Cowbell vs Zurich U.S.: How Do They Compare for Management Liability Insurance?

Cowbell says Zurich-appointed E&S wholesalers can access Select Plus through its platform; the product describes up to four modules for eligible private SMEs. Zurich’s broader management-liability page lists D&O, EPLI, fiduciary and crime exposures. ^4,^3,⁷

What Is Cowbell Insurance?

Cowbell suits small and midsize businesses seeking cyber options by company size, with technology E&O and Zurich management-liability options also available; firms needing broad commercial coverage should compare a full-service broker. Some security services cost extra. ^1,^2,³

Read the Cowbell profile

Read the Cowbell Management Liability Insurance page

Zurich U.S. Business Insurance: Products, Access, and Claims

Zurich U.S. serves Middle Market businesses and large or national accounts with commercial property-casualty and specialty insurance. Buyers can explore product lines and work through an agent or broker; the insurer named on a quote or policy identifies which Zurich company underwrites that coverage. ^5,⁶

Read the Zurich U.S. profile

Read the Zurich U.S. Management Liability Insurance page

What Is Management Liability Insurance?

Management liability packages can combine D&O and employment-practices coverage for leader and workplace claims, while benefit-plan protection may be a separate part. Shared limits can let a claim in one part reduce what is available for another, so compare the limits across the quote. ^8,^9,^10,^11,^12,¹³

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Management Liability Insurance

Account eligibility evidence hold

Cowbell says Select Plus targets private SMEs with fewer than 250 employees and under $50 million in assets. Zurich’s selected management-liability page lists exposure categories, not a comparable account-size threshold. This pair remains on hold for an eligibility comparison; no Zurich size limit or broader appetite is inferred. ⁴ ⁷

Modules and policy form

Select Plus names private management and company liability, employment practices and third-party discrimination liability, fiduciary liability, and crime insurance; up to four modules may be combined. Zurich lists D&O, EPLI, fiduciary and crime exposures. Compare module names and wording in the actual proposals because similar labels do not establish identical coverage. ³ ⁷

What to Confirm in Management Liability Insurance Quotes

Ask whether your wholesaler has Zurich E&S appointment and Cowbell platform access, and obtain module limits, retentions and issuing entity. ⁴
Ask about Select Plus using Zurich’s dedicated product page; confirm the form, selected modules, and insurer shown on the declarations. ³

Cowbell and Zurich U.S. Review Scores for 2026

These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.

Cowbell Review Score

2.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Cowbell has one public rating we could find: 1.0 out of 5 on SourceForge from three reviews in 2023. That's too few and too old to say much.^[8]

Read Cowbell reviews

Zurich U.S. Review Score

-/ 10

Review Score

No reviews found

The available Zurich review evidence is mixed and comes from distinct populations: a car-rental-business editorial rating, broad global and U.S. review-platform snapshots, and a BBB business-profile grade. These are not a representative measure of every Zurich commercial policy or claim.^[1]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Read Zurich U.S. reviews

Cowbell vs Zurich U.S. Management Liability Insurance Compared

Cowbell vs Zurich U.S.: Management Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Management Liability	Zurich Management Liability
Role in This Line	Cowbell is the distribution platform, not the insurer: it gives Zurich-appointed E&S wholesalers API access to Zurich's Select Plus management liability product, a modular suite Zurich already sells to larger companies, sized down for small and midsize private businesses. Zurich's own page confirms Select Plus is 'Zurich Insurance, in collaboration with Cowbell,' offered as a 'proprietary form,' with identical FAQ wording to Cowbell's page. ^4,³Company-reported. Cowbell intro paragraph and FAQ; Zurich intro and 'Delivering speed from quoting to policy issuance' section.	Confirm in your quote.
Issuing Insurer	Both Cowbell and Zurich say the product is offered on Zurich admitted paper and backed by 'the reputable Zurich Claims service.' Neither page names the specific underwriting Zurich subsidiary or policy-issuing entity; Zurich's site footer copyright reads 'Zurich American Insurance Company,' but that is a general site-wide notice, not a stated policy-issuer confirmation for Select Plus specifically. ^4,³Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer.	Confirm in your quote.
Who It’s For	Cowbell says the product targets SME private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, and lists target industries including specialty chemicals, technology, energy/utilities, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, retail, and integrated freight & logistics. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and 'Target industries' list.	Zurich says the management-liability suite is designed for public, private and nonprofit companies. ⁷Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; management liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms.
Coverage Features	Zurich's own page names the four Select Plus modules as 'Private Management and Company Liability,' 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability,' 'Fiduciary Liability,' and 'Crime Insurance' -- broader labels than the plain 'D&O' and 'EPL' shorthand Cowbell's FAQ uses -- and says a buyer can combine up to four of these modules into one policy. ³Company-reported. Zurich page 'Protect your small to midsize business with Zurich's Select Plus Management Liability solutions' section. Cowbell describes management liability as a modular umbrella covering four lines within the Select Plus product: private company D&O, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, and crime, each addressing a different category of management or employee risk. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'.	Zurich says Management Liability includes D&O, EPLI, fiduciary liability and crime exposures that traditional CGL does not usually address. ⁷Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; management liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms.
Limits and Retentions	Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page publishes limit or retention amounts for the modules; both were read in full and neither discloses a figure. ^4,³Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.	Confirm in your quote.
Risk Services	Cowbell says the product is backed by Zurich's claims service, and frames the offering's advantage as faster quoting and issuance through Cowbell's technology platform compared with Zurich's standard process, rather than describing separate risk-control services. ⁴Company-reported. Page intro and FAQ 'What makes the Zurich Select Plus offering through Cowbell unique?'.	Zurich describes a coordinated approach aligning interconnected D&O, employee, fiduciary and crime risks. ⁷Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; management liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms.
How to Apply	Access is limited to appointed wholesalers of Zurich Excess & Surplus (E&S): a wholesaler already appointed by Zurich E&S can reach the product through the Cowbell platform via API, and is directed to contact a Cowbell or Zurich representative to set that up. The product is not sold directly to businesses. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'.	Confirm in your quote.
Claims Support	Cowbell says the most common management liability claims fall under employment practices liability, citing discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and retaliation as the most frequent claim types. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?'; describes claim frequency, not Cowbell's own claims-handling process.	Confirm in your quote.

Related Pages for Cowbell vs Zurich U.S. Management Liability

Management Liability Insurance Pages for Cowbell and Zurich U.S.

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Sources for Cowbell vs Zurich U.S. Management Liability Insurance

Sources About 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: 'Zurich Insurance, in collaboration with Cowbell, offers the "Zurich Select Plus" proprietary form'; 'Delivering speed from quoting to policy issuance' section; module names (Private Management and Company Liability, Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability, Fiduciary Liability, Crime Insurance); Targeted industries list; FAQ (identical to the Cowbell page's FAQ); footer copyright. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises. Cowbell; Intro paragraph on the Zurich collaboration; FAQ: access, account size, what makes the offering unique, difference between management liability and D&O, why a company needs it, most common claim type; Target industries list. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Sources About Zurich U.S.

About Us | Zurich U.S. | Commercial Insurance. Zurich U.S.; About Zurich U.S.; customer and industry description; FAQ on U.S. product focus. Accessed 2026-09-28.
Agents and Brokers | Zurich U.S. Zurich U.S.; Agent/broker route and locator. Accessed 2026-09-28.
Management Liability Insurance | Zurich U.S. Zurich U.S.; Management liability, D&O, crime, fiduciary, EPLI. Accessed 2026-09-28.

Sources for the Management Liability Insurance Guide

Glossary of Insurance Terms. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Directors & Officers Liability; Employment Practices Liability Coverage; introductory scope note. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Management Liability Insurance. The Hartford; What Is Management Liability Insurance?; Who Does Management Liability Insurance Protect. Accessed 2026-09-16.
The ForeFront Portfolio. Chubb; Introduction; optional coverage parts; private, not-for-profit and healthcare portfolios. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I p.1; III pp.2–3; IV pp.4–6; VI pp.6–8. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Liability Coverage Terms and Conditions. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; III.B p.3; III.C pp.4–5; III.D–G pp.5–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage Application. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I–II pp.1–2; III–IV pp.2–3; V–VIII pp.3–4. Accessed 2026-09-16.