Cowbell vs 
The Hartford Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Cowbell’s fiduciary module is Zurich Select Plus for smaller private firms; The Hartford writes fiduciary inside Private Choice Premier and a financial-institutions line.
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 Fiduciary Liability Insurance?
Fiduciary liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging breaches of duties in managing employee benefit plans. 9,10
Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Two Carriers, Two Package Names
Cowbell’s fiduciary offering is Zurich paper delivered on the Cowbell platform as a Select Plus module. The Hartford underwrites fiduciary liability itself as one of five options in Private Choice Premier, and also as a separate fiduciary line in its financial-institutions management and professional products. 4 3 8
Who Can Buy
Cowbell aims at private companies with fewer than 250 employees and under $50 million in assets. The Hartford says fiduciary is available to nonprofit organizations, publicly traded companies, and privately held companies in its management-liability lineup—without those Cowbell size figures. 4 8
How Each Explains the Cover
Cowbell defines the module as claims from breaches of fiduciary duties related to employee benefit plans. The Hartford says the insurance helps protect a business from claims of fiduciary mismanagement, using an example of a staff member whose medical bills were not paid as the employer’s benefit plans required. 4 8
Distribution
Cowbell’s module is sold only to appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through an API. The Hartford’s reviewed management-liability page presents the cover as part of its own quote-oriented product family rather than a wholesale-only Cowbell feed. 4 8
What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes
- Ask The Hartford whether you would be on Private Choice Premier or the financial-institutions fiduciary line. 8
- Confirm issuer legal names: Zurich on Cowbell’s side; The Hartford entity that would write your policy. 3 8
- Check eligibility if you are a nonprofit or public company, which The Hartford lists and Cowbell’s size FAQ does not. 8 4
- Get limits and retentions; Cowbell’s pages do not publish them, and The Hartford’s reviewed management-liability page does not either. 4 8
Offering Details
Cowbell vs The Hartford Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Fiduciary Liability | The Hartford Fiduciary Liability Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | 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. | The Hartford's fiduciary liability coverage is one of five options in its Private Choice Premier management-liability package; it also offers a separate fiduciary liability line within its financial-institutions management and professional liability products. 8Company-reported. Management liability product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| Issuing Insurer | 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. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Who It’s For | 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. | The Hartford's fiduciary liability 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 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?'. | The Hartford says fiduciary liability insurance helps protect a business from claims of fiduciary mismanagement, giving as an example a staff member's claim after their medical bills weren't paid in accordance with the employer's benefit plans. 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 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. |
| Risk Services | 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. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| How to Apply | 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?'. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
Full Comparison
More Cowbell vs The Hartford Comparisons
Other Fiduciary 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 'Fiduciary 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?' (Fiduciary Liability 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; Fiduciary Liability Insurance section; Who Does Management Liability Insurance Protect?; Management and Professional Liability Insurance for Financial Institutions. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Fiduciary Liability Insurance Guide
- Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2008-04: Guidance Regarding ERISA Fidelity Bonding Requirements. U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; Q2 pp.2–3. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Travelers; What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance? Accessed 2026-09-16.
