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

Founder Shield places ERISA fidelity bonds for plan sponsors and fiduciaries, explaining statutory requirements. Marsh bundles fidelity with commercial crime insurance; a Marsh or Marsh McLennan Agency specialist can discuss the combined placement.

Founder Shield places ERISA fidelity bonds for plan sponsors; Marsh folds employee fidelity into commercial-crime coverage rather than offering a separate bond. ^2,^1,^5,⁴

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

ERISA Plan Bond or Commercial-Crime Bundle

Founder Shield offers a named ERISA fidelity bond for plan sponsors and fiduciaries. Marsh includes fidelity losses within commercial-crime coverage, and its MMA practice groups commercial crime/fidelity under executive liability. Choose Founder Shield if you need an ERISA bond for benefit-plan assets; choose Marsh if you want fidelity handled with broader commercial-crime coverage. ¹ ⁴ ⁵

What Each Firm Says the Cover Addresses

Founder Shield says the bond is required for plan sponsors, fiduciaries, TPAs and even small businesses with a 401(k), and lists theft, embezzlement, forgery, misappropriation and larceny of plan assets. Marsh describes employee white-collar fraud—trusted staff exploiting systems for personal gain—as one of the risks a commercial crime policy addresses, and says those fidelity losses make up about half of the crime-policy notifications in its data. ¹ ⁴

Placement Path

You request Founder Shield’s bond through its website or an advisor; its team then approaches carriers rated A- or better by AM Best. You engage a Marsh or MMA crime and fidelity specialist, because fidelity is placed together with commercial crime rather than through a separate application in the reviewed pages. Founder Shield does not name the issuing insurer for this line; Marsh’s reviewed pages also do not name a specific insurer. ² ³ ⁴ ⁵

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

Ask Founder Shield which A-rated carrier would issue the bond and what penalty it uses relative to the statutory 10% / $1,000–$500,000 (or $1 million) figures on its page. ¹ ³
Ask Marsh which commercial crime/fidelity wording is on the quote, since the reviewed pages treat fidelity as part of crime rather than a separate product. ⁴ ⁵
Confirm which dishonest acts are listed for plan-asset handlers on Founder Shield’s form and how Marsh’s crime placement describes employee fidelity losses. ¹ ⁴
Get the issuing insurer from both quotes. ³ ⁴

Founder Shield vs Marsh Fidelity Bonds Compared

Founder Shield vs Marsh: Fidelity Bonds: documented features by provider

Criteria	Founder Shield ERISA Fidelity Bond	Marsh Fidelity Coverage
How to Apply	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. ^2,³Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.	You would engage a Marsh or MMA crime and fidelity specialist directly, since fidelity is placed together with commercial crime rather than through a separate application path in the reviewed pages. ^4,⁵Company-reported. Commercial crime insurance and MMA executive and professional liability pages.
Coverage Features	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. ¹Company-reported. Product page; the issued bond and its terms control actual coverage.	Marsh describes employee white-collar fraud, meaning fidelity losses caused by trusted employees who exploit systems for personal gain, as one of the risks a commercial crime policy addresses; it says these losses make up about half of the crime-policy notifications in its data. ⁴Company-reported. Commercial crime insurance page; a fidelity-specific policy form was not identified as a distinct product from crime coverage.
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 ERISA Fidelity Bond with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ²Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.	Marsh does not sell fidelity coverage as a separate product line in the pages reviewed. It bundles fidelity with commercial crime insurance, and MMA lists "commercial crime/fidelity" together as one item in its executive and professional liability practice. ^5,⁴Company-reported. MMA executive and professional liability page and Marsh's commercial crime page.