Heffernan Insurance Brokers vs Simply Business

Heffernan is a broker that shops insurers, presents options and arranges coverage; the policy’s insurer, not Heffernan, issues it and handles covered claims. ^6,9,5,1Company-reported. Company-described broking role. Do not infer underwriting authority for all products from the marine-cargo program’s in-house authority language.

Confirm the exact producer on your agreement and policy: Heffernan’s pages use that business name and display California license 0564249 but no longer corporate suffix. ^1,24,2Company-reported. Brand and license-number display only. Not independent license verification or a complete legal-entity chart.

Heffernan describes itself as employee-owned and independent since 1988; a 2019 investor release described a minority investment, but current ownership percentages are not public. ^1,2,25Company-reported. Company and investor announcements. Not a current cap-table verification.

If you need California technology insurance, verify which related Heffernan entity will serve as producer; its network, London, and benefits entities do not identify the entity for your policy. ^21,22,11,3Company-reported. Official related-entity descriptions. Costero’s FCA status and Heffernan’s exact current ownership of Costero were not independently verified.

Simply Business describes its U.S. service as an online commercial-insurance marketplace and licensed producer connecting business customers with insurers. Its June 30, 2026 Terms identify Simply Business, LLC and Harborway Insurance Agency, LLC d/b/a Harborway Insurance as licensed producers, with Harborway a Simply Business subsidiary; the Terms say Harborway policies are underwritten by Spinnaker Insurance Company. Other site policies are underwritten by third-party providers, so the selected issuer depends on the offer and policy. These roles and license statements are company-reported. The contact-page footer says Simply Business, LLC is licensed in all U.S. states and D.C.; for California it says the company operates under the name Simply Business Insurance Agency, LLC and displays License #0M20593. The footer also lists Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas operating names; it gives no other license identifiers. No regulator lookup was performed or required for this candidate. ^27,28,40,29Company-reported. U.S. commercial insurance distribution described by the company. Simply Business, LLC, Simply Business, Inc., Harborway Insurance Agency, LLC, the stated parent and each policy issuer are distinct. The Inc./LLC relationship remains unresolved.

You can start with an inquiry form asking for contact details, insurance needs and an operations description; the form was not submitted, so quote results and binding steps were not established. ¹²Verified. Chrome inspection of the unsubmitted Contact Form 7 on heffins.com/contact-us/. No fields completed and no submission. Downstream underwriting and post-submission behavior not tested. The wording was checked against the stored inspection record on 24 September 2026; the website was not revisited.

Technology buyers work with a specialist broker who gathers insurer quotes and helps choose coverage; Heffernan does not promise a universal quote or binding time for growth-stage programs. Quick Insure is a separate path for selected personal and short-term business products. ^7,9,13,12Company-reported. Service descriptions. Technology-page FAQ “how do I get” language is educational process copy, not a measured SLA.

The company advertises online quotes and weekday phone access to licensed agents. Its Terms say a quote is not guaranteed and Simply Business cannot bind a risk without panel-member approval; a quote or online purchase path does not establish that every applicant can bind online. ^29,28Company-reported. Published U.S. quote and service channels. Binding depends on panel-member approval and the individual offer.

Heffernan says clients receive claims, loss-control, HR and risk-management support, with digital access to documents and certificates; confirm which tools and services your engagement includes. ^6,23,10Company-reported. Official feature descriptions only; no authenticated client account or measured service levels.

Simply Business lists licensed-agent phone support Monday through Friday: sales 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern Time and service 9 a.m.–6 p.m. These listed hours do not establish a response-time guarantee. ²⁹Company-reported. Hours displayed on the current U.S. contact page; no actual wait-time observation is implied.

The company describes account access for policy documents, certificates, account updates and adding coverage; help material routes some changes to an agent or insurer. Not every policy change is described as self-service. ^29,30,28Company-reported. Company-described post-purchase service paths; available tasks may depend on policy and insurer.

The Help Center FAQ says most customers opt into automatic renewal and gives 60-day notice and 30-day processing timing only for those who opt in. The same Help Center summary and June 30, 2026 Terms use broader automatic-renewal wording without the FAQ’s opt-in qualification. The public descriptions conflict; they do not establish which wording applies to every policy. ^30,28Conflicting sources. Company-published descriptions reviewed 2026-09-29. FAQ detail, Help Center summary and Terms are inconsistent; no buyer-specific policy notice was reviewed.

Heffernan describes claims consulting from intake through resolution, including carrier liaison and medical triage; its marine-cargo program separately claims authority to adjust, settle and pay. These are service claims, not a promise that your loss is covered. ^10,16Company-reported. Company descriptions of advocacy and a specialty cargo claims unit. Speed, “$1 billion managed,” and “up to 75% faster” figures are not adopted as verified performance.

The Terms say third-party insurers underwrite site policies and each provider handles claims on its own policies; the Help Center directs policyholders to identify and contact the insurer. This establishes a published route, not agency assistance after notice or claim outcomes. ^28,30Company-reported. General site-policy claim responsibility. Harborway/Spinnaker applies only to the named Harborway placement relationship.

Technology companies in mid-to-late stages, including venture-funded and pre-IPO firms, can work with Heffernan’s specialty practice; its small-business team serves sole proprietors through fast-growing firms. ^1,7,8,2Company-reported. Current official positioning. Not a minimum-size, funding-stage, or eligibility determination for any applicant.

Simply Business says it serves small businesses and solopreneurs and lists examples such as contractors, cleaning businesses, LLCs and sole proprietors. These examples describe its stated audience, not guaranteed insurer eligibility or availability. ^27,32,28Company-reported. Company-described U.S. audience; eligibility varies by insurer, state and business details.

Request the account-specific commissions, fees, contingent compensation and separately billed services because reviewed pages do not publish a standard fee schedule; lack of a published schedule does not mean the work is free. ^{1,6,7,12,5,13}Not found in reviewed sources. Public commercial pricing search on 16 September 2026. Educational FAQ dollar ranges and Irish Heffernan.ie commission PDFs are out of scope and were not used.

The Terms say Simply Business receives commission or other compensation from or through panel members and that customers may also incur separate processing, administrative, service, installment or cancellation fees. They give no amount or placement-specific applicability; the Terms say charges are disclosed before purchase. ²⁸Company-reported. General disclosure dated 2026-06-30; no specific commission, fee schedule, premium or customer charge was reviewed.