Beazley vs Cowbell Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Beazley underwrites employment practices liability (EPL) coverage as a standalone product on its dedicated EPL page and as one of three coverages bundled in its ExecuGuard package policy alongside D&O and fiduciary liability. ^5,3Company-reported. US EPL as described on the two reviewed product pages; does not establish which entity issues a particular policy.

Employment practices liability (EPL) is one module within Cowbell's distribution of Zurich's Select Plus management liability product; Cowbell operates the platform, Zurich underwrites. Zurich's own page names this module 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability,' broader than the plain 'EPL' shorthand Cowbell's FAQ uses. ^9,8Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section.

The EPL product page does not name the specific Beazley insurance entity that issues the policy. ⁵Not found in reviewed sources. EPL page as read on 2026-09-23; the issued policy's declarations control the actual insurer.

Cowbell and Zurich both say the Select Plus modules, including EPL, 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 EPL module. ^9,8Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer.

Beazley says it considers employers in all industries with up to 30,000 employees, with no stated employee-count limit for staffing firms, and describes an appetite for harder-to-place classes such as law firms, hospitality, high-tech, healthcare, retail and transportation; healthcare risks are instead written through Beazley Remedy. ⁵Company-reported. EPL product page eligibility description; actual acceptance depends on underwriting review of a specific applicant.

Cowbell targets this EPL module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, across industries such as retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. ⁹Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list.

The EPL policy covers a broad range of discrimination, harassment and other "inappropriate employment conduct" claims, lets the policyholder choose between "duty to defend" and "pay on behalf" claim handling, and includes industry-specific wordings for classes such as law firms, accountants, staffing firms and PEOs. ⁵Company-reported. EPL product page coverage description; exclusions and conditions are set by the issued policy.

Beazley lists sublimited extensions for immigration-practices defense costs and OSHA proceedings, and a wage-and-hour defense-costs sublimit subject to underwriting; standalone wage-and-hour indemnity (not just defense costs) is sold separately through Beazley's Workplace Protect product. ⁵Company-reported. EPL product page; sublimit amounts are not published and appear only on a quote.

Cowbell describes EPL as covering claims related to employment practices, including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and other employment-related issues. ⁹Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'.

Cowbell says EPL claims are the most common type of management liability claim overall, most frequently alleging discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, or retaliation for a legally protected activity such as filing a complaint or whistleblowing. ⁹Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?'.

Beazley advertises EPL limits up to US $20 million. The reviewed page does not publish standard retentions. ⁵Company-reported. Advertised maximum capacity, not a guaranteed quote amount or published retention.

Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes EPL limit or retention amounts. ^9,8Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.

EPL policyholders get free access to BeazleySure, Beazley's online risk-management platform, which the EPL page says includes sexual harassment training, a telephone hotline, wage-and-hour tutorials, and model policies and procedures in English and Spanish. ⁵Company-reported. EPL product page service description; actual entitlements depend on the policy purchased.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Beazley lists an ExecuGuard application, an EPL renewal application and a staffing supplemental application as downloadable tools on the EPL page; the reviewed page does not describe a self-service online quoting flow for new business. ⁵Company-reported. EPL product page Tools & Resources section as read on 2026-09-23.

This EPL module is accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through the Cowbell platform's API; it is not sold directly to businesses. ⁹Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'.

Beazley says it has dedicated employment claims personnel, including a named EPL claims focus-group leader, who work with outside employment lawyers across the country to resolve claims; no claims-outcome statistics are published on the page. ⁵Company-reported. EPL product page team listing; claims-handling quality is not independently assessed.

Not described in the reviewed sources.