CFC vs 
Cowbell Employment Practices Liability Insurance
CFC declines standalone EPL; Cowbell’s Zurich Select Plus EPL module targets private companies under 250 employees via E&S wholesalers.
What Is CFC Insurance?
CFC provides specialty insurance through an MGA model, with technology products for startups through multinational businesses. Its U.S. technology materials describe combined liability and cyber protection, while California eligibility requires product-specific confirmation. 1,2,3,4
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. 8,9,10
What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
Employment practices liability insurance addresses claims alleging workplace wrongdoing, such as discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination. 12
Key Differences in Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Two Management-Liability Packages, Different Access Rules
CFC includes EPL only in its US Management Liability package and declines to write standalone EPL. Cowbell operates the platform for Zurich Select Plus, and Zurich underwrites; EPL is one module, officially named Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability on Zurich’s page. Cowbell’s EPL module is accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through Cowbell’s API, not sold directly to businesses. 5 11 10
Size and Domicile
CFC declines California-domiciled business and US publicly traded companies for the package that carries EPL. Cowbell targets the EPL module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50 million in assets, across industries such as retail, hospitality and manufacturing. A larger private company that fits CFC’s package might sit outside Cowbell’s stated size band. 5 11
Paper and Published Limits
Cowbell and Zurich say Select Plus modules, including EPL, are written on Zurich admitted paper; Zurich’s footer names Zurich American Insurance Company in its copyright notice without stating that entity is the specific EPL issuer. CFC discloses FCA authorization and Syndicate 1988 but does not name the US EPL issuer. Neither Cowbell’s page nor Zurich’s Select Plus page publishes EPL limit or retention amounts, matching CFC’s unpublished EPL dollars. 11 10 4 5
Coverage Notes
CFC describes entity, director, officer, management and employee cover for employee or third-party claims, plus optional wage-and-hour, immigration and workplace-violence costs. Cowbell describes EPL as covering discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment and other employment-related issues, and says EPL claims are the most common management-liability claim type, often alleging discrimination, termination, harassment or retaliation for protected activity. 5 11
What to Confirm in Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes
- Ask a Zurich E&S wholesaler whether Select Plus can be quoted at your headcount; CFC’s path is a CFC management-liability submission instead. 11 5
- Confirm California domicile against CFC’s decline and Cowbell’s private-company, sub-250-employee target. 5 11
- Get the issuing company on Zurich admitted paper versus CFC’s unnamed US issuer. 10 4
- Ask both for wage-and-hour and third-party discrimination terms and for dollar limits neither public page prints. 5 11
Offering Details
CFC vs Cowbell Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | CFC Employment Practices Liability | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Employment Practices Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | CFC includes employment practices liability only inside its US Management Liability package. Its brochure lists 'standalone EPL' among the risks it declines, so a business cannot buy this coverage from CFC on its own. 5Company-reported. Brochure's 'What we decline' list, which pairs standalone EPL with California-domiciled business as declined risks. | 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. 11,10Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section. |
| Issuing Insurer | CFC's regulatory page discloses CFC Underwriting Limited's FCA authorization and CFC's Lloyd's Syndicate 1988, managed by Asta Managing Agency Ltd, but neither the regulatory page nor the management-liability brochure names the carrier or syndicate that would issue a given US EPL policy. 4,5Not publicly disclosed. Regulatory information page and brochure as read on 2026-09-23. | 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. 11,10Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer. |
| Who It’s For | CFC's brochure lists California-domiciled business and US publicly traded companies among the risks it declines for the package that carries this EPL coverage. 5Company-reported. Brochure's 'What we decline' list; underwriting still applies to any individual business. | 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. 11Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. |
| Coverage Features | CFC says its employment practices liability section gives cover to the entity, directors, officers, management personnel and employees for claims brought by employees or third parties. 5Company-reported. Brochure's 'Employment practices liability' description; the issued policy wording determines who and what is actually covered. CFC says it can include cover for wage and hour violations, immigration investigations, and costs following a workplace violence event as part of employment practices liability. 5Company-reported. Brochure's 'Employment practices liability' description and 'What else is in the policy?' list; availability of each extension depends on underwriting. | Cowbell describes EPL as covering claims related to employment practices, including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and other employment-related issues. 11Company-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. 11Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?'. |
| Limits and Retentions | The reviewed brochure does not publish a separate dollar limit, sublimit or retention for employment practices liability. Those figures appear only on the quote and declarations. 5Not publicly disclosed. Brochure as read on 2026-09-23. | Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes EPL limit or retention amounts. 11,10Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| How to Apply | Not described in the reviewed sources. | 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. 11Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'. |
| Claims Support | CFC provides a US claim-notification route by phone, email and online form, and says a dedicated claims adjuster manages a claim from notification through resolution. 7Company-reported. Claims page as read on 2026-09-23; not specific to EPL claim outcomes or timing. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
Full Comparison
More CFC vs Cowbell Comparisons
Other Employment Practices Liability Insurance Comparisons
Sources
CFC
- About CFC. CFC; Matt Taylor biography: independent MGA and Syndicate 1988. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology. CFC; Introduction; Technology key features; Digitally traded. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology — United States product brochure. CFC; Page 1: coverage sections, including Products and services liability; Response app highlights; Limits and deductibles. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Regulatory information. CFC; CFC Underwriting Limited; CFC Lloyd's Syndicate 1988. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Management liability — United States product brochure. CFC; Employment practices liability; At a glance: What we like; What we decline; What else is in the policy? Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Management liability. CFC; Our management liability products: Management liability, Side A DIC. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Claims. CFC; Notify a claim or cyber incident; We're in it with you. Accessed 2026-09-23.
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.
