CNA vs 
Cowbell: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?
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
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
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. 9,10,11
Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Stated organization size and fit
CNA’s 2025 Epack 3 sheet names public, private and nonprofit organizations as its intended types, subject to underwriting ( 4). Cowbell describes Zurich Select Plus fiduciary eligibility as private companies with fewer than 250 employees and under $50 million in assets ( 8). These are different stated scopes, not a decision about your eligibility: check Cowbell’s thresholds and ask CNA whether its underwriting accepts your plan and sponsor.
Coverage costs and module terms
CNA’s 2025 sheet lists defense and claim expenses, certain legal penalties, voluntary-compliance costs and pre-claim investigations ( 4). Cowbell describes fiduciary as one module for claims arising from benefit-plan duties within Zurich Select Plus, but its reviewed material does not publish a fiduciary-specific limit or retention ( 8 7). Request the schedule and confirm how the module combines with other selected coverages.
What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes
- Do your employee count and asset size fit Cowbell’s target, and what limit and retention are offered for the module?
- What CNA limits, retentions and conditions apply to the listed investigation and compliance costs?
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
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 reviewsCowbell Review Score
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 reviewsCNA vs Cowbell Fiduciary Liability Insurance Compared
CNA vs Cowbell: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | CNA Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Fiduciary Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Confirm in your quote. | 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. 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 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. 8,7Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer. |
| Who It’s For | CNA states its fiduciary offering is written for public, private and nonprofit organizations. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. employee-benefit/retirement-plan fiduciary liability under Epack 3; not ERISA fidelity bond Claim limitation: Subject to underwriting and policy terms. Source/date qualification: Fiduciary sheet dated 20251218 / ©2025; it is a marketing summary, not the issued policy form. | 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. 8Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. |
| Coverage Features | CNA states its Fiduciary Liability addresses exposure from administration and management of employee benefit and retirement plans. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. employee-benefit/retirement-plan fiduciary liability under Epack 3; not ERISA fidelity bond Claim limitation: This is fiduciary liability, not an ERISA fidelity bond or employee-benefits liability. Source/date qualification: Fiduciary sheet dated 20251218 / ©2025; it is a marketing summary, not the issued policy form. CNA lists defense/claim expenses, certain legal penalties, voluntary compliance costs and pre-claim investigation costs among its fiduciary coverage features. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. employee-benefit/retirement-plan fiduciary liability under Epack 3; not ERISA fidelity bond Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. Source/date qualification: Fiduciary sheet dated 20251218 / ©2025; it is a marketing summary, not the issued policy form. | 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. 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 fiduciary-liability 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. | 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. 8,7Not 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. 8Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'. |
| Claims Support | CNA says fiduciary insureds have access to a claims team and expert guidance. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. employee-benefit/retirement-plan fiduciary liability under Epack 3; not ERISA fidelity bond Claim limitation: Company-reported service description; not an outcome guarantee. Source/date qualification: Fiduciary sheet dated 20251218 / ©2025; it is a marketing summary, not the issued policy form. | Confirm in your quote. |
Related Pages for CNA vs Cowbell Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Fiduciary Liability Insurance Pages for CNA and Cowbell
Other Coverage Lines Compared for CNA vs Cowbell
Other Fiduciary Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons
Sources for CNA vs Cowbell Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Sources About CNA
- 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.
- CNA Connect Small Businessowners Policy (BOP) | CNA Insurance. CNA; CNA Connect; coverages, product range, services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- 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.
- Fiduciary Liability | CNA. CNA; pp. 1–2: benefit-plan administration, covered costs, eligible organizations and claims. Accessed 2026-09-28.
Sources About 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.
Sources for the 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.
