At-Bay vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers: How Do They Compare for Business Insurance?

Software companies seeking cyber and technology liability can consider At-Bay; businesses needing wider risk-financing advice or alternative-risk arrangements can approach Heffernan.

An Overview of At-Bay and Heffernan Insurance Brokers

A business facing a ransomware exposure can compare At-Bay’s specialist cyber and technology liability with Heffernan’s broader brokerage and alternative-risk options; the first is a policy decision, the second may change how much risk the company retains. 2 19 20 Choose At-Bay if cyber and technology liability with security services address the risk; choose Heffernan if you need advice on captives, large deductibles or retained risk.

What Stands Out About At-Bay and Heffernan Insurance Brokers?

At-Bay at a Glance

  • Combine technology E&O and cyber protection in one policy. 2Company-reportedProduct highlights, not an issued policy or universal contract coverage.
  • Eligible policyholders get monitoring, training and cyber-advisor access; managed detection and response costs extra. 7Company-reportedCurrent service descriptions and footnotes; no claims of effectiveness or independent testing.

Heffernan Insurance Brokers at a Glance

  • Heffernan’s technology team targets mid- and late-stage firms, including venture-funded and pre-IPO companies. 14,20,21,15Company-reportedCurrent official positioning. Not a minimum-size, funding-stage, or eligibility determination for any applicant.
  • Heffernan offers claims consulting, including help coordinating workers’ compensation carriers and medical triage. 23,29Company-reportedCompany 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.

At-Bay vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Coverage Lines Compared

CoverageAt-BayHeffernan Insurance Brokers
Builders riskNot listedListed 28Heffernan arranges builders risk.
Business owner’s policyNot listedListed 21Heffernan arranges business owner’s policies for small businesses.
Cargo and transitNot listedListed 29,30Heffernan arranges marine cargo insurance for freight, import and export businesses.
Commercial autoNot listedListed 19Heffernan arranges commercial auto insurance.
Commercial propertyNot listedListed 19Heffernan arranges commercial property insurance.
CrimeNot listedListed 32Heffernan arranges crime insurance.
Cyber liabilityListed 3At-Bay offers primary and excess cyber insurance for businesses with revenue up to $5 billion.Listed 19,22,21Heffernan arranges cyber insurance.
Directors and officersNot listedListed 19Heffernan arranges directors and officers liability.
Employee health and benefitsNot listedListed 24Heffernan advises employers on group health, dental and vision benefits.
Employment practices liabilityNot listedListed 19Heffernan arranges employment practices liability.
Fidelity bondsNot listedListed 32Heffernan arranges employee dishonesty bonds.
Fiduciary liabilityNot listedListed 19Heffernan arranges fiduciary liability.
General liabilityNot listedListed 19,21Heffernan arranges general liability insurance.
Hired and non-owned autoNot listedListed 32Heffernan arranges hired and non-owned auto liability.
Kidnap and ransomNot listedListed 19Heffernan arranges kidnap and ransom insurance.
Last-mile deliveryNot listedListed 30Heffernan arranges insurance for final-mile delivery businesses.
Management liabilityNot listedListed 30Heffernan arranges management liability insurance.
Medical malpracticeNot listedListed 31Heffernan arranges medical malpractice insurance.
Professional errors and omissions (E&O)Listed 4At-Bay offers primary miscellaneous professional liability insurance.Listed 21Heffernan arranges professional errors and omissions insurance for small businesses.
Representations and warrantiesNot listedListed 33Heffernan arranges representations and warranties insurance.
Surety bondsNot listedListed 29,26Heffernan arranges surety bonds, including through a linked online bond portal.
Technology errors and omissions (E&O)Listed 2At-Bay offers primary and excess technology errors and omissions insurance for businesses with revenue up to $5 billion.Not listed
TruckingNot listedListed 30Heffernan arranges insurance for trucking and logistics businesses.
Umbrella and excess liabilityNot listedListed 30Heffernan arranges excess and umbrella insurance.
Workers’ compensationNot listedListed 19,21Heffernan arranges workers’ compensation insurance.

A listing may be arranged through an insurer or partner. “Not listed” means this catalogue has no separate offering recorded; ask the provider whether it can quote the coverage and request the policy terms.

At-Bay and Heffernan Insurance Brokers Coverage, Line by Line

Open what At-Bay and Heffernan Insurance Brokers each document for one coverage line.

At-Bay and Heffernan Insurance Brokers Reliability Scores

Each score uses the rubric for that provider’s documented role. Providers with more than one role may have a score for each.

At-Bay and Heffernan Insurance Brokers Review Scores for 2026

These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.

At-Bay Review Score

9.5/ 10

Review Score

2 rated sources

At-Bay’s public review evidence is thin: one old G2 review and a BBB complaint record. It is not enough to judge day-to-day service or claims handling.

Read At-Bay reviews

Heffernan Insurance Brokers Review Score

5.2/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Heffernan’s available review sample is small and local, with a low Google rating for one office. Check the team that would actually serve your business.

Read Heffernan Insurance Brokers reviews

Key Differences Between At-Bay and Heffernan

Retaining Risk Requires a Different Engagement

Heffernan’s alternative-risk descriptions include self-insured and captive approaches for suitable businesses. Those are not automatic options for every startup or substitutes for an offered cyber form. Ask the adviser to explain the eligibility, retained exposure and service requirements before comparing such a structure with a conventional specialist policy. 19 1

Identify the Appropriate Service Channel

Heffernan’s technology materials emphasize mid- and later-stage companies, while its small-business division is a separate route. A bootstrapped team should confirm which team will handle it and what services are included. At-Bay’s technology underwriting and broker platform introduce a different set of product-level eligibility and submission questions. 20 21 2 6

Claims Consulting Is Broader Than Cyber Incident Response

Heffernan describes claims consulting across workplace and other business losses, including carrier liaison and medical triage for workers’ compensation. At-Bay describes cyber incident coordination. These are different service scopes, not evidence of superior claims payment. Agree on who will handle an incident involving both operational injury and a technology failure. 23 8

What Should You Confirm in At-Bay and Heffernan Insurance Brokers Quotes?

Ask for the actual technology form, proposed insurers, California acceptance and a service agreement separating placement, loss control and claims work. Heffernan’s reviewed public materials do not establish a standard commercial fee schedule or named technology panel; obtain both for the account. 20 25 22

At-Bay vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Services Compared

What each provider documents about the services you may need

CriteriaAt-BayHeffernan Insurance Brokers
Business role

At-Bay offers cyber, technology E&O and miscellaneous professional liability, with coverage described as underwritten by non-admitted insurers. At-Bay Insurance Services LLC is its disclosed property-and-casualty agency and surplus-lines broker. 1,5Company-reportedUS brand and disclosed producer; company statements, not regulatory verification.

Heffernan is a broker that shops insurers, presents options and arranges coverage; the policy’s insurer, not Heffernan, issues it and handles covered claims. 19,22,18,14Company-reportedCompany-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. 14,37,15Company-reportedBrand 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. 14,15,38Company-reportedCompany 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. 34,35,24,16Company-reportedOfficial related-entity descriptions. Costero’s FCA status and Heffernan’s exact current ownership of Costero were not independently verified.

Customer focus

Large technology companies may fit At-Bay’s published Tech E&O appetite, but the quote route matters: its product page lists up to $5 billion revenue and $10 million limits, while its broker platform lists $100 million and $3 million. These are ceilings, not guaranteed offers. 2Company-reportedCurrent product-page appetite; no inference of pre-revenue, industry-specific or California eligibility.

A September 2023 Tech E&O appetite PDF still accessible on At-Bay’s site has lower revenue and limit ceilings than the current product page and lists restricted classes including autonomous AI. It should not be treated as current eligibility guidance; ask underwriting for the applicable appetite version. 12,2Company-reportedLegacy document has inconsistent autoquote revenue figures internally. Current HTML controls description of advertised ceilings, but current class eligibility remains unresolved.

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. 14,20,21,15Company-reportedCurrent official positioning. Not a minimum-size, funding-stage, or eligibility determination for any applicant.

Servicing and renewals

Eligible policies may include Stance monitoring, fraud defense, employee training and cyber-advisor access, but the Embedded Security Fee and endorsement apply; MDR is a separate purchase from At-Bay Security, LLC. 7Company-reportedCurrent service descriptions and footnotes; no claims of effectiveness or independent testing.

You can buy optional MDR for endpoint and email protection, or MXDR for endpoint, email, identity and cloud; At-Bay says these can be bought beyond policyholders too. Confirm service eligibility and any conditional coverage enhancements or premium credits. 7Company-reportedSecurity services, not additional insurance coverage lines; comparable approved solutions may also qualify.

Avoid an unwanted automatic renewal by confirming your dashboard route and deadlines: At-Bay describes rapid and manual renewals, and says rapid renewals bind automatically 15 days before expiry. 6Company-reportedCompany-described workflow; no promise of unchanged renewal price or terms.

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. 19,36,23Company-reportedOfficial feature descriptions only; no authenticated client account or measured service levels.

Claims assistance

After a cyber incident, At-Bay describes an in-house claims team, breach coach, response partners and incident-reporting routes; this documents its stated process, not claim payment or service quality. 8,9Company-reportedCyber incident process; confirm policy-specific notice obligations and consent requirements, including non-cyber E&O claims.

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. 23,29Company-reportedCompany 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.

Sources

39 documents, numbered as cited.

Updated . 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. To suggest a correction, email The General Average with the page URL and supporting source.

Comparisons Related to At-Bay vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers

  • At-Bay publishes cyber, technology E&O and professional-liability routes with security services; AIG lists broader commercial products and broker tools.

  • Heffernan is a specialist broker with technology and small-business practices; AIG is an insurer group with producer-facing policy tools.

  • At-Bay's technology E&O discusses service-credit claims and separate Stance security services; Alliance Risk reviews technology contracts and existing coverage.

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