Cowbell vs 
The Hartford Crime Insurance
Cowbell distributes Zurich Select Plus crime via wholesalers; The Hartford includes crime in Private Choice Premier and a financial-institutions fidelity track.
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 The Hartford?
The Hartford is the brand of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc., whose subsidiaries underwrite property-and-casualty insurance and employee benefits. Small-business buyers can start online or by phone or work through independent agents, while the issuing company and state eligibility still have to be confirmed on a quote. 5,6,7
What Is Crime Insurance?
Crime insurance addresses business losses from specified theft and fraud risks, such as robbery, forgery and embezzlement. 9
Key Differences in Crime Insurance
Two Management-Liability Packages
Cowbell distributes Zurich’s Select Plus product, where crime is one of four modules Zurich underwrites. The Hartford’s crime insurance is one of five options in Private Choice Premier and is also offered as bond and commercial crime (fidelity) within its financial-institutions product track. 4 3 8
Cowbell and Zurich say Select Plus modules including crime sit on Zurich admitted paper. The Hartford describes crime inside those two Hartford product tracks. 3 8
How Each Describes the Perils
Cowbell’s FAQ describes theft, fraud and embezzlement by employees or third parties. The Hartford says crime insurance helps cover business-related crimes like employee theft, forgery or robbery, giving as an example an employee stealing money from a cash register. 4 8
What to Confirm in Crime Insurance Quotes
- Ask The Hartford whether crime is inside Private Choice Premier or the financial-institutions fidelity track. 8
- Confirm Cowbell access through an appointed Zurich E&S wholesaler and your employee and asset figures. 4
- Match employee theft, forgery and robbery on the bound forms to each company’s public description. 8 4
Offering Details
Cowbell vs The Hartford Crime Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Crime Coverage | The Hartford Crime Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | The Hartford's crime insurance is one of five options in its Private Choice Premier management-liability package, and is offered separately as bond and commercial crime (fidelity) coverage within its financial-institutions product track. 8Company-reported. Management liability product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| 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. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| 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. | The Hartford's crime coverage is available to nonprofit organizations, publicly traded companies and privately-held companies as part of its management-liability lineup. 8Company-reported. Management liability product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| 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?'. | The Hartford says crime insurance helps cover business-related crimes like employee theft, forgery or robbery, giving as an example an employee stealing money from a cash register. 8Company-reported. Management liability product page as read 2026-09-23. General coverage description; the issued policy controls. |
| 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. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| 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. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| 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?'. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
Full Comparison
More Cowbell vs The Hartford Comparisons
Other Crime 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 '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.
- 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.
The Hartford
- Legal Notice. The Hartford; The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. holding-company description; no representation that all products are available in all locations; P&C writing-company table as of December 31, 2025 including Hartford Fire (NAIC 19682) and Hartford Underwriters (NAIC 30104); life writing companies including Hartford Life and Accident (NAIC 70815). Accessed 2026-09-16.
- SaaS Insurance for Your Business. The Hartford; Audience list (software startups, SaaS, IT consulting); Get a Business Owner’s Policy; What Is Business Owner’s Policy Insurance?; general liability introduction and Get a Quote; Get Commercial Property Insurance; Commercial Property Insurance for Your Business; Benefits of The Hartford’s WC Insurance for Employers and Employees; cyber insurance and data breach descriptions; Get a quote for cyber insurance; EPLI introduction and Private Choice Premier; add-ons (workers’ compensation, data breach, commercial auto); technology professional liability mention; small-business availability banner; industry-average premium footnote; footnote 2 state restrictions; footer product-availability disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Find a Local Insurance Agent. The Hartford; Small-business and midsize agent locators; FAQ that buyers can purchase without an agent by calling or quoting online; statement that agents may charge fees. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Management Liability Insurance | Get a Quote. The Hartford; Crime Insurance section; Who Does Management Liability Insurance Protect?; Management and Professional Liability Insurance for Financial Institutions (Bond and commercial crime (fidelity)). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Crime Insurance Guide
- Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Crime. Accessed 2026-09-16.
