CFC vs Cowbell Management Liability Insurance

CFC sells directors and officers, employment practices, fiduciary and crime coverage together in one US Management Liability package rather than as separate standalone products. CFC separately sells Side A DIC, an excess product for directors and officers only. ^5,6Company-reported. CFC's US management-liability product page and January 2026 brochure; package composition as CFC describes it, not an issued policy.

Cowbell is the distribution platform, not the insurer: it gives Zurich-appointed E&S wholesalers API access to Zurich's Select Plus management liability product, a modular suite Zurich already sells to larger companies, sized down for small and midsize private businesses. Zurich's own page confirms Select Plus is 'Zurich Insurance, in collaboration with Cowbell,' offered as a 'proprietary form,' with identical FAQ wording to Cowbell's page. ^11,10Company-reported. Cowbell intro paragraph and FAQ; Zurich intro and 'Delivering speed from quoting to policy issuance' section.

CFC's regulatory page discloses that CFC Underwriting Limited is FCA-authorized and that CFC's Lloyd's Syndicate 1988 is managed by Asta Managing Agency Ltd, but the reviewed management-liability pages do not name the specific carrier or syndicate that would issue a given US package. ^4,6Not publicly disclosed. Regulatory information page and management-liability brochure as read on 2026-09-23; the insurer identified on an actual quote or declarations page controls.

Both Cowbell and Zurich say the product is offered on Zurich admitted paper and backed by 'the reputable Zurich Claims service.' Neither page names the specific underwriting Zurich subsidiary or policy-issuing entity; Zurich's site footer copyright reads 'Zurich American Insurance Company,' but that is a general site-wide notice, not a stated policy-issuer confirmation for Select Plus specifically. ^11,10Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer.

CFC's brochure lists California-domiciled business and US publicly traded companies among the risks it declines for this package, and lists industries it favors, including manufacturing and distribution, technology, professional services, architects and engineers, and non-profits. ⁶Company-reported. Brochure's 'What we like' and 'What we decline' lists; underwriting still applies to any individual business, and the list is not exhaustive.

Cowbell says the product targets SME private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, and lists target industries including specialty chemicals, technology, energy/utilities, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, retail, and integrated freight & logistics. ¹¹Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and 'Target industries' list.

CFC describes the package as covering directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, crime, executive cyber, kidnap and ransom, and executive reputation protection, plus court attendance costs. ^5,6Company-reported. Brochure's opening description and 'What else is in the policy?' list; the actual policy wording and any endorsements control what a given buyer receives.

Zurich's own page names the four Select Plus modules as 'Private Management and Company Liability,' 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability,' 'Fiduciary Liability,' and 'Crime Insurance' -- broader labels than the plain 'D&O' and 'EPL' shorthand Cowbell's FAQ uses -- and says a buyer can combine up to four of these modules into one policy. ¹⁰Company-reported. Zurich page 'Protect your small to midsize business with Zurich's Select Plus Management Liability solutions' section.

Cowbell describes management liability as a modular umbrella covering four lines within the Select Plus product: private company D&O, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, and crime, each addressing a different category of management or employee risk. ¹¹Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'.

The reviewed product page and brochure do not publish per-occurrence or aggregate limits, retentions or premium ranges for the package. The reviewed pages checked did not disclose these figures. ⁶Not publicly disclosed. Product page and brochure as read on 2026-09-23; limits and deductibles appear on the quote and declarations.

Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page publishes limit or retention amounts for the modules; both were read in full and neither discloses a figure. ^11,10Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.

CFC's brochure says the executive reputation protection component includes access to its reputation-management specialists, and its claims page describes a claims team organized by industry and specialization rather than by insurance line. ^6,7Company-reported. Brochure and claims page descriptions of CFC's own services; not an independent measure of service quality.

Cowbell says the product is backed by Zurich's claims service, and frames the offering's advantage as faster quoting and issuance through Cowbell's technology platform compared with Zurich's standard process, rather than describing separate risk-control services. ¹¹Company-reported. Page intro and FAQ 'What makes the Zurich Select Plus offering through Cowbell unique?'.

The reviewed management-liability page and brochure do not describe an online quote or self-service application; they point prospective buyers to CFC's named US Management Liability Team. ⁵Not found in reviewed sources. Product page and brochure as read on 2026-09-23; a broker may have access to a separate application form not reviewed here.

Access is limited to appointed wholesalers of Zurich Excess & Surplus (E&S): a wholesaler already appointed by Zurich E&S can reach the product through the Cowbell platform via API, and is directed to contact a Cowbell or Zurich representative to set that up. The product is not sold directly to businesses. ¹¹Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'.

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. Margaret Murphy is named as Global Head of Claims. ⁷Company-reported. Claims page as read on 2026-09-23; notification channels and role descriptions, not claims-payment outcomes or timing.

Cowbell says the most common management liability claims fall under employment practices liability, citing discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and retaliation as the most frequent claim types. ¹¹Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?'; describes claim frequency, not Cowbell's own claims-handling process.