Cowbell vs
Lockton Crime Insurance
Cowbell’s Zurich crime module is wholesaler-only; Lockton brokers Crime and Fidelity with a dedicated Professional & Executive Risk claims team.
What Is Cowbell Insurance?
Cowbell is a specialty-insurance platform and agency focused on cyber risk for small and midsize businesses. Its U.S. catalogue also includes combined Technology E&O and cyber products and a Zurich management-liability offering distributed through appointed wholesalers. 1,2,3
What Is Lockton?
Lockton is a privately held insurance brokerage that arranges commercial risk, employee benefits and retirement programs. US pages describe a technology practice and intermediary placement with insurers, not Lockton as the policy’s insurer. 5,6,7
What Is Crime Insurance?
Crime insurance addresses business losses from specified theft and fraud risks, such as robbery, forgery and embezzlement. 9
Key Differences in Crime Insurance
Distribution Platform Versus Crime and Fidelity Brokerage
Cowbell distributes Zurich’s Select Plus crime module; Zurich underwrites it on admitted paper and Cowbell operates the platform. Lockton places Crime and Fidelity to address theft, fraud, forgery and embezzlement by employees or third parties and describes that as a brokered program, not a Lockton-issued policy. 4 3 8
Claims Advocacy and Product Split
Lockton says its Professional & Executive Risk Claims team, which keeps insurance and claims counsel inside the broking team rather than as a separate profit center, handles Crime and Fidelity claims. Cowbell’s reviewed pages describe Select Plus claims backing only at the whole-product level and do not describe crime-specific risk-control or claims advocacy. Lockton also notes that financial institutions are often required to carry a financial institution bond, distinct from general crime coverage; Cowbell’s module is not described that way. 8 4 3
Appetite and Access
Cowbell targets private companies under 250 employees and under $50 million in assets and sells only through appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers via API. Lockton says crime coverage is relevant to nonprofit, private and public organizations of any sector, calls small businesses particularly exposed because they often lack fraud-prevention and auditing resources, and does not name the insurers it uses. Lockton lists employee theft, forgery or alteration, theft on or off premises, computer fraud, counterfeit currency and social-engineering impersonation. 4 8
What to Confirm in Crime Insurance Quotes
- Confirm Cowbell access only through an appointed Zurich E&S wholesaler. 4
- Ask Lockton whether you need a financial institution bond or a general crime and fidelity program. 8
- Ask how Lockton’s Professional & Executive Risk Claims team would handle a crime claim versus Zurich’s Select Plus claims path. 8 4
- Check Cowbell’s employee and asset caps if you are quoting that module. 4
Offering Details
Cowbell vs Lockton Crime Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Crime Coverage | Lockton Crime and Fidelity Insurance Brokerage |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | 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. | Lockton places Crime and Fidelity insurance to protect businesses against financial losses from theft, fraud, forgery and embezzlement by employees or third parties; it describes this as a brokered program, not a policy Lockton underwrites. 8Company-reported. Crime and Fidelity product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| Issuing Insurer | 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. | The page does not name the insurers Lockton places crime and fidelity coverage with. 8Not publicly disclosed. Crime and Fidelity page checked 2026-09-23. |
| Who It’s For | 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. | Lockton says crime coverage is relevant to nonprofit, private and public organizations of any sector, and calls out small businesses as particularly exposed because they often lack fraud-prevention and auditing resources. It also notes financial institutions are frequently required to carry a financial institution bond, distinct from general crime coverage. 8Company-reported. Crime and Fidelity product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| Coverage Features | 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?'. | Lockton lists the claim types a crime and fidelity program is meant to address: employee theft, forgery or alteration of negotiable instruments, theft on or off premises, computer fraud, counterfeit currency, and social engineering (impersonation) fraud involving customers, vendors or employees. 8Company-reported. Product page as read 2026-09-23; a capability/claim-type list, not a specimen policy. |
| Limits and Retentions | 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. |
| Risk Services | 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. |
| How to Apply | 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?'. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Claims Support | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Lockton says its Professional & Executive Risk Claims team, which integrates insurance and claims counsel within the broking team rather than treating claims advocacy as a separate profit center, handles Crime and Fidelity claims. 8Company-reported. Product page as read 2026-09-23. Describes Lockton's advocacy role, not an insurer's claim-paying obligation. |
Full Comparison
More Cowbell vs Lockton Comparisons
Other Crime Insurance Comparisons
Sources
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 '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.
- 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.
Lockton
- Lockton United States. Lockton; Opening description of independent insurance brokerage for risk, benefits and retirement; Ask an Expert link to contact-us. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology. Lockton; Industry introduction; cyber liability heading; dedicated technology team; listed services including claims advocacy, contract review, directors and officers liability, and international program design; 24/7 service model. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- US Terms of Business. Lockton; Opening entity definition; Surplus Lines; Use of a Particular Insurer; Compensation Disclosure; servicing, claims handling and renewal language in Confidentiality section; Intermediaries. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Crime and Fidelity Insurance. Lockton; What is Crime and Fidelity Insurance?; Who needs to purchase Crime and Fidelity Insurance?; Types of Crime and Fidelity claims; Claims management. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Crime Insurance Guide
- Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Crime. Accessed 2026-09-16.




