a package; the quote and wording determine which sections and exclusions apply. ²

CFC’s U.S. cyber catalogue lists Cyber Proactive Response, admitted cyber, Corporate cyber and cyber excess. These are distinct offerings; an admitted label on the website does not establish California eligibility or identical wording across products. ⁹

CFC markets management liability covering directors and officers, employment practices, fiduciary exposures and crime, and separately lists Side A DIC excess protection for directors and officers. Its U.S. management-liability brochure declines California-domiciled business; do not read these catalogue entries as California availability. ^10,11

CFC separately markets intellectual-property insurance for infringement defense, enforcement and related IP risks, including patent exposures. Its scope should be compared with the narrower IP provisions in any technology quote. ^14,2

CFC offers fintech insurance combining financial and technology liability with other financial-sector risks, eHealth for digital-health businesses, and life-science packages for businesses such as device or drug developers and nutraceutical companies. These sector products require their own underwriting and terms. ^23,19,22

CFC’s U.S. product pages also market professional E&O, property and general liability, media liability, medical malpractice, product recall, kidnap and ransom, and umbrella protection over professional liability, general liability or cyber. This catalogue does not mean every line is included in a technology policy or available for every California risk. ^{12,13,21,20,16,15,18}

CFC markets representations and warranties insurance, small-business buyer and seller protection, and secondary-liquidity transaction solutions. These are transaction-specific products rather than ordinary operating-company liability coverage. ¹⁷

Other CFC specialty offerings include carbon-credit delivery, cancellation and lender non-payment insurance; a CORSIA guarantee product; standalone sexual abuse and molestation liability through Safeprotect; terrorism insurance; and marine hull-war and kidnap-and-ransom cover. Their presence on the U.S. site does not resolve California placement eligibility. ^25,26,27,28

The business-insurance page lists general liability, commercial property, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, and global/foreign exposures among basic coverages it can provide. Corporate and executive protection listed there includes employment-practices liability, directors and officers liability, fiduciary responsibility, cyber liability, and kidnap and ransom. The small-business page also lists errors and omissions and a business owner’s policy among coverages it can provide. ^35,37

Specialty practices list additional products: builders risk for construction projects; marine cargo, logistics E&O, and surety bonds in the cargo program; trucking, final-mile delivery, motor truck cargo, and umbrella or excess in transportation; medical malpractice in healthcare; crime, fidelity/employee-dishonesty bonds, and hired/non-owned auto in the home-care program; and representations-and-warranties insurance in the private-equity and M&A practice. Employee benefits are offered separately through Heffernan Benefit Advisors, including group medical, dental, vision, life, and disability examples. ^{44,45,46,47,48,49,40}

For buyers trying to control total cost of risk, Heffernan describes loss-sensitive and alternative arrangements including self-insurance, partial self-insurance, large deductibles, and captives. The technology page separately discusses self-insurance strategies for later-stage companies. These are options to evaluate in a proposal, not a standard policy form. ^35,36,47

CFC reports that CFC USA, Inc. holds producer licenses in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., plus excess and surplus lines authorization in California, Georgia, New York and Texas. It identifies its California licensing name as CFC General Insurance Agency, Inc. This is CFC’s disclosure, not an independently checked California license record or confirmation of product eligibility. ⁴

CFC’s January 2026 U.S. management-liability brochure lists California-domiciled business and standalone employment practices liability under risks it declines. This restriction is specific to the described management-liability offering; it does not establish a California exclusion for every CFC product. ¹¹

The reviewed U.S. technology page, brochure and application do not establish the currently available admitted or surplus-lines route for a particular California startup. CFC announced admitted technology E&O in 2023, but the reviewed materials do not supply a current California product eligibility schedule. ^1,2,3,29

Heffernan says it has a nationwide presence, lists U.S. offices from California to Florida, and states that website content is intended for U.S. users except where otherwise specified. The technology practice says nearly all of its clients operate globally and that it serves major metropolitan hubs. The reviewed pages do not publish a product-by-state eligibility schedule for technology insurance. Office locations and nationwide marketing do not establish that a particular California or other-state policy is available. ^{31,32,34,36,30}

Heffernan displays California license number 0564249 in its site footer and in a 2026 company news release. Current producer-license status, license class and authorized lines remain independently unverified. A displayed number is not by itself proof that a given product can be sold in California. ^30,53,55

The U.S. technology application asks a senior staff member to complete it and return it to the company’s insurance broker. It requests revenue, funding, subsidiaries, products, major contracts, security controls, IP procedures and claims history. CFC’s Connect portal separately supports broker trading and describes a broker appointment process. ^3,6

The public commercial path starts with a Contact Us inquiry. The empty form inspected on 16 September 2026 asks for first and last name, email, optional phone, insurance needed, and a description of operations, plus a required choice among Need A Quote, Other, or Would like to speak with someone. Submitting the form does not display a premium or bind coverage. ⁴¹

Heffernan tells technology buyers to work with a specialized broker who assesses the business and gathers quotes from insurers. Its cyber team says it determines exposure, shops the market, presents options, and guides coverage selection. Quick Insure is a separate path that markets faster quotes for selected personal and short-term business products. The reviewed pages do not promise a universal quote or binding turnaround for a growth-stage technology program. ^36,38,42,41

CFC says its cyber service includes threat monitoring and alerts, a response app and round-the-clock technical incident support. These are company-described services; access, scope and any conditions should be checked against the proposed policy. ⁷

The reviewed Connect and technology application pages do not specify a customer-facing renewal timetable, certificate turnaround or dedicated account-management commitment for California technology buyers. Confirm those arrangements with the placing broker. ^6,3

Heffernan says clients get claims services, loss control, HR consulting, and risk-management support alongside insurance placement. Its modern-brokerage page describes digital access to documents, program details, and service-activity status, plus tools such as TrustLayer for insurance verification. These are company-described servicing features. ^35,52,39