CFC vs 
Cowbell: How Do They Compare for Management Liability Insurance?
Cowbell is a distribution platform for appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers, not the insurer, and targets private companies with under 250 employees; CFC sells a US package that also includes executive cyber and kidnap and ransom.
Eligible companies seeking executive cyber, K&R or reputation cover can consider CFC, except California-domiciled and U.S. public companies; smaller private firms can access Cowbell Select Plus through an appointed wholesaler. 1,2,5
What Are the Key Differences Between CFC and Cowbell Management Liability Insurance?
Broader Package With State Exclusions vs Small-Company Modules
CFC's package includes D&O, EPL, fiduciary, crime, executive cyber, kidnap and ransom, reputation protection and court attendance, with a separate Side A DIC product (extra cover for directors personally). It lists California-domiciled and US publicly traded companies among declines, and you reach it through CFC's US Management Liability Team. Cowbell's Zurich Select Plus has four modules: private management/company liability, EPL with third-party discrimination, fiduciary and crime. It targets private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets in named industries, and only appointed Zurich wholesalers can quote it through Cowbell. Choose CFC if you're outside California, private, and want executive cyber or K&R in the same policy; choose Cowbell if you're a small private company, including in California, and your broker has Zurich wholesale access. 1 2 5 6
Dedicated Adjuster vs Zurich Claims Service
CFC describes US claim-notice channels, a dedicated adjuster and claims staff organized by industry. Cowbell says Zurich handles claims and that EPL is the most common claim type on Select Plus. Neither publishes limits. 4 5 2
What Should You Confirm in CFC and Cowbell Management Liability Insurance Quotes?
- Check your domicile and public-listing status against CFC's declines, and your headcount, assets and industry against Cowbell's screens. 2 5
- Ask your broker whether it's an appointed Zurich wholesaler. 5
- Ask which CFC add-ons and Cowbell modules are on the quote and how limits are shared. 2 6
- Ask for the issuing company on each policy; Cowbell describes Select Plus as admitted Zurich paper (state guaranty-fund protection), while CFC's US issuer isn't named beyond group regulatory disclosures. 5 3
CFC vs Cowbell Management Liability Insurance Compared
CFC vs Cowbell: Management Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | CFC Management Liability | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Management Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Who It’s For | 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. 2Company-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. 5Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and 'Target industries' list. |
| Coverage Features | 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. 1,2Company-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. 6Company-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. 5Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. |
| Role in This Line | 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. 1,2Company-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. 5,6Company-reported. Cowbell intro paragraph and FAQ; Zurich intro and 'Delivering speed from quoting to policy issuance' section. |
| Risk Services | 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. 2,4Company-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. 5Company-reported. Page intro and FAQ 'What makes the Zurich Select Plus offering through Cowbell unique?'. |
| 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. Margaret Murphy is named as Global Head of Claims. 4Company-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. 5Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?'; describes claim frequency, not Cowbell's own claims-handling process. |
