Cowbell vs Marsh Crime Insurance

Cowbell’s Zurich crime module is capped at smaller private companies; Marsh describes complex crime placements from about $10 million to $110 million.

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

Read the Cowbell profile

What Is Marsh?

Marsh is a global insurance broker and risk advisor. In the United States it places coverage through core Marsh teams and through Marsh McLennan Agency for many middle-market buyers, including technology, cyber, property, casualty and benefits programs. 5,6,7,8

Read the Marsh profile

What Is Crime Insurance?

Crime insurance addresses business losses from specified theft and fraud risks, such as robbery, forgery and embezzlement. 11

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Crime Insurance

SME Module Versus Complex Placement Range

Cowbell’s crime coverage is a Zurich Select Plus module aimed at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50 million in assets. Marsh says its team has handled complex crime placements ranging from about $10 million to $110 million (also stated in GBP on the same page), which is a description of placement experience, not a quoted limit for any buyer. 4 9

Who Underwrites and Who Places

Cowbell operates the platform; Zurich underwrites the module on admitted paper, and only appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers can access it through the API. Marsh’s financial and professional liability practice places commercial crime, and Marsh McLennan Agency also places crime bundled with fidelity in its executive and professional liability practice; the reviewed Marsh pages do not name a crime insurer and say definitions differ across insurers. 4 3 9 10

Perils, Ransomware and Services

Cowbell’s FAQ describes theft, fraud and embezzlement by employees or third parties. Marsh lists employee white-collar fraud, third-party fraud, collusion, hacking or computer-related crime, social-engineering fraud and tangible asset theft, and notes that crime policies usually exclude ransomware while most cover direct financial losses from funds stolen by hackers. Marsh also offers infill and top-up social-engineering cover in excess of an existing program; Cowbell’s reviewed pages do not describe crime-specific risk-control services. 4 9

What to Confirm in Crime Insurance Quotes

  • Confirm whether you fit Cowbell’s employee and asset targets or need Marsh’s larger-placement range. 4 9
  • Ask Marsh whether the quote is Marsh corporate or MMA, and whether ransomware is excluded. 9 10
  • Name the Zurich E&S wholesaler and issuing entity on a Cowbell quote. 4 3
  • Ask Marsh whether infill social-engineering cover is being quoted above your primary crime limit. 9

Offering Details

Cowbell vs Marsh Crime Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCowbell / Zurich Select Plus Crime CoverageMarsh Commercial Crime 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.

Marsh's financial and professional liability practice places commercial crime insurance; Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), the middle-market subsidiary, also places crime coverage bundled with fidelity as part of its executive and professional liability practice. 9,10Company-reported. Marsh corporate commercial crime page and MMA executive and professional liability page.

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 reviewed pages do not name a specific crime insurer. Marsh says definitions and extensions for crime coverage differ across insurers and that it works to secure coverage aligned with a client's risks, implying the carrier varies by placement. 9Not publicly disclosed. Commercial crime insurance page as read on 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.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

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?'.

Marsh lists employee white-collar fraud (including fidelity losses from trusted employees), third-party fraud, collusion, hacking or computer-related crime, social engineering fraud, and tangible asset theft as risks a commercial crime policy can address. It notes that crime policies usually exclude ransomware, though most cover direct financial losses from funds stolen by hackers. 9Company-reported. Commercial crime insurance page; the page is Marsh's global/UK financial-professional-liability practice content and cites a UK-based crime leader, so figures and coverage descriptions may not reflect a US-specific program.

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.

Marsh says its team has experience handling complex crime placements ranging from about $10 million to $110 million (also stated in GBP as £10 million to £100 million elsewhere on the page), but does not publish standard limits, retentions or premiums for a specific placement. 9Company-reported. Commercial crime insurance page; a description of Marsh's placement experience range, not a quoted limit for any individual buyer.

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.

Marsh says it provides insights on emerging crime risks, claim examples, market conditions and product education throughout renewal and placement, and offers infill and top-up social engineering cover in excess of a client's existing program. 9Company-reported. Commercial crime insurance page, Why Marsh section.

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?'.

You engage Marsh's crime specialists (Marsh corporate or MMA) directly to identify crime exposure and place coverage; the reviewed pages describe advisor-led placement rather than an online quote tool. 9,10Company-reported. Commercial crime insurance and MMA executive and professional liability pages.

Full Comparison

More Cowbell vs Marsh Comparisons

Other Crime 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 '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.

Marsh

  1. Marsh | Leader in risk, strategy, people, and investments. Marsh; Hero and capability tiles; FAQ: What does Marsh do?; industries served; Is Marsh the same as Marsh McLennan? January 2026 brand change. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Compensation guide for US clients. Marsh; US broking segments; broker role; retail commissions, client fees, wholesale, insurer consulting, contingent and supplemental commissions; Marsh LLC and Marsh USA LLC; page 3: broker role and Marsh & McLennan Agency segment; page 7: copyright © 2024 Marsh LLC. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA). Marsh; Middle-market US organizations; wholly-owned subsidiary; business insurance, employee health and benefits, retirement, private client. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Technology | Insurance Broking & Risk Management. Marsh; Opening Technology Practice description; practice links including data center insurance, fintech and Stratus; Talk to us. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  5. Commercial crime insurance. Marsh; Opening positioning; The crime risks businesses cannot ignore; What does commercial crime insurance cover? (employee white-collar fraud, third-party fraud, collusion, hacking, social engineering fraud, tangible asset theft); Why Marsh: complex crime placements up to $110 million. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  6. Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance. Marsh McLennan Agency; Our policies include D&O, E&O, EPL, commercial crime/fidelity, network security privacy risk/cyber, fiduciary, media liability, IP, architects and engineers, lawyers professional, and kidnap and ransom. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Crime Insurance Guide

  1. Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Crime. 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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