Founder Shield vs Lockton Fiduciary Liability Insurance

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. ⁷Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

Lockton places fiduciary liability insurance to protect companies and the individuals who manage their employee benefit plans against claims of mismanagement; Lockton is the broker, not the insurer. ¹¹Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page as read 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. ³Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

The page does not name the insurers Lockton places fiduciary liability coverage with. ¹¹Not publicly disclosed. Fiduciary liability page checked 2026-09-23.

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. ⁶Company-reported. Fiduciary Liability product page.

Lockton says coverage under a fiduciary liability policy it places typically extends to the organization, the benefit plans, employees, subsidiaries as defined in the policy, spouses/domestic partners, estates/heirs, past employees retained as fiduciaries or consultants, and committees and trustees. ¹¹Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page as read 2026-09-23.

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. ⁶Company-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. ⁶Company-reported. Fiduciary Liability product page.

Lockton says a typical fiduciary liability policy it places covers breaches of benefit laws, errors and omissions in plan administration, voluntary compliance loss, and, when explicitly stated, certain fines and penalties such as under HIPAA, the Pension Protection Act and the ACA. It also notes fiduciary liability is distinct from an ERISA bond, which is legally required and insures plan assets against theft under a crime/fidelity policy, whereas fiduciary liability is not legally required but covers governance and decision-making risk. ¹¹Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page as read 2026-09-23. General policy-structure description, not a specimen form.

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. ^7,3Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Lockton's Professional & Executive Risk Claims team integrates insurance and claims counsel within the broking team, which Lockton says is meant to have claims strategy in place before a fiduciary liability claim arises. ¹¹Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page as read 2026-09-23.