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
What Is Nationwide?
Nationwide’s commercial catalogue includes common small-business policies and separate specialty products. A catalogue listing does not establish eligibility or policy terms; confirm the issuing company and coverage for your state and business. 5,6,7
What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?
D&O insurance can help pay covered defense costs and losses from claims against company leaders over management decisions. If your organization has a board or executives, check whether the company itself is insured and whether legal bills reduce the limit. 9,10,11
Key Differences in D&O Insurance
Cowbell Sets a Private-Company Size Band
Cowbell targets its Zurich Select Plus D&O module at private companies with fewer than 250 employees and under $50 million in assets, including technology, construction, manufacturing, hospitality and retail. Nationwide’s D&O overview describes coverage for businesses and directors/officers but does not publish comparable size or industry limits. Companies near those thresholds should ask Cowbell whether they qualify and get Nationwide’s specific appetite decision before comparing terms. 4 8
Cowbell’s Product Is a Zurich Module, Not a Direct Business Sale
Cowbell describes D&O as one module in Zurich’s Select Plus management-liability product; Zurich underwrites it, and only appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers can access it through Cowbell’s platform. Nationwide directs buyers to contact an agent or request a quote but does not specify an intermediary structure in its overview. Ask who submits and services each risk and which company appears as issuer on the declarations. 3 8
Cowbell Describes Protection for Both Leaders and the Company
Cowbell says its module protects directors’ and officers’ personal assets and the company’s financial assets against claims alleging wrongful acts, including legal fees, settlements and defense costs. Nationwide describes D&O coverage for claims tied to alleged management decisions or wrongful acts but does not detail personal and entity coverage separately. Request each form’s Side A, Side B and Side C grants and confirm how defense expenses reduce limits. 4 8
What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes
- Ask Cowbell which Zurich module and underwriting entity appear on the offer and whether your size fits; ask Nationwide for its insured entity and eligibility requirements. 3 8
- Compare individual and entity coverage, defense-cost erosion, limits, retentions and wholesaler or agent servicing roles. 4 8
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
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 reviewsNationwide
Review Score
4 rated sources
Experts like Nationwide more than customers do. NerdWallet gives it 4.5 out of 5 for business insurance, while small-business customers on ConsumerAffairs give it 2.5 out of 5 from 19 reviews.[1][10]
Read Nationwide reviewsOffering Details
Cowbell vs Nationwide: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Private Company D&O | Nationwide directors officers (official overview) |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Private Company D&O is one module within Cowbell's distribution of Zurich's Select Plus management liability product; Cowbell gives Zurich-appointed E&S wholesalers platform access, and Zurich underwrites the module. Zurich's own page labels this module 'Private Management and Company Liability' rather than plain 'D&O.' 4,3Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section. | Nationwide describes offering directors officers for the audience stated on the cited product page. 8Company-reported. directors officers marketed by nationwide; 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 D&O, are offered 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 D&O module. 4,3Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Who It’s For | Cowbell targets this D&O module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, in industries such as technology, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, and retail. 4Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. | Businesses and directors/officers described by Nationwide; page does not establish universal limits or terms. 8Company-reported. directors officers marketed by nationwide; 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 D&O liability as protecting the personal assets of directors and officers and the company's financial assets against claims alleging wrongful acts in their capacity as directors and officers. 4Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. | The cited product page describes D&O insurance for claims tied to alleged decisions or wrongful acts by company directors and officers, subject to policy terms. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 8Company-reported. directors officers marketed by nationwide; 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 D&O 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. 8Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred. |
| Risk Services | Cowbell frames D&O coverage as a way to help attract and retain directors and officers by giving them personal-asset protection, and says the product covers legal fees, settlements, and other defense costs for the company and its management. 4Company-reported. FAQ 'Why does my company need management liability coverage?'. | Confirm in your quote. |
| How to Apply | This D&O 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 directs prospective customers to contact an agent or request a quote. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 8Company-reported. directors officers marketed by nationwide; 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 Nationwide Comparisons
Other D&O 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 'Private Management and Company 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.
- Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises. Cowbell; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' (D&O definition); FAQ 'Why does my company need management liability coverage?' (Protection for Directors and Officers, Legal Expense Coverage, Attracting and Retaining Talent bullets); Target industries list. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Nationwide
- Small Business Insurance. Nationwide; Small business products and solutions, lines 185–214: BOP, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, umbrella, EPLI, cyber and surety; purchase guidance lines 235–247. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Small Business Insurance Solutions for Agents. Nationwide; Specialized small commercial solutions: BOP, auto, workers’ compensation, cyber, EPLI, umbrella, inland marine and professional liability; page states appetite varies by state, lines 129–163, 191–193. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Terms and Conditions for Nationwide.com. Nationwide; P&C products not offered by all companies/states; policy/declarations control; NMI and affiliates may underwrite; each underwriter responsible for own products, lines 358–368 and 391–394. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Directors and Officers Liability. Nationwide; D&O page; management-liability product and covered exposures. Accessed 2026-09-30.
D&O Insurance Guide
- Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- The Chubb Primary Directors & Officers and Entity Securities Liability Insurance. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; hosted by eperils; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; I and III.A–B pp.1–2; VI Reporting pp.3–4. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; Header p.1 and VI.A pp.6–7. Accessed 2026-09-16.
