Cowbell vs 
USI Insurance Services: How Do They Compare for Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
Cowbell distributes Zurich-written EPL for private companies under 250 employees through firms Zurich appoints to distribute the module. USI Insurance Services brokers EPL for small and midsize businesses and offers risk-management services through its Business Services practice.
Cowbell’s EPL, written by Zurich, covers private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets and is reachable only through a wholesale broker; USI is a broker you contact directly that places EPL for janitorial, staffing and other business-services firms and advocates for you on claims. 1,2,3,4
What Are the Key Differences Between Cowbell and USI Insurance Services Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
Retail and Hospitality Module vs Business-Services Broker
Cowbell distributes Zurich Select Plus, where Zurich underwrites the EPL module for private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets, naming retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Only appointed Zurich wholesalers can access it, so your broker must go through one. USI is a broker you email or visit locally; its Business Services practice lists EPL for building maintenance, repair, janitorial, staffing and printing companies. Choose Cowbell if you are a small private retailer, restaurant or manufacturer whose broker has wholesale access; choose USI if you run a janitorial, staffing or maintenance business or already have EPL to audit. 1 2 3
Claim Advocacy and Gap Reviews vs Product FAQs
USI offers classification and exposure reviews, claim advocacy and contract review across lines including EPL, and its ExecuSafe team checks an existing EPL policy for gaps. Cowbell’s FAQs explain EPL and how often claims happen but describe no reviews or claims help from Cowbell itself. If you want someone arguing your side of a claim, USI says it will; with Cowbell you deal with Zurich. 3 4 1
Known Insurer vs Unnamed Markets
Cowbell’s EPL is issued by Zurich on an admitted basis (state guaranty funds apply). USI doesn’t name the insurers it uses for EPL. Neither publishes limits, so compare quotes on paper. 2 3
What Should You Confirm in Cowbell and USI Insurance Services Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes?
- Ask USI whether it can access Zurich Select Plus through a wholesaler, and which insurer it would otherwise use. 3 2
- Janitorial and staffing firms: ask USI how it prices EPL for your trade. 3 1
- Ask who handles your claim day to day: a USI advocate or Zurich’s adjusters. 3 1
- Get limits and retentions in writing from both. 4 1
Cowbell vs USI Insurance Services Employment Practices Liability Compared
Cowbell vs USI Insurance Services: Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Employment Practices Liability | USI Employment Practices Liability Brokerage |
|---|---|---|
| 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. 1Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. | USI's Business Services practice, which lists EPL, targets building and maintenance, repair service, janitorial, staffing and printing companies; its ExecuSafe review targets small- and medium-sized businesses generally. 3,4Company-reported. Company description of client segments for each source. |
| 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. 1Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'. | USI directs business-services inquiries to pcinquiries@usi.com or a local office, and ExecuSafe/management-liability inquiries to Select.Business@usi.com. 3,4Company-reported. Contact instructions on each page. |
| Coverage Features | Cowbell describes EPL as covering claims related to employment practices, including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and other employment-related issues. 1Company-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. 1Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?'. | USI lists employment practices liability among the coverages it places for business-services clients, and its ExecuSafe review looks for gaps in a client's existing EPL coverage as part of a broader management liability check. 3,4Company-reported. Catalogue listing plus the ExecuSafe review description; actual insuring agreements and exclusions are set by the issued policy. |
| 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. 1,2Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section. | USI brokers employment practices liability (EPL) coverage, which responds to claims like wrongful termination, discrimination or harassment; it places EPL individually or reviews it as part of a management liability program under ExecuSafe. 3,4Company-reported. Business Services catalogue and ExecuSafe article. |
