AIG vs 
Cowbell: How Do They Compare for Crime Insurance?
What Is AIG?
AIG is the marketing name for American International Group, Inc.; AIG says its insurance products are written or provided by subsidiaries or affiliates. Its U.S. business pages list commercial casualty, property, cyber, management and professional liability, and specialty programs, but a brand-level page does not identify the insurer for a particular policy. 1,2
What Is Cowbell Insurance?
Cowbell suits small and midsize businesses seeking cyber options by company size, with technology E&O and Zurich management-liability options also available; firms needing broad commercial coverage should compare a full-service broker. Some security services cost extra. 4,5,6
What Is Crime Insurance?
Crime insurance can help reimburse specified business losses from theft and fraud, including employee theft and forgery. Compare those protections separately and ask whether a payment sent after an impersonation scam is covered. 8,9,10,11,12
Key Differences in Crime Insurance
A standalone crime offering or a module
AIG markets crime as a risk-bearing product for commercial and governmental entities. Cowbell's crime coverage sits inside Zurich Select Plus, a management-liability product whose modules can be combined; this matters if you want crime alongside other management-liability protections. Ask which modules appear together on the proposed quote. 3 7
Who can access the placement
AIG describes commercial and government entities as its audience. Cowbell specifies private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets, and says appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers access the module through its API. A business outside those stated size limits should ask AIG about underwriting appetite and Cowbell's wholesaler about eligibility. 3 7 7
What to Confirm in Crime Insurance Quotes
Review Scores
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.
AIG
Review Score
2 rated sources
Customer ratings for AIG are low: Trustpilot shows 1.9 out of 5 from 252 reviews, and NerdWallet gives 2.5 stars and notes more claims complaints than expected. These pages cover many AIG products and countries, so they only loosely describe business insurance.[1][2]
Read AIG reviewsCowbell
Review Score
1 rated source
Cowbell has one public rating we could find: 1.0 out of 5 on SourceForge from three reviews in 2023. That's too few and too old to say much.[8]
Read Cowbell reviewsOffering Details
AIG vs Cowbell: Crime Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | AIG Crime Insurance | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Crime Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | AIG markets crime insurance as a risk-bearing insurance product for commercial and governmental entities, separate from its financial-institution bond offering. The policy issuer is not named for a particular buyer. 3Company-reported. Role in this product is limited to the description on the linked AIG source. | Crime coverage is one module within Cowbell's distribution of Zurich's Select Plus management liability product; Cowbell operates the platform, Zurich underwrites the module. Zurich's own page lists 'Crime Insurance' as one of the four modules a buyer can combine. 7,6Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | Cowbell and Zurich both say the Select Plus modules, including crime, are written on Zurich admitted paper. Zurich's site footer names 'Zurich American Insurance Company' in its copyright notice, but neither page states that entity is the specific policy issuer for this module. 7,6Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer. |
| Who It’s For | AIG says its crime insurance is available for commercial and governmental entities. Financial-institution bonds are described separately for banks, non-bank lenders, asset managers and insurance companies. 3Company-reported. Audience is the segment AIG names on the linked source; this is not an underwriting decision, quote or guarantee of availability. | Cowbell targets this crime module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, across the same target industries listed for the broader Select Plus product. 7Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. |
| Coverage Features | AIG describes potential crime coverage for loss of money, securities and other assets from dishonesty, theft or fraud, including computer fraud. AIG links a CrimeGuard Choice sample policy; actual terms and state availability vary. 3Company-reported. AIG’s public product description is not the policy. Actual entitlement depends on the applicable issued form, endorsements and declarations. | Cowbell describes crime coverage as protecting against losses resulting from criminal acts such as theft, fraud, and embezzlement committed by employees or third parties. 7Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. |
| Limits and Retentions | The reviewed page and linked product overview do not state a standard buyer-specific limit, retention or deductible. Confirm those in the quote and issued policy. 3Not publicly disclosed. This statement reports only what the linked public source discloses and does not substitute for a quote or issued policy. | Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes crime-coverage limit or retention amounts. 7,6Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| Risk Services | AIG identifies a dedicated underwriting team and experienced claims professionals for its Crime and Fidelity business. The page does not promise claim outcomes or specify account-level service terms. 3Company-reported. The linked page describes company-reported support; specific account services and third-party arrangements must be confirmed. | Neither reviewed page describes crime-specific risk-control services such as employee-dishonesty prevention programs; both describe the Select Plus product's claims backing only at the whole-product level. 7,6Not publicly disclosed. Management liability page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | This crime module is accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through the Cowbell platform's API; it is not sold directly to businesses. 7Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'. |
Full Comparison
More AIG vs Cowbell Comparisons
Other Crime Insurance Comparisons
Sources
AIG
- Investor Relations. American International Group, Inc. (AIG); About AIG and legal footer; lines 244–246 and 327–331. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Business. AIG US; Surplus Lines heading and paragraph, lines 357–359. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Crime and Fidelity Insurance. AIG; Official AIG page, lines 242–270 and 353–354: crime-loss examples, commercial/government entity audience, CrimeGuard Choice sample policy/application, and policy/state availability caveat. Accessed 2026-09-30.
Cowbell
- Cowbell. Cowbell; What We Do; Assess, Insure, Respond and Improve; U.S. navigation; footer legal disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Prime Tech Product Overview. Cowbell; PDF pp. 1–4: non-admitted combined Technology E&O and cyber for technology businesses up to $1 billion; up to $5 million; surplus lines in 50 states; edition PRIME TECH US0001 1025. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus. Zurich North America; Intro on the Zurich/Cowbell collaboration; module name 'Crime Insurance'; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' (identical to Cowbell's page); Targeted industries list; footer copyright. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises. Cowbell; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' (Crime Coverage definition); Target industries list; FAQ on access and account size. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Crime Insurance Guide
- Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Crime. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Crime Non-Financial Applications and Forms. Travelers; Opening paragraph; Sample Policy Forms. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Crime Terms and Conditions. The Travelers Companies, Inc.; I.A–G, printed/PDF pages 1–4; III.RR, printed/PDF p.13; V.B.1–2, printed/PDF pp.18–20; Consideration, printed/PDF p.1; III.P p.8; V.A.3 pp.16–17; V.A.4 p.17; V.B.3 p.20; I.A.3 p.1; III.C p.7; III.S pp.8–9; III.II and III.KK p.12; III.QQ p.13; V.A.5 pp.17–18 (printed/PDF pages); IV.J–O, printed/PDF pages 14–15. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Commercial Crime Coverage Application. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I–III pages 1–2; IX–XI pages 3–4; V–VII, printed/PDF pages 2–3. Accessed 2026-09-16.
