---
title: "Cowbell vs Marsh Crime Insurance"
description: "Cowbell’s Zurich crime module is capped at smaller private companies; Marsh describes complex crime placements from about $10 million to $110 million."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/crime"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

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[Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/crime)

# 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.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate Cowbell and Marsh for Crime Insurance against the same documented criteria. It identifies differences and questions to confirm; it does not select a winner for a particular business. Offering claims are what each provider publishes about this line unless marked otherwise. “Not found” describes the evidence reviewed, not proof that a feature is unavailable. Confirm the insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and cost in an actual quote.

## Summary

Cowbell distributes Zurich Select Plus crime through appointed E&S wholesalers for private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets. Marsh’s financial and professional liability practice places commercial crime, says it has handled complex placements from about $10 million to $110 million, and notes that crime policies usually exclude ransomware. [4](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance")

## 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](https://cowbell.insure/ "Cowbell") [2](https://cowbell.insure/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/CB-US-PrimeTech-Overview-1.pdf "Prime Tech Product Overview") [3](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus")

[Cowbell profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/cowbell)

## 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](https://www.marsh.com/en/home.html "Marsh | Leader in risk, strategy, people, and investments") [6](https://www.marsh.com/content/dam/marsh/Documents/PDF/US-en/us-client-compensation-guide.pdf "Compensation guide for US clients") [7](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/marsh-mclennan-agency.html "Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA)") [8](https://www.marsh.com/en/industries/technology.html "Technology | Insurance Broking & Risk Management")

[Marsh profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/marsh)

## What Is Crime Insurance?

Crime insurance addresses business losses from specified theft and fraud risks, such as robbery, forgery and embezzlement. [11](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm "Commercial Insurance 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance")

### 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [3](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance") [10](https://www.marshmma.com/us/solutions/executive-and-professional-liability.html "Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance")

### 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance")

## 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance")
- Ask Marsh whether the quote is Marsh corporate or MMA, and whether ransomware is excluded. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance") [10](https://www.marshmma.com/us/solutions/executive-and-professional-liability.html "Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance")
- Name the Zurich E&S wholesaler and issuing entity on a Cowbell quote. [4](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [3](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus")
- Ask Marsh whether infill social-engineering cover is being quoted above your primary crime limit. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance")

## Offering Details

| Criteria | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Crime Coverage | Marsh 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [3](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance") [10](https://www.marshmma.com/us/solutions/executive-and-professional-liability.html "Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [3](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: 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. [4](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [4](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [3](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: 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. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") [3](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability "Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: 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. [9](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [4](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/ "Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html "Commercial crime insurance") [10](https://www.marshmma.com/us/solutions/executive-and-professional-liability.html "Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Commercial crime insurance and MMA executive and professional liability pages..) |

## Full Comparison

- [Cowbell vs Marsh](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Is Crime Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/crime): Crime insurance can help recover business losses from specified theft and fraud, including employee theft, forgery and payment fraud.
- [Cowbell vs Marsh Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/cyber)
- [Cowbell vs Marsh D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/directors-officers)
- [Cowbell vs Marsh Employment Practices Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/employment-practices)
- [Cowbell vs Marsh Fiduciary Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/fiduciary)
- [Cowbell vs Marsh Management Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/management-liability)
- [Cowbell vs Marsh Tech E&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/technology-errors-omissions)
- [Alliance Risk vs Cowbell Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-cowbell/crime)
- [Alliance Risk vs Marsh Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-marsh/crime)
- [Beazley vs Cowbell Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cowbell/crime)
- [Beazley vs Marsh Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-marsh/crime)
- [CFC vs Cowbell Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-cowbell/crime)
- [CFC vs Marsh Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-marsh/crime)

## Sources

### Cowbell

1. [Cowbell](https://cowbell.insure/). Cowbell; What We Do; Assess, Insure, Respond and Improve; U.S. navigation; footer legal disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-15.
2. [Prime Tech Product Overview](https://cowbell.insure/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/CB-US-PrimeTech-Overview-1.pdf). 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](https://www.zurichna.com/insurance/excess-and-surplus/small-business-management-liability). 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](https://cowbell.insure/mgmt-liability/). 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

5. [Marsh | Leader in risk, strategy, people, and investments](https://www.marsh.com/en/home.html). 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.
6. [Compensation guide for US clients](https://www.marsh.com/content/dam/marsh/Documents/PDF/US-en/us-client-compensation-guide.pdf). 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.
7. [Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA)](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/marsh-mclennan-agency.html). Marsh; Middle-market US organizations; wholly-owned subsidiary; business insurance, employee health and benefits, retirement, private client. Accessed 2026-09-16.
8. [Technology | Insurance Broking & Risk Management](https://www.marsh.com/en/industries/technology.html). Marsh; Opening Technology Practice description; practice links including data center insurance, fintech and Stratus; Talk to us. Accessed 2026-09-16.
9. [Commercial crime insurance](https://www.marsh.com/en/services/financial-professional-liability/expertise/commercial-crime-insurance.html). 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.
10. [Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance](https://www.marshmma.com/us/solutions/executive-and-professional-liability.html). 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

11. [Commercial Insurance Guide](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/09-comm/commercialguide.cfm). California Department of Insurance; Crime. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated 2026-09-23. 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](https://spot.insure/editorial-policy). To suggest a correction, [contact Spot](https://spot.insure/contact) with the page URL and supporting source.

## Agent and Developer Resources

- [Markdown page](https://spot.insure/compare/cowbell-vs-marsh/crime.md)
- [Developer resources](https://spot.insure/developers)
- [Public MCP server](https://spot.insure/mcp)
- [MCP server manifest](https://spot.insure/server.json)
- [OpenAPI description](https://spot.insure/openapi.json)
- [Public page index](https://spot.insure/llms.txt)