---
title: "Beazley vs Cowbell Crime Insurance"
description: "Beazley underwrites Commercial Crime directly; Cowbell distributes Zurich Select Plus crime only through appointed E&S wholesalers on Zurich admitted paper."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/crime"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

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[Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/crime)

# Beazley vs Cowbell Crime Insurance

Beazley underwrites Commercial Crime directly; Cowbell distributes Zurich Select Plus crime only through appointed E&S wholesalers on Zurich admitted paper.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate Beazley and Cowbell for Crime Insurance against the same documented criteria. It identifies differences and questions to confirm; it does not select a winner for a particular business. Offering claims are what each provider publishes about this line unless marked otherwise. “Not found” describes the evidence reviewed, not proof that a feature is unavailable. Confirm the insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and cost in an actual quote.

## Summary

Beazley underwrites Commercial Crime for ordinary commercial companies with advertised limits up to US $25 million. Cowbell operates the platform for Zurich’s Select Plus crime module, written on Zurich admitted paper and accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through Cowbell’s API, aimed at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50 million in assets. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus")

## What Is Beazley?

Beazley is a specialty insurance group whose MediaTech product combines technology and professional E&O, media and cyber coverage. Separate offerings address executive liability, digital health and other specialty risks. [1](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/small-business-solutions-usa/mediatech-for-small-businesses/ "MediaTech for Small Businesses") [2](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/legal-information-en/ "Legal Information") [3](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary "Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)") [4](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/healthcare-usa/virtual-care "Virtual Care")

[Beazley profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/beazley)

## What Is Cowbell Insurance?

Cowbell is a specialty-insurance platform and agency focused on cyber risk for small and midsize businesses. Its U.S. catalogue also includes combined Technology E&O and cyber products and a Zurich management-liability offering distributed through appointed wholesalers. [6](https://cowbell.insure/ "Cowbell") [7](https://cowbell.insure/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/CB-US-PrimeTech-Overview-1.pdf "Prime Tech Product Overview") [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus")

[Cowbell profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/cowbell)

## What Is Crime Insurance?

Crime insurance addresses business losses from specified theft and fraud risks, such as robbery, forgery and embezzlement. [10](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm "Commercial Insurance Guide")

## Key Differences in Crime Insurance

### Direct Underwriter Versus Wholesaler API

Beazley underwrites Commercial Crime for commercial companies. Cowbell distributes Zurich’s Select Plus crime module: Zurich underwrites, and only appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers can access it through Cowbell’s API. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus")

### Size Caps and Limit Disclosure

Cowbell aims the module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50 million in assets. Beazley markets Commercial Crime to ordinary commercial companies, not financial institutions, without those caps. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity")

Beazley advertises limits of up to US $25,000,000. Cowbell’s reviewed Select Plus materials do not publish crime limits or retentions. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus")

### Paper and Coverage Description

Cowbell and Zurich say Select Plus crime is written on Zurich admitted paper. Beazley underwrites Commercial Crime on its own paper. [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity")

Cowbell describes theft, fraud and embezzlement by employees or third parties. Beazley includes fraudulent-instruction cover conditioned on out-of-band authentication and says underwriting and claims staff work side by side. Cowbell’s reviewed sources do not describe crime-specific risk-control services. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity")

## What to Confirm in Crime Insurance Quotes

- Confirm a named appointed Zurich E&S wholesaler if you are quoting Cowbell’s module. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises")

- Ask which Zurich entity issues Select Plus crime, and compare Beazley’s bound limit to the $25 million advertised maximum. [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity")

- Check Cowbell’s under-250-employee and under-$50-million-asset target against your figures. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises")

- Ask Beazley whether the Social Engineering application and out-of-band condition apply. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity")

## Offering Details

| Criteria | Beazley Commercial Crime | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Crime Coverage |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Role in This Line | Beazley underwrites Commercial Crime insurance for commercial companies. The same product page separately describes Financial Fidelity Bonds, a related but distinct product line for financial institutions. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Crime and Fidelity product page; distinguishes the commercial-company product from the financial-institution fidelity bond described on the same page..) | 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. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section..) |
| Issuing Insurer | Not described in the reviewed sources. | 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. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer..) |
| Who It’s For | Beazley markets Commercial Crime to ordinary commercial companies, not to banks or other financial institutions, which it addresses separately through Financial Fidelity Bonds. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page target-customer language; no industry list or size threshold is published..) | 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. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list..) |
| Coverage Features | Beazley says Commercial Crime protects an organization from loss of money and securities caused by theft by its own employees, plus third-party-related losses such as forgery or alteration, on-premises and in-transit loss, money-order and counterfeit-currency fraud, computer fraud, client-property loss, credit-card fraud and related expense coverage. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page description of insuring agreements; exclusions, conditions and available sub-limits appear only in the issued policy..)<br><br>Beazley says its Commercial Crime policy includes a fraudulent-instruction (social-engineering) insuring agreement covering losses from wire transfers made on instructions from someone posing as a vendor, client or authorized employee, and that this cover is conditioned on out-of-band authentication of payment instructions. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page description; Beazley says the out-of-band-authentication condition can be removed for insureds with documented controls and response plans, subject to an additional premium..) | Cowbell describes crime coverage as protecting against losses resulting from criminal acts such as theft, fraud, and embezzlement committed by employees or third parties. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'..) |
| Limits and Retentions | Beazley advertises Commercial Crime limits of up to US $25,000,000. The page does not publish retentions, sub-limits by insuring agreement, or a minimum limit. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page headline limit figure; the page does not split the figure between Commercial Crime and Financial Fidelity Bonds..) | Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes crime-coverage limit or retention amounts. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23..) |
| Risk Services | Beazley says its underwriting and claims professionals for this line work side by side so that, when a claim arises, the original underwriting intent of the policy is respected. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Company-stated internal process description; no independent claims-handling outcome data is provided..) | 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. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [8](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Management liability page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23..) |
| How to Apply | Beazley lists a standalone Crime application, a Massachusetts-specific Crime application and a separate Social Engineering application among its Tools & Resources, distinct from the Financial Fidelity Bond application forms on the same page. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Tools & Resources section of the product page; the page does not describe an online quote or self-service purchase flow..) | 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. [9](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'..) |
| Claims Support | The product page links to Beazley's general claim-notification channel for this line. It does not disclose a claims response-time commitment or a dedicated claims-handling process specific to Commercial Crime. [5](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime "Crime and Fidelity") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Product page "Notify a Claim" link as read on 2026-09-23; response times were not found..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |

## Full Comparison

- [Beazley vs Cowbell](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Is Crime Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/crime): Crime insurance can help recover business losses from specified theft and fraud, including employee theft, forgery and payment fraud.
- [Beazley vs Cowbell Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/cyber)
- [Beazley vs Cowbell D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs Cowbell Employment Practices Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/employment-practices)
- [Beazley vs Cowbell Fiduciary Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/fiduciary)
- [Beazley vs Cowbell Management Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/management-liability)
- [Beazley vs Cowbell Tech E&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/technology-errors-omissions)
- [Alliance Risk vs Beazley Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-beazley/crime)
- [Alliance Risk vs Cowbell Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-cowbell/crime)
- [Beazley vs CFC Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cfc/crime)
- [Beazley vs Chubb Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-chubb/crime)
- [Beazley vs Coalition Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-coalition/crime)
- [Beazley vs Corgi Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-corgi/crime)

## Sources

### Beazley

1. [MediaTech for Small Businesses](https://www.beazley.com/en-US/products/small-business-solutions-usa/mediatech-for-small-businesses/). Beazley; Opening product description; What we offer: E&O (Tech and Professional), Media, Cyber coverage includes; How can we help; SME placement paragraph; Tools & Resources. Accessed 2026-09-16.
2. [Legal Information](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/legal-information-en/). Beazley; Website conditions: US jurisdiction availability, surplus lines and policy wording disclaimers; Beazley plc identity. Accessed 2026-09-16.
3. [Execuguard (Combined EPL, D&O, and Fiduciary)](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/execuguard-combined-epl-do-and-fiduciary). Beazley; ExecuGuard product introduction: combined EPL, D&O and fiduciary coverage for private organizations; What we offer: separate or shared limits, admitted or non-admitted; How can we help. Accessed 2026-09-16.
4. [Virtual Care](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/healthcare-usa/virtual-care). Beazley; Available Coverages; Who we can help; Where is this offered. Accessed 2026-09-16.
5. [Crime and Fidelity](https://www.beazley.com/en-us/products/executive-risk-usa/fidelity-and-crime). Beazley; What we offer: Commercial Crime for commercial companies; fraudulent-instruction/social-engineering insuring agreement and out-of-band authentication condition; Limits up to US $25,000,000; How can we help; Tools & Resources application forms. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### Cowbell

6. [Cowbell](https://cowbell.insure/). Cowbell; What We Do; Assess, Insure, Respond and Improve; U.S. navigation; footer legal disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-15.
7. [Prime Tech Product Overview](https://cowbell.insure/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/CB-US-PrimeTech-Overview-1.pdf). 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.
8. [Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability). 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.
9. [Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/). 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

10. [Commercial Insurance Guide](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm). California Department of Insurance; Crime. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated 2026-09-23. 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](https://spot.insure/editorial-policy). To suggest a correction, [contact Spot](https://spot.insure/contact) with the page URL and supporting source.

## Agent and Developer Resources

- [Markdown page](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/crime.md)
- [Developer resources](https://spot.insure/developers)
- [Public MCP server](https://spot.insure/mcp)
- [MCP server manifest](https://spot.insure/server.json)
- [OpenAPI description](https://spot.insure/openapi.json)
- [Public page index](https://spot.insure/llms.txt)