Cowbell vs Founder Shield Crime Insurance

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. ^4,3Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section.

Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Crime Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ¹¹Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

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. ^4,3Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer.

Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Crime Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. ⁷Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

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. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list.

Founder Shield calls this coverage a priority for healthcare, financial services, non-profit and manufacturing/retail companies because of their exposure to internal or external theft. ¹⁰Company-reported. Crime Insurance product page.

Cowbell describes crime coverage as protecting against losses resulting from criminal acts such as theft, fraud, and embezzlement committed by employees or third parties. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'.

Founder Shield lists employee dishonesty (theft or embezzlement by an identified employee), forgery or alteration of financial instruments, computer fraud, and funds-transfer fraud from social engineering as the branches of crime coverage it places. ¹⁰Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes crime-coverage limit or retention amounts. ^4,3Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

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. ^4,3Not publicly disclosed. Management liability page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

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. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'.

You request Founder Shield Crime Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. ^11,7Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.