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 Directors and Officers Insurance?
D&O insurance can help pay covered defense costs and losses from claims against company leaders over management decisions. If your organization has a board or executives, check whether the company itself is insured and whether legal bills reduce the limit. 8,9,10
Key Differences in D&O Insurance
Eligibility and distribution route
AIG offers D&O standalone or modularly with other management-liability coverages and links to its applications. Cowbell’s Private Company D&O is a module within Zurich’s Select Plus product, targeted at companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets in sectors such as technology, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, and retail. Cowbell says access runs through appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers using its platform API, not directly to businesses. That makes the wholesaler relationship and size screen central for Cowbell buyers, while AIG’s published route is broader and application-led. 3 7
Risk bearer and protection described
AIG describes protection for executive and governance exposures but its summary does not name a specific form issuer. Cowbell says Zurich underwrites the module on admitted paper and describes protection for directors’ and officers’ personal assets and the company’s financial assets against wrongful-act claims, including legal fees and settlements. Zurich’s exact issuing entity is not stated for this module, so buyers should verify it in the quote. Ask both providers how the policy defines insured persons and wrongful acts before comparing limits. 3 7
What to Confirm in D&O 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: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | AIG Directors & Officers Liability | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Private Company D&O |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | AIG offers D&O standalone or modular with other management-liability coverages. 3Company-reported. AIG management-liability portfolio. Claim limitation: Combination availability can vary by account and jurisdiction. Section limitation: Company marketing does not substitute for the issued policy, state-specific forms or entity-level confirmation. | Private Company D&O is one module within Cowbell's distribution of Zurich's Select Plus management liability product; Cowbell gives Zurich-appointed E&S wholesalers platform access, and Zurich underwrites the module. Zurich's own page labels this module 'Private Management and Company Liability' rather than plain 'D&O.' 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 D&O, are offered 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 D&O module. 7,6Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer. |
| Who It’s For | Confirm in your quote. | Cowbell targets this D&O module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, in industries such as technology, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, and retail. 7Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. |
| Coverage Features | AIG describes D&O protection for executive and corporate-governance exposures. 3Company-reported. AIG management liability product page. Claim limitation: Policy terms and coverage triggers control; no policy form reviewed here. Section limitation: Company marketing does not substitute for the issued policy, state-specific forms or entity-level confirmation. | Cowbell describes D&O liability as protecting the personal assets of directors and officers and the company's financial assets against claims alleging wrongful acts in their capacity as directors and officers. 7Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. |
| Limits and Retentions | Confirm in your quote. | Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes D&O limit or retention amounts. 7,6Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| Risk Services | Confirm in your quote. | Cowbell frames D&O coverage as a way to help attract and retain directors and officers by giving them personal-asset protection, and says the product covers legal fees, settlements, and other defense costs for the company and its management. 7Company-reported. FAQ 'Why does my company need management liability coverage?'. |
| How to Apply | AIG links to application forms for its Management and Professional Liability products and provides contact information for its national product and distribution teams. 3Company-reported. The Forms and Applications and national product/distribution contact sections on AIG’s US D&O product page. Claim limitation: The page supports form access and team contact information. It does not establish that application or placement must be routed through a broker, whether buyers or brokers submit a form, or any online quote/bind path. Section limitation: Company marketing does not substitute for the issued policy, state-specific forms or entity-level confirmation. | This D&O 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 D&O 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.
- Directors & Officers (D&O) Liability Insurance | AIG US. AIG US; D&O product overview; modular coverage; Forms and Applications; Brokers: Meet Your AIG Team, lines 311–320. Accessed 2026-09-28.
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 'Private Management and Company Liability'; 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?' (D&O definition); FAQ 'Why does my company need management liability coverage?' (Protection for Directors and Officers, Legal Expense Coverage, Attracting and Retaining Talent bullets); Target industries list. Accessed 2026-09-23.
D&O Insurance Guide
- Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- The Chubb Primary Directors & Officers and Entity Securities Liability Insurance. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; hosted by eperils; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; I and III.A–B pp.1–2; VI Reporting pp.3–4. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; Header p.1 and VI.A pp.6–7. Accessed 2026-09-16.
