What Are the Key Differences Between Beazley and Cowbell Crime Insurance?
Who Qualifies and How You Buy
Beazley writes crime for ordinary commercial companies and sends banks and other financial institutions to its separate fidelity bonds. Cowbell's crime module is only reachable through an appointed Zurich wholesale broker using Cowbell's platform, so your own broker has to go through one of them. Choose Beazley if you have more than 250 employees, more than $50 million in assets or need a high limit; choose Cowbell if you are a small private company that wants crime alongside other Zurich management-liability modules. [1] [4] [8]
Limits and Published Coverage Detail
Beazley publishes a $25 million maximum and a long list of insuring agreements, from employee theft and forgery to computer fraud, client-property loss and credit-card fraud. Cowbell describes crime in one sentence (theft, fraud and embezzlement by employees or third parties) and publishes no limit or retention, so you learn the numbers only at quote. [1] [4] [8]
Wire Fraud and Claims
Beazley's fraudulent-instruction cover pays for wires sent to someone posing as a vendor, client or colleague, but only if you verified the instruction out of band, such as a call-back. Beazley also says its underwriters and claims staff work side by side. Cowbell's pages describe claims backing only for Select Plus as a whole and no crime-specific risk-control help. [1] [4]
What Should You Confirm in Beazley and Cowbell Crime Insurance Quotes?
- For Cowbell, confirm your broker can reach an appointed Zurich wholesaler. [4]
- Ask Cowbell for the crime limit and retention, and ask which Zurich entity issues the policy. [8]
- Ask Beazley for retentions and any sublimits by insuring agreement; only the $25 million maximum is published. [1]
- Before relying on Beazley's wire-fraud cover, confirm your payment process meets its out-of-band verification condition and whether you need its separate Social Engineering application. [1]