What Is Aon?
Aon’s U.S. Commercial Risk terms describe brokerage for certain insurance programs, while its Middle Market page describes a dedicated practice for mid-sized organizations across North America. The public materials reviewed do not identify the licensed producer or insurer for a particular placement. Ask which entity will produce each line and which insurer will issue the policy; request jurisdiction details for the proposed placement and ask how compensation and claim notice work for your account. 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 Fiduciary Liability Insurance?
Fiduciary liability can protect your company and plan fiduciaries when participants claim mishandling of an employee benefit plan. If you sponsor a retirement or health plan, check who is insured and whether both administration errors and fiduciary-breach claims are addressed. 8,9,10
Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Placement and Plan Fit
Cowbell distributes fiduciary coverage as a Zurich Select Plus module for private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets. Access is through appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers using the platform API; Aon describes fiduciary placement for professional-service firms without employee or asset thresholds. Buyers should check Cowbell’s size limits and whether their wholesaler can access the product before comparing it with Aon’s proposed market. 3 7
Coverage Terms and Service
Cowbell says Zurich underwrites the module and describes claims involving breaches of duties around employee benefit plans such as 401(k) or health plans. Aon lists fiduciary in its practice portfolio but does not publish covered duties, plan definitions, or issuing carrier. For both routes, the policy wording establishes which plans and fiduciaries qualify; ask for it with the quote. 3 7
What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability 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.
Aon
Review Score
3 rated sources
Public ratings for Aon are low: Trustpilot shows 1.2 out of 5 from 782 reviews, and BBB shows 1.6 from five. Aon is a global firm, so those pages mostly reflect other parts of the business, not large U.S. commercial accounts.[4][6][7]
Read Aon 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
Aon vs Cowbell: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Aon Fiduciary Liability brokerage and risk-advisory offering | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Fiduciary Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Aon presents Fiduciary Liability as a line its Professional Services Practice helps arrange or advise on for professional-service firms. Aon is describing a global brokerage and advisory service, not issuing the underlying policy. The producing legal entity and carrier for any particular placement are not named on this page. 3Company-reported. Aon’s global professional-services practice page. This establishes a marketed brokerage/advisory offering, not policy issuance or account-specific placement. | Fiduciary liability 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 'Fiduciary Liability' 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 | The reviewed practice page does not name the insurer or producing legal entity for a specific placement. Ask for both on the quote and binder. 3Not found in reviewed sources. Aon’s global practice page as reviewed 2026-09-30; no state-specific placement schedule or buyer quote was reviewed. This does not establish that Aon cannot arrange a placement. | Cowbell and Zurich both say the Select Plus modules, including fiduciary liability, 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 | Aon identifies law, accounting and consulting firms as the audience for its global Professional Services Practice. That audience scope does not establish eligibility for every firm or other business. 3Company-reported. Audience described for Aon’s global professional-services practice. It does not establish U.S. state availability or underwriting eligibility for a placement. | Cowbell targets this fiduciary 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, such as manufacturing and technology. 7Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. |
| Coverage Features | Aon lists Fiduciary coverage within the professional-services practice’s property-and-casualty coverages. The page does not describe covered fiduciary acts, plans, exclusions or policy terms. 3Company-reported. Aon’s marketing description of the brokerage/coverage area. The page is not the insurer’s policy form and does not establish an insured's entitlement to coverage. | Cowbell describes fiduciary liability as protecting against claims arising from breaches of fiduciary duties related to employee benefit plans, such as a company's 401(k) or health plan. 7Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. |
| Limits and Retentions | The reviewed page does not state a buyer-specific limit, retention, deductible or other placement terms. Confirm these in the quote, bond or issued policy. 3Not publicly disclosed. Aon’s global practice page as reviewed 2026-09-30; no quote, bond form or issued policy was reviewed. | Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes fiduciary-liability limit or retention amounts. 7,6Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| Risk Services | Aon says its professional-services advisors use industry knowledge, insights, data and tools to support risk-management and human-capital decisions. This is a company-described advisory service, not a claim outcome or policy benefit. 3Company-reported. Company-reported advisory services on Aon’s global practice page; account-specific service scope is not stated. | Both Cowbell and Zurich describe the Select Plus product generally as backed by 'the reputable Zurich Claims service'; neither reviewed page describes a fiduciary-specific service such as plan-compliance consulting. 7,6Not publicly disclosed. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | This fiduciary 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 Aon vs Cowbell Comparisons
Other Fiduciary Liability Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Aon
- Commercial Risk Solutions U.S. Brokerage Terms of Service. Aon; Lines 120–127: certain-program broker-of-record scope, consultation, application assistance, client signature and bind instruction, and account administration; lines 140–147: variable and contingent compensation, potential placement incentive, and client request route; lines 206–213: no price guarantee and surplus-lines limitations; lines 229–231: client insurer-notice duty unless separately agreed. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Middle Market Clients. Aon; Lines 125–132: mid-sized organizations and middle-market framing; lines 165–173: dedicated practice and North America statement; lines 188–224: Commercial Risk capabilities. No numeric company-size cutoff or U.S.-only eligibility rule is stated on the reviewed page. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Professional Services Practice. Aon; Named professional-services audiences and global advisory role, lines 125–128; line offerings and explanations lines 131–190; contact link lines 120–122. Global practice page; no U.S. state or account-specific placement schedule. 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 'Fiduciary 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?' (Fiduciary Liability definition); Target industries list; FAQ on access and account size. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Fiduciary Liability Insurance Guide
- Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2008-04: Guidance Regarding ERISA Fidelity Bonding Requirements. U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; Q2 pp.2–3. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Fiduciary Liability. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; II.D,J–L pp.2–3; II.A p.1; II.V p.5; Header p.1; II.M p.3; I p.1; III.A.6–8 pp.5–6; II.M.2 p.3; III.B.1 p.6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Travelers; What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance? Accessed 2026-09-16.
