Cowbell vs StartupInsurance.ai Fiduciary Liability Insurance

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.

StartupInsurance.ai names fiduciary liability as one of the lines its startup program places, alongside general liability, D&O, tech E&O, cyber, employment practices and crime. ⁷Company-reported. Homepage "Coverage: What we place" list as read on 2026-09-23.

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.

The reviewed pages do not name an insurer for fiduciary liability specifically; the homepage's carrier panel is program-wide and not broken out by coverage line. ⁷Not publicly disclosed. Homepage carrier panel as read on 2026-09-23.

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.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

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?'.

StartupInsurance.ai says one major carrier added a blanket AI exclusion to fiduciary forms (along with D&O and E&O), typically arriving at renewal inside an endorsement, and that it checks policies for this exclusion. ⁷Company-reported. Homepage "wording that still says yes" section; names the exclusion trend industrywide but not the carrier, and does not state whether any StartupInsurance.ai-placed fiduciary policy carries this specific endorsement.

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.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

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.

StartupInsurance.ai's free policy check reviews an existing program for AI exclusions within 48 hours, and the homepage specifically calls out fiduciary as one of the forms affected by the AI-exclusion trend it checks for. ⁷Company-reported. Homepage service description; a marketing offer describing what the review covers, not a report on any specific customer's fiduciary policy.

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?'.

"Fiduciary" is one of seven coverage boxes on StartupInsurance.ai's online quote-intake screen, described there as covering "claims related to employee benefit plan management." ⁶Company-reported. Initial coverage-selection screen of the quote application; does not show the underwriting questions that follow for this line.