Cowbell vs 
Newfront Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Cowbell’s Zurich EPL module is for private companies under 250 employees; Newfront brokers EPLI from seed stage through 500-plus public companies.
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 Newfront?
Newfront is a business-insurance and employee-benefits brokerage that combines specialist teams with online policy-management tools. It is now part of WTW. 5,6,7,8
What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
Employment practices liability insurance addresses claims alleging workplace wrongdoing, such as discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination. 10
Key Differences in Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Private SME Module Versus Seed-to-Public Practice
Cowbell targets private companies with under 250 employees and under $50 million in assets. Newfront says it services private companies from seed round through every series of funding and has worked with over 500 publicly traded companies, without an EPLI-specific headcount cap. Public-company EPLI sits outside Cowbell’s described private-company screen. 4 9
How You Reach the Market
Cowbell’s module is accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through the Cowbell API. Newfront starts an EPLI placement with a consultation on its Executive Risk page; that page does not describe online quoting or binding. Cowbell/Zurich underwrite Select Plus; Newfront brokers EPLI and does not name the issuing insurer on the reviewed page. 4 3 9
Services Around the Policy
Newfront says it uses predictive models as coverage adapts through growth stages, offers 24/7 dashboard access to policies, certificates and billing, and provides integrated claims and coverage negotiation for Executive Risk lines. Cowbell’s reviewed FAQs describe the EPL module and claim frequency; they do not describe a client policy dashboard or integrated claims negotiation. Newfront frames management-liability work as shielding directors and officers from wrongful discrimination and termination; Cowbell frames EPL as a management-liability module covering employment-practice claims. 9 4
What to Confirm in Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes
- If you are public or above 250 employees, ask whether Select Plus still applies; Newfront’s practice description includes public companies. 4 9
- Ask Newfront which insurer it would place versus Zurich admitted paper on Cowbell. 9 3
- Compare claims processes: Newfront cites integrated negotiation; Cowbell’s pages do not describe a claims workflow for this module. 9 4
- Get limits and retentions from both quotes. 9 4
Offering Details
Cowbell vs Newfront Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Employment Practices Liability | Newfront Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Employment practices liability (EPL) is one module within Cowbell's distribution of Zurich's Select Plus management liability product; Cowbell operates the platform, Zurich underwrites. Zurich's own page names this module 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability,' broader than the plain 'EPL' shorthand Cowbell's FAQ uses. 4,3Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section. | Newfront's Executive Risk practice brokers EPLI coverage, negotiating placement for management-liability lines. Deirdre Finn, the Executive Risk Solutions Practice Leader, oversees the D&O, employment-practices and fiduciary book of business. 9Company-reported. Executive Risk offering page and Leadership section. |
| Issuing Insurer | Cowbell and Zurich both say the Select Plus modules, including EPL, 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 EPL module. 4,3Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer. | The reviewed Executive Risk page does not name the insurer or insurers that would issue an EPLI policy placed through Newfront. 9Not publicly disclosed. Executive Risk page as read on 2026-09-23; carrier depends on the specific placement. |
| Who It’s For | Cowbell targets this EPL module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, across industries such as retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. 4Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. | Newfront says it services private companies from seed round through every series of funding and has worked with over 500 publicly traded companies, without an EPLI-specific eligibility threshold. 9Company-reported. Here for the Long Run section; figures describe the executive-risk practice broadly, not EPLI specifically. |
| Coverage Features | Cowbell describes EPL as covering claims related to employment practices, including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and other employment-related issues. 4Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. Cowbell says EPL claims are the most common type of management liability claim overall, most frequently alleging discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, or retaliation for a legally protected activity such as filing a complaint or whistleblowing. 4Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?'. | Newfront lists Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) among its Executive Risk Key Coverages, and describes its management-liability work as "shielding D&Os from wrongful discrimination, termination, and other employment-related issues." 9Company-reported. Key Coverages list and Committed to Client Advocacy section; the quoted language frames EPLI around protecting leadership rather than describing named insuring agreements. |
| Limits and Retentions | Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes EPL limit or retention amounts. 4,3Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. | The reviewed Executive Risk page does not publish EPLI limits or retentions. 9Not publicly disclosed. Executive Risk page as read on 2026-09-23. |
| Risk Services | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Newfront says it tailors guidance for every growth stage using predictive models to help coverage adapt to evolving risks, and offers 24/7 dashboard access to policies, certificates and billing. 9Company-reported. The Newfront Difference and Industry-Leading Technology sections of the Executive Risk page. |
| How to Apply | This EPL 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 start an EPLI placement by requesting a consultation through Newfront's Executive Risk page. 9Company-reported. Executive Risk page call-to-action; no online quoting or binding described. |
| Claims Support | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Newfront says it provides "integrated claims and coverage negotiation" for its Executive Risk lines, which would apply to an EPLI claim. 9Company-reported. The Newfront Difference section; described across Executive Risk lines, not an EPLI-specific claims workflow. |
Full Comparison
More Cowbell vs Newfront Comparisons
Other Employment Practices Liability 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 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability'; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' and 'What is the most common management liability claim?' (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?' (EPL definition); FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?' (EPL claim types); Target industries list. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Newfront
- Business Insurance. Newfront; Purpose-Built Team; Full Transparency; Streamlined Program Management. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Employee Benefits. Newfront; Employee Benefits heading; Tailored Solutions; Comprehensive Expertise: Benefits, Global Benefits, Compensation and Retirement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- WTW Completes Acquisition Of Newfront. WTW; 27 January 2026 release; completion announcement and allocation of Business Insurance and Total Rewards to WTW segments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Executive Risk. Newfront; Key Coverages to Protect Your Business: Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI); Committed to Client Advocacy: shielding D&Os from wrongful discrimination and termination; Leadership: Deirdre Finn. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance Guide
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening; What EPLI covers; Steps to limit employment liability risk. Accessed 2026-09-16.
