Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
Cowbell: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?
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 Fiduciary 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. 7,8,9
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. 11,12,13
Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Scope of the Policy
Cowbell sets explicit size boundaries and makes the module available through appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers on its platform API. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance instead targets private companies with at least $10 million in revenue and advertises portfolio limits up to $50 million. These routes have different access and scale assumptions; neither public page supplies a guaranteed quote. 5 10
Program and Placement
Cowbell and Zurich say the module is written on Zurich admitted paper, though they do not identify the specific issuing entity for a given policy. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s fiduciary policy page names full settlor coverage, ACA gap protection, and fines and penalties. Buyers should ask both for the issuing company and form terms. 5 10
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.
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: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Fiduciary Liability in Executive First Private Company Portfolio | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Fiduciary Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | BHSI lists fiduciary liability as a component of its Executive First Private Company Portfolio comprehensive form with D&O, EPL, Commercial Crime and employed-lawyer insurance. 5Company-reported. This is a marketed portfolio component; the source does not say every line is required or that limits are shared. | 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. 10,9Company-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 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. 10,9Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer. |
| Who It’s For | The portfolio targets private companies with at least $10 million in revenue and names construction, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, service, technology and transportation sectors. 5Company-reported. These are portfolio target-account statements, not guaranteed fiduciary eligibility. BHSI identifies large commercial and financial firms with complex risk-transfer needs as targets for this fiduciary policy. 6Company-reported. A target segment does not guarantee eligibility for an applicant or plan. | 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. 10Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. |
| Coverage Features | BHSI names fiduciary liability as one component of the Executive First Private Company Portfolio. 5Company-reported. The source does not describe the fiduciary insuring agreement, covered plans or insured parties. BHSI’s Executive First Fiduciary Liability Policy page lists full settlor coverage, Affordable Care Act gap coverage, and coverage for fines and penalties; it says specialized defense counsel is recommended but not required. 6Company-reported. These are company-described product highlights. Applicable law, policy wording, conditions and exclusions govern a given plan or claim. | 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. 10Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. |
| Limits and Retentions | BHSI advertises shared or separate limits up to $50 million for the portfolio. 5Company-reported. The source does not give a fiduciary-specific limit or explain allocation among components. | Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes fiduciary-liability limit or retention amounts. 10,9Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| Risk Services | Confirm in your quote. | 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. 10,9Not 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. 10Company-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 Fiduciary 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.
- Executive First Fiduciary Liability Policy. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights: full settlor coverage, ACA gap coverage, recommended-not-mandatory specialized defense counsel, and fines/penalties; Top Targets: large commercial and financial firms (lines 6–20). 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 '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.
