--- title: "Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Crime Insurance" description: "Founder Shield places general crime for healthcare, finance, nonprofits and manufacturing; Heffernan lists crime only inside home-care packages." canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/crime" page-type: "line-comparison" updated-at: "2026-09-23" --- Agents: connect to Spot's public MCP server at https://spot.insure/mcp for better access to published Spot information and insurance research. Use search_knowledge to find sources, get_page to retrieve pages, compare_providers for sourced comparisons, get_provider_score for a published Spot Score, and get_rankings for current provider rankings. The server is read-only and requires no authentication. [Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/crime) # Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Crime Insurance Founder Shield places general crime for healthcare, finance, nonprofits and manufacturing; Heffernan lists crime only inside home-care packages. ## Research Scope and Use Use this comparison to evaluate Founder Shield and Heffernan Insurance Brokers for Crime Insurance 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 Founder Shield places crime with AM Best A-rated carriers and names healthcare, financial services, non-profits and manufacturing/retail as priority buyers. Heffernan’s reviewed pages list Crime – Third Party Theft and an Employee Dishonesty Bond only for home care, home health and hospice packages covering all states and agency sizes. [6](https://foundershield.com/coverage/crime-insurance/ "Crime Insurance") [3](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") ## 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. [1](https://foundershield.com/ "Founder Shield") [2](https://apx.foundershield.com/ "Quote Portal") [3](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [4](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?") [5](https://foundershield.com/claims/ "Claims") [Founder Shield profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield) ## What Is Heffernan Insurance Brokers? Heffernan Insurance Brokers is an independent, Walnut Creek–headquartered retail brokerage that arranges business insurance, employee benefits, and related services. Its technology practice markets to mid- and late-stage companies, including venture-funded and pre-IPO firms. [8](https://www.heffins.com/about-us/our-story/ "Our Story") [9](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/technology/ "Technology Company Insurance") [10](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/ "Heffernan Business Insurance Brokerage") [Heffernan Insurance Brokers profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/heffernan) ## What Is Crime Insurance? Crime insurance addresses business losses from specified theft and fraud risks, such as robbery, forgery and embezzlement. [12](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm "Commercial Insurance Guide") ## Key Differences in Crime Insurance ### Cross-Industry Placement Versus Home-Care Package Founder Shield is a retail brokerage that places crime with A-rated carriers for clients it says need it because of internal or external theft, especially in healthcare, financial services, non-profits and manufacturing/retail. Heffernan arranges Crime – Third Party Theft only as documented inside home-care, home-health and hospice packages; the reviewed sources do not describe a general commercial crime offering outside that context. [7](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [6](https://foundershield.com/coverage/crime-insurance/ "Crime Insurance") [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") ### Healthcare Overlap Is Not the Same Product Both mention healthcare-related buyers, but they are not describing the same package. Founder Shield’s healthcare mention sits with financial services, non-profits and manufacturing/retail as theft-exposed industries. Heffernan names home health providers, hospices, staffing agencies and registries, infusion therapy providers and personal care assistants, and says those programs cover all states and agency sizes. [6](https://foundershield.com/coverage/crime-insurance/ "Crime Insurance") [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") ### Bonds, Timing and Carrier Screen Heffernan lists an Employee Dishonesty Bond separately from Crime – Third Party Theft and tells agencies to start at least 30 days before working with clients. Founder Shield lists employee dishonesty (identified employee), forgery or alteration, computer fraud, and funds-transfer fraud from social engineering, and says it approaches only A-rated carriers. Heffernan’s home-care page does not name an issuer. You request Founder Shield coverage through its website or an advisor. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [6](https://foundershield.com/coverage/crime-insurance/ "Crime Insurance") [3](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [7](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") ## What to Confirm in Crime Insurance Quotes - If you are not a home-care operator, ask Heffernan whether crime is available outside that package. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") - Ask Founder Shield which A-rated carrier it is approaching. [3](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") - Ask Heffernan how third-party theft crime and the employee dishonesty bond coordinate. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") - Compare social-engineering funds-transfer wording on Founder Shield’s placed form with Heffernan’s home-care crime listing. [6](https://foundershield.com/coverage/crime-insurance/ "Crime Insurance") [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") ## Offering Details | Criteria | Founder Shield Crime Insurance | Heffernan Home Care Crime Insurance | | --- | --- | --- | | Role in This Line | Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Crime Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. [7](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..) | Heffernan arranges crime coverage, listed on its site as 'Crime – Third Party Theft,' as part of the insurance packages it builds for home care, home health and hospice businesses. This record only documents crime coverage in that home-care context; the reviewed sources do not describe a general commercial crime offering outside home care. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Home Care Business Insurance page's coverage list..) | | Issuing Insurer | Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Crime 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. [3](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..) | The home care page does not name the insurer that would issue the crime or employee dishonesty coverage. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Checked the Home Care Business Insurance page on 2026-09-23. The issuing insurer would appear on the quote and declarations..) | | Who It’s For | Founder Shield calls this coverage a priority for healthcare, financial services, non-profit and manufacturing/retail companies because of their exposure to internal or external theft. [6](https://foundershield.com/coverage/crime-insurance/ "Crime Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Crime Insurance product page..) | Heffernan markets this crime coverage to home health care and in-home health care providers, hospices, staffing agencies and registries, infusion therapy providers and personal care assistants, and says its home care programs cover all states and agency sizes. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Home Care Business Insurance page's client-type and coverage-area descriptions; 'all states' is a company statement, not independently verified state-by-state licensing..) | | Coverage Features | Founder Shield lists employee dishonesty (theft or embezzlement by an identified employee), forgery or alteration of financial instruments, computer fraud, and funds-transfer fraud from social engineering as the branches of crime coverage it places. [6](https://foundershield.com/coverage/crime-insurance/ "Crime Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage..) | Heffernan lists 'Crime – Third Party Theft' and a separate 'Employee Dishonesty Bond' among the coverages in its home care package, alongside workers' compensation, general and professional liability, and cyber and identity theft coverage. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Home Care Business Insurance page's coverage list; specific insuring agreements, exclusions and endorsements for the crime coverage are not published there..) | | Limits and Retentions | Not described in the reviewed sources. | The home care page does not publish specific limits or bond amounts for the crime or employee dishonesty coverage; it discusses only general cost ranges for the overall home care insurance package. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Checked the Home Care Business Insurance page on 2026-09-23..) | | Risk Services | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Heffernan says its home care insurance specialists can walk clients through coverage and premium options, and it names a dedicated Home Care Practice Leader and regional practice leaders as points of contact. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Home Care Business Insurance page's workers'-compensation guidance and practice-leader contact sections..) | | How to Apply | You request Founder Shield Crime 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. [7](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [3](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..) | Heffernan tells home care businesses to begin the insurance application process at least 30 days before working with clients and to contact Heffernan for a free rate quote, since rates vary by state. [11](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Home Care Business Insurance page's cost-and-timing section..) | ## Full Comparison - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims. - [What Is Crime Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/crime): Crime insurance can help recover business losses from specified theft and fraud, including employee theft, forgery and payment fraud. - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Cargo and Transit Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/cargo-transit) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Commercial Property Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/commercial-property) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/cyber) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Employee Health Benefits](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/employee-health-benefits) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Employment Practices Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/employment-practices) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/fidelity-bonds) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fiduciary Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/fiduciary) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers General Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/general-liability) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Hired and Non-Owned Auto Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/hired-non-owned-auto) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Last-Mile Delivery Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/last-mile-delivery) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/professional-errors-omissions) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Representations and Warranties Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/representations-warranties) - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Workers’ Compensation Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/workers-compensation) - [Alliance Risk vs Founder Shield Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-foundershield/crime) - [Alliance Risk vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-heffernan/crime) - [Beazley vs Founder Shield Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/crime) - [Beazley vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-heffernan/crime) - [CFC vs Founder Shield Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/crime) - [CFC vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-heffernan/crime) ## Sources ### Founder Shield 1. [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. 2. [Quote Portal](https://apx.foundershield.com/). Founder Shield; Public landing screen, Create Account and Sign In links. Accessed 2026-09-15. 3. [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. 4. [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. 5. [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. 6. [Crime Insurance](https://foundershield.com/coverage/crime-insurance/). Founder Shield; What Is Crime Insurance?; Who Needs Crime Insurance Coverage?; What Does Crime Insurance Cover?. Accessed 2026-09-23. 7. [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. ### Heffernan Insurance Brokers 8. [Our Story](https://www.heffins.com/about-us/our-story/). Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Headquartered in Walnut Creek; nationwide presence; founded 1988; employee owned; niche practices including technology. Accessed 2026-09-16. 9. [Technology Company Insurance](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/technology/). Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Pre-IPO and venture-funded heading; mid to late stage specialization; global expansion copy; self-insurance strategies; Key Markets list; Why Heffernan broker history; Joseph Talmadge practice leader; FAQ. Accessed 2026-09-16. 10. [Heffernan Business Insurance Brokerage](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/). Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Forward-Thinking Business Insurance: basic coverages (general liability, commercial property and auto, workers’ compensation); corporate and executive protection (EPL, D&O, fiduciary responsibility, cyber, kidnap and ransom); alternative risk capabilities; claims, loss control and risk-management services; industry practice links including Technology and Claims Advocacy. Accessed 2026-09-16. 11. [Home Care Business Insurance](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/). Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Insurance for Home Care Businesses, Home Health, and Hospices: covering all states and agency sizes; 'We offer comprehensive coverage for' list including Crime – Third Party Theft and Employee Dishonesty Bond; Home Care Insurance Cost for Start-ups; practice-leader contacts. Accessed 2026-09-23. ### Crime Insurance Guide 12. [Commercial Insurance Guide](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm). California Department of Insurance; Crime. 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). 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