Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
Cowbell: How Do They Compare for Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance includes EPL with D&O, fiduciary, crime, and employed-lawyer coverages in Executive First. Cowbell distributes Zurich’s Select Plus management-liability module, where employment practices and third-party discrimination liability is available to private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets. 5,9
What Is Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance?
BHSI provides commercial and specialty insurance in the U.S., with product-specific industry lists that include healthcare, energy and technology. Online quote and application submissions are nonbinding. 1,2,3,4
Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance profile
Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Employment Practices Liability Insurance page
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. 6,7,8
Read the Cowbell Employment Practices Liability Insurance page
What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
EPLI can help pay covered defense costs and losses when applicants or workers allege discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination or other workplace wrongdoing. If you employ people, check the claim definition, defense costs and prior acts. 10,11,12
Key Differences in Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Portfolio Design and Capacity
Cowbell’s stated size limits make its intended segment more explicit; Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance instead identifies private companies with at least $10 million in revenue among portfolio targets. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance advertises portfolio limits up to $50 million, whereas Cowbell and Zurich publish no EPL limit or retention in the reviewed materials. Ask both for an EPL-specific schedule before comparing capacity. 5 9
Buyer Fit and Practical Support
Access differs too. Cowbell’s EPL module is available only to appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through Cowbell’s platform API, not directly to businesses. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance describes a portfolio offering aimed at larger commercial accounts. A buyer should establish which broker can submit the risk and who will issue the policy rather than assuming either page is a direct-buy route. 5 9
What to Confirm in Employment Practices 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.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Review Score
No reviews found
The public ratings for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance are low but thin: Trustpilot shows 2.1 out of 5 from 9 reviews and BBB shows 1 out of 5 from 6. Both mix travel and commercial customers, so we don't count them in a score.[5][7]
Read Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance 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
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Cowbell: Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Employment Practices Liability in Executive First Private Company Portfolio | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Employment Practices Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | BHSI lists Employment Practices Liability within its Executive First Private Company Portfolio comprehensive form with D&O, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and employed-lawyer insurance. 5Company-reported. This is portfolio marketing and does not show that EPL must be purchased with every other component. | 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. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | 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. |
| Who It’s For | BHSI identifies private companies with at least $10 million in revenue among portfolio target accounts. 5Company-reported. This is the portfolio’s target segment, not an eligibility guarantee for an EPL quote. | 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. |
| Coverage Features | BHSI explicitly includes Employment Practices Liability in the listed portfolio form. 5Company-reported. The source identifies the line but does not describe covered allegations, exclusions or terms. | 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?'. |
| Limits and Retentions | BHSI advertises shared or separate portfolio limits up to $50 million. 5Company-reported. A portfolio-wide maximum is not an EPL limit or a quote. | 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. |
| Risk Services | The portfolio page says policyholders can access EPL First, an online repository of HR training and compliance resources and an attorney helpline. 5Company-reported. The page describes portfolio services; it does not state the helpline’s scope or availability for every policyholder. | Confirm in your quote. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | 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?'. |
Full Comparison
More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Cowbell Comparisons
Other Employment Practices Liability Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
- At A Glance. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; United States section, zero-based PDF pages 49–53 (viewer pages 50–54): product/industry lists on pages 49–50; U.S. disclosure/version footer on page 53 is 2026-8-03 A. The 2026-09-14 A footer is on preceding European page 48, not the U.S. section. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- About Us. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; About BHSI; company profile page re-opened through official site on 2026-09-28; company says it is part of National Indemnity group. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Terms of Service. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Important Information Concerning Use of this Web Site, paragraphs 2–4; nonbinding submissions, contracted-agent authority, state variation, product availability and policy-specific terms. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Public Disclosure — Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Singapore Branch. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Singapore branch public disclosure, Company Profile ¶¶ 1–2; direct page opened 2026-09-28. ¶ 1 identifies BHSIC as a Nebraska-domiciled direct P&C insurer; ¶ 2 states BHSIC is wholly owned by National Indemnity Company, itself wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Executive First Private Company Portfolio. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights, lines 11–15: D&O, EPL, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and Employed Lawyers in one comprehensive form; shared or separate limits up to $50 million; EPL First HR resources and attorney helpline. Top Targets, lines 16–25: private companies with at least $10 million revenue and listed industries. Reopened 2026-09-30. 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 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability'; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' and 'What is the most common management liability claim?' (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?' (EPL definition); FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?' (EPL claim types); Target industries list. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance Guide
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening; What EPLI covers; Steps to limit employment liability risk. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Employment Practices Liability Coverage. Travelers; I.A/II.A p.1; III.A.4–6 p.7; II.F Employment Claim, PDF p.2; I.B p.1; II.U–V p.5; II.L p.3; III.A.9 and A.13, pp.7–8; III.B.2 p.8; IV.A Settlement, PDF pp.8–9. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Liability Coverage Terms and Conditions. Travelers; III.F–H p.6; III.O pp.8–9; III.F p.6; III.B–D, PDF pp.3–5; III.E–F, PDF pp.5–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
