Cowbell vs Marsh McLennan Agency: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?

Cowbell distributes a fiduciary module within Zurich U.S.’s Select Plus management-liability product, targeting private companies with fewer than 250 employees and under $50 million in assets; Marsh McLennan Agency also describes fiduciary placement through an adviser, but its overview does not state plan or company thresholds. 4,7

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. 1,2,3

Read the Cowbell profile

Read the Cowbell Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

What Is Marsh McLennan Agency?

Marsh McLennan Agency provides business insurance and employee health and benefits, alongside retirement, wealth, and private-client services across the United States and Canada. Its US small-business page lists six common coverage types and directs buyers to request a personalized quote by phone; the insurer and terms for a specific placement must be confirmed in the proposal. 5,6

Read the Marsh McLennan Agency profile

Read the Marsh McLennan Agency Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

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. 8,9,10

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance

Coverage Scope and Plan Details

Cowbell distributes a fiduciary module within Zurich U.S.’s Select Plus management-liability product, targeting private companies with fewer than 250 employees and under $50 million in assets. The module is accessed by appointed Zurich U.S. E&S wholesalers through Cowbell’s platform API, not sold directly to businesses. Marsh McLennan Agency also describes fiduciary placement through an adviser, but its overview does not state plan or company thresholds. Buyers should check whether Cowbell’s size bands fit and ask Marsh McLennan Agency to assess the same company profile. 4 7

Placement and Buyer Questions

Both pages identify fiduciary liability with employee-benefit plans; Cowbell specifically cites 401(k) and health plans and says the Zurich U.S. Select Plus modules use Zurich U.S. admitted paper. Marsh McLennan Agency’s reviewed page does not identify the issuing insurer or program structure. Request the carrier and actual module wording before comparing coverage. 4 7

What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask the appointed wholesaler whether the company meets Cowbell’s employee and asset thresholds and which Zurich U.S. entity appears on the policy. 4
  • Ask Marsh McLennan Agency which fiduciary program and issuing insurer it proposes, and whether eligibility is plan-asset based. 7

Review Scores

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.

Cowbell

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

Marsh McLennan Agency

8.2/ 10

Review Score

2 rated sources

There are almost no public customer reviews of Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA). Trustpilot shows 3.2 out of 5, but from a single review, and BBB shows an A grade with four complaints closed in three years.[8][9][1]

Read Marsh McLennan Agency reviews

Offering Details

Cowbell vs Marsh McLennan Agency: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCowbell / Zurich Select Plus Fiduciary LiabilityMarsh McLennan Agency fiduciary (official overview)
Role in This Line

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

Marsh McLennan Agency describes arranging fiduciary for the audience stated on the cited product page. 7Company-reported. fiduciary marketed by marsh-mclennan-agency; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Issuing Insurer

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

Confirm in your quote.

Who It’s For

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

Organizations seeking executive liability solutions; source does not define plan-specific eligibility. 7Company-reported. fiduciary marketed by marsh-mclennan-agency; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Coverage Features

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. 4Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'.

The cited product page describes fiduciary liability as a named product in the executive and professional liability suite; the overview does not state plan-specific grants. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 7Company-reported. fiduciary marketed by marsh-mclennan-agency; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Limits and Retentions

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

The cited overview does not set a universal limit or retention for this line. Ask for the proposed policy form, limits, retentions, exclusions, and conditions in the quote. 7Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred.

Risk Services

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

Confirm in your quote.

How to Apply

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

The page invites organizations to contact a Marsh McLennan Agency adviser or specialist to discuss placement. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 7Company-reported. fiduciary marketed by marsh-mclennan-agency; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Full Comparison

More Cowbell vs Marsh McLennan Agency Comparisons

Other Fiduciary Liability Insurance Comparisons

Sources

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 '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.
  4. 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.

Marsh McLennan Agency

  1. Who We Are. Marsh McLennan Agency; Lines 193-195: ‘a business of Marsh’ and company-listed service lines across US and Canada. This does not establish the legal entity for an account, corporate ownership chart, or insurer role. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Small Business Insurance Solutions. Marsh McLennan Agency; Lines 205-207: small-business audience and call invitation; lines 224-249 list six coverage categories and short descriptions; line 264 is an embedded form whose function is not stated. No form submitted. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Executive and Professional Liability | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Named within the executive and professional liability product suite. Accessed 2026-09-30.

Fiduciary Liability Insurance Guide

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Travelers; What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance? 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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