Gallagher vs 
HUB International Surety Bonds
Gallagher’s commercial surety practice names license, court, public-official and customs bonds; HUB names bid, performance and payment bonds plus commercial surety and three-C screening.
What Is Gallagher?
Gallagher is a business-insurance broker and risk-management consultancy. Its technology practice serves startups through global enterprises, alongside a separate small-business offering for IT professionals and an executive-risk practice covering D&O and transaction-related coverages. Woodruff Sawyer is now part of Gallagher. 1,2,3,4,5
What Is HUB International?
HUB International is a North American insurance brokerage that arranges business insurance, employee benefits and related risk services through local offices and specialist practices. Smaller commercial accounts may be sent to Insureon for an online quote; other programs are handled by HUB advisors, with policy terms set by the insurers they use. 7,8,9
What Are Surety Bonds?
A surety bond is a three-party agreement: a surety guarantees an obligation your business (the principal) owes to a customer or other party (the obligee) if your business defaults. It isn't insurance that pays your business for its own losses. 11,12
Key Differences in Surety Bonds
Contract Surety and Commercial Surety on Each List
Gallagher and HUB both broker surety. Gallagher says it places license and permit, court, public official and customs bonds under its commercial surety practice, distinct from contract (construction) surety, which it treats as a separate related product. HUB describes the contract surety it arranges as bid, performance and payment bonds, plus wage, warranty, maintenance and lien-release bonds. 6 10
HUB also arranges commercial surety, which it says is primarily required by government entities, financial institutions and private corporations to guard against fraud, theft or illegal conduct. Gallagher’s commercial surety practice names license and permit, court, public official and customs bonds for that commercial line. 10 6
How Each Describes Eligibility
Gallagher says it serves commercial surety clients across healthcare, financial services, public utilities, and private and public companies, domestic and international, and lists surety programs for small IT businesses. HUB says bond eligibility is judged on character (credit and integrity), capacity (skills, experience, equipment and facilities) and capital (financial strength), with a surety specialist guiding the required documentation. 6 2 10
What to Confirm in Surety Bonds Quotes
- Ask Gallagher how it would place contract surety if you need bid, performance or payment wording HUB lists on this line. 6 10
- If the obligee wants license, court, public-official or customs wording, Gallagher names those types; ask HUB which commercial or contract form it would place. 6 10
- Ask HUB how the three C’s apply to your file; ask Gallagher about letter-of-credit replacement if a bank holds collateral. 10 6
- Get the issuing surety’s legal name and the penal sum from both. 6 10
Offering Details
Gallagher vs HUB International Surety Bonds: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Gallagher Commercial Surety Bonds | HUB International Surety Bonds Brokerage |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Gallagher places commercial surety bonds as a three-party arrangement between the client (principal), the party requiring the bond (obligee) and a surety company; Gallagher brokers the bond rather than acting as the surety itself. 6Company-reported. Group-level commercial surety practice page. | HUB brokers surety bonds, acting as an intermediary between the contractor buying the bond (principal), the party requiring it (obligee) and the insurance company guaranteeing performance (surety), rather than acting as the surety itself. 10Company-reported. Surety bonds product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| Issuing Insurer | The commercial surety page describes relationships with "leadership at all major surety companies" but does not name the specific surety that would issue a given client's bond. 6Not publicly disclosed. Checked the group-level commercial surety practice page. | The surety bonds page does not name a specific surety company; HUB places bonds with sureties that vary by client and bond type. 10Not found in reviewed sources. Checked the surety bonds page on 2026-09-23; no surety company is disclosed there. |
| Who It’s For | Gallagher says it serves commercial surety clients across healthcare, financial services, public utilities, and private and public companies, for both domestic and international projects, and separately lists surety bond programs as a recommended coverage for small IT and technology businesses. 6,2Company-reported. Group-level commercial surety practice page and the small-business technology-services page. | HUB underwrites bond eligibility around what it calls the three C's: character (credit record and business integrity), capacity (skills, experience, equipment and facilities), and capital (financial strength for project costs), and says a surety specialist guides applicants through the required documentation. 10Company-reported. Product-page underwriting-criteria description; the surety, not HUB, makes the final bonding decision. |
| Coverage Features | Gallagher says it places license and permit bonds, court bonds, public official bonds and customs bonds under its commercial surety practice, distinct from contract (construction) surety bonds, which it treats as a separate related product. 6Company-reported. Group-level commercial surety practice page; a service-menu description, not a specific bond's terms. | HUB describes contract surety bonds it arranges as including bid bonds that secure a bid submission, performance bonds that guarantee a project is completed per contract, and payment bonds that guarantee subcontractors, laborers and suppliers are paid, plus other bond types such as wage, warranty, maintenance and lien-release bonds. 10Company-reported. Product-page bond-type descriptions; the issued bond and its terms control an actual claim. HUB also arranges commercial surety bonds, which it says are primarily required by government entities, financial institutions and private corporations to guard against fraud, theft or illegal conduct. 10Company-reported. Product-page commercial-surety description. |
| Limits and Retentions | The commercial surety page does not publish standard bond amounts, premium rates or collateral requirements; these vary by bond type and client. 6Not publicly disclosed. Checked the group-level commercial surety practice page. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Risk Services | Gallagher says its surety team can help replace letters of credit with bonds, work with a client's existing surety program, and facilitate collateral release, citing a case where it placed commercial surety bonds in place of letters of credit to support $60 million in power-purchase obligations for an energy-company client. 6Company-reported. Group-level commercial surety practice page case study; a single company-reported example, not independently verified. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| How to Apply | Not described in the reviewed sources. | HUB says a surety specialist works with applicants on the documentation and underwriting process needed to obtain a bond, positioning the broker relationship as central to getting bonded. 10Company-reported. Product-page application description as read 2026-09-23. |
Full Comparison
More Gallagher vs HUB International Comparisons
Other Surety Bonds Comparisons
Sources
Gallagher
- Technology Insurance. Gallagher; Introduction; Solutions and coverages for the technology industry: Technology errors and omissions including cyber, Intellectual property insurance, Product liability, Employee benefits; Data-driven insights; global network. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Insurance for Technology & IT Businesses. Gallagher Small Business; Protection for IT Professionals & Their Technology-Based Businesses; recommended coverage menu, including Surety Bond Programs; Connect With An Advisor. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Executive and Financial Risk Insurance. Gallagher; Opening (insurance broking and placement); three key services; Directors and Officers; IPO and direct listings; Employment Practices; Fiduciary; Employee Dishonesty (Crime) and Fidelity Bond; Kidnap, Ransom and Extortion; M&A Transactional Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Legal Information. Gallagher Small Business; Producer identification immediately above Quick Links. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Woodruff Sawyer Is Now Gallagher. Gallagher; Opening; Executive and Financial Risk consulting; Continued access to client portals; contact form. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Surety. Gallagher; Surety relationships that convert to future growth; Understanding commercial surety vs. contract surety bonds; Providing assurance that keeps business moving (License and permit bonds, Court bonds, Public official bonds, Customs bonds); The Gallagher Difference case study; Commercial Surety and Bonds Summary. Accessed 2026-09-23.
HUB International
- About Us. HUB International; Opening description; 1998 formation of HUB International Limited; 2022 Insureon acquisition; headquarters and employee/office counts. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Contact Us. HUB International; Business Solutions paths for Commercial Insurance Solutions versus Small Commercial Insurance Solutions via Insureon; office search. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Insurance for Technology Companies. HUB International; Technology Company Insurance & Risk Management: startup, software, hardware and digital-media introduction; Business Coverage and People Protection lists; technology-client count. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses. HUB International; What is a surety bond?; three-party structure (principal, obligee, surety); Types of surety bonds: bid, performance, payment and other contract surety bonds; Commercial Surety section; Three C's of underwriting: Character, Capacity, Capital; What Do You Need to Get a Surety Bond? Accessed 2026-09-23.
Surety Bonds Guide
- Glossary of Insurance Terms. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Surety Bond; Fidelity. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Surety bonds. U.S. Small Business Administration; Opening guarantee of work completion; Contract or commercial bonds; Bid, Payment, Performance, Ancillary; Eligibility > credit, capacity, and character. Accessed 2026-09-16.
