CNA vs Cowbell: How Do They Compare for Crime Insurance?

CNA describes a selectable crime component in Epack 3; Cowbell places crime as a module of Zurich Select Plus management liability for private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets. 4,8,7

CNA Small Business Insurance: Products, Agents and Service

CNA directs small-business buyers to independent agents and describes CNA Connect as a businessowners policy for more than 600 small-business classes. Issuer and availability vary by policy and state, so confirm both in a quote. 1,2,3

Read the CNA profile

Read the CNA Crime 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. 5,6,7

Read the Cowbell profile

Read the Cowbell Crime Insurance page

What Is Crime Insurance?

Crime insurance can help reimburse specified business losses from theft and fraud, including employee theft and forgery. Compare those protections separately and ask whether a payment sent after an impersonation scam is covered. 9,10,11,12,13

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Crime Insurance

Offering Structure and Distribution

Cowbell’s record describes a narrower stated segment and an intermediary route: appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers access the crime module through Cowbell’s platform API, rather than selling it directly to businesses. CNA’s listed audience includes private and public companies and not-for-profits, with agents directed to Agent Center. The two descriptions therefore raise different placement and eligibility questions; neither line page supplies enough information to determine an applicant’s acceptance. 4 8

Coverage Detail and Buyer Fit

On coverage detail, Cowbell describes losses from criminal acts such as theft, fraud and embezzlement by employees or third parties. CNA confirms a crime offering in Management Liability but does not list comparable triggers in the reviewed claim. Cowbell also says the Cowbell and Zurich Select Plus pages do not publish crime limits or describe crime-specific risk services, so a side-by-side limit conclusion is not supported. 4 8 7

What to Confirm in Crime Insurance Quotes

  • Ask the Cowbell wholesaler whether your company meets Select Plus thresholds and which Zurich entity appears on the declarations; ask CNA which policy parts and insurer apply. 4 8
  • Request the crime forms and compare employee, third-party and funds-transfer wording, limits, retentions and any discovery provisions. 4 8

CNA and Cowbell Review Scores for 2026

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.

CNA Review Score

9.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Customer feedback on CNA is mixed and hard to compare. NerdWallet gave it 4.5 out of 5 for manufacturers, while Trustpilot shows about 1.4 out of 5 from 49 mostly self-selected reviews.[1][5]

Read CNA reviews

Cowbell Review Score

2.0/ 10

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 reviews

CNA vs Cowbell Crime Insurance Compared

CNA vs Cowbell: Crime Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCNA Management Liability Crime CoverageCowbell / Zurich Select Plus Crime Coverage
Role in This Line

CNA describes Epack 3 as a modular policy with a selected mix of management-liability parts rather than one mandatory bundle. 4Company-reported. The page does not establish which components a buyer can select for a specific risk or whether the crime coverage is offered standalone.

Crime coverage 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 'Crime Insurance' as one of the four modules a buyer can combine. 8,7Company-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 crime, 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. 8,7Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer.

Who It’s For

CNA describes management-liability risks for private and public companies and not-for-profit organizations. 4Company-reported. This is broad segment context, not a crime-specific acceptance rule.

Cowbell targets this crime 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. 8Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list.

Coverage Features

CNA currently lists Crime among its Management Liability coverages and says Epack 3 can flexibly combine crime with selected management-liability exposures. 4Company-reported. The product page establishes a marketed option, not that all component lines must be purchased together.

Cowbell describes crime coverage as protecting against losses resulting from criminal acts such as theft, fraud, and embezzlement committed by employees or third parties. 8Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'.

Limits and Retentions

Confirm in your quote.

Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes crime-coverage limit or retention amounts. 8,7Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.

Risk Services

Confirm in your quote.

Neither reviewed page describes crime-specific risk-control services such as employee-dishonesty prevention programs; both describe the Select Plus product's claims backing only at the whole-product level. 8,7Not publicly disclosed. Management liability page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.

How to Apply

CNA directs agents seeking an application to its Agent Center. 4Company-reported. The page does not state that a business can apply directly or identify all documents required for crime coverage.

This crime module is accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through the Cowbell platform's API; it is not sold directly to businesses. 8Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'.

Related Pages for CNA vs Cowbell Crime Insurance

Crime Insurance Pages for CNA and Cowbell

Other Coverage Lines Compared for CNA vs Cowbell

Other Crime Insurance Provider Comparisons

Sources for CNA vs Cowbell Crime Insurance

Sources About CNA

  1. Insurance for Small Businesses. CNA; Insurance for Small Businesses, lines 38-50 and 65-67 (CNA Central and agent route); lines 79-106 (product and stated appetite lists); page footer line 132 (CNA registered service mark). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. CNA Connect Small Businessowners Policy (BOP) | CNA Insurance. CNA; CNA Connect; coverages, product range, services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. General Disclaimer. CNA; General Disclaimer paragraphs 1 and 5 (HTML lines 24 and 28): CNA describes Continental Casualty Company and its relevant affiliates; references to CNA may include one or more CCC affiliates; each particular policy/product/service is the responsibility only of the specific CNA company that issues or supplies it. Footer line 57 identifies CNA Financial Corporation as trademark registrant. Re-read 2026-09-29. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Management Liability Insurance and Professional Liability. CNA; Current U.S. page: management liability names crime and kidnap/ransom/extortion; lists management product coverages and Epack 3 modular structure, application channel and caveats. Retrieved 2026-09-30. Accessed 2026-09-30.

Sources About Cowbell

  1. Cowbell. Cowbell; What We Do; Assess, Insure, Respond and Improve; U.S. navigation; footer legal disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  2. 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.
  3. Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus. Zurich North America; Intro on the Zurich/Cowbell collaboration; module name 'Crime Insurance'; 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.
  4. Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises. Cowbell; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' (Crime Coverage definition); Target industries list; FAQ on access and account size. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Sources for the Crime Insurance Guide

  1. Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Crime. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Crime Non-Financial Applications and Forms. Travelers; Opening paragraph; Sample Policy Forms. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Crime Terms and Conditions. The Travelers Companies, Inc.; I.A–G, printed/PDF pages 1–4; III.RR, printed/PDF p.13; V.B.1–2, printed/PDF pp.18–20; Consideration, printed/PDF p.1; III.P p.8; V.A.3 pp.16–17; V.A.4 p.17; V.B.3 p.20; I.A.3 p.1; III.C p.7; III.S pp.8–9; III.II and III.KK p.12; III.QQ p.13; V.A.5 pp.17–18 (printed/PDF pages); IV.J–O, printed/PDF pages 14–15. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Social Engineering Fraud Insurance. Chubb; Opening; coverage highlights. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  5. Commercial Crime Coverage Application. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I–III pages 1–2; IX–XI pages 3–4; V–VII, printed/PDF pages 2–3. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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