Cowbell vs Liberty Mutual: Commercial Crime Insurance

Liberty Mutual includes crime in its ProShield package for private and not-for-profit organizations; Cowbell offers crime as a module of Zurich's Select Plus for companies under 250 employees and $50M in assets, open only to appointed wholesalers.

Van Ness Partners presents a practical comparison of source materials relevant to financial crime exposures.Research updated 2026-10-01

Crime coverage

Cowbell

  • role: 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. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • 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. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • eligibility: 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. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Cowbell describes crime coverage as protecting against losses resulting from criminal acts such as theft, fraud, and embezzlement committed by employees or third parties. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes crime-coverage limit or retention amounts. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.not-disclosedSource ↗Source ↗
  • 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. Management liability page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.not-disclosedSource ↗Source ↗
  • application: 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. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'.company-reportedSource ↗

Liberty Mutual

  • role: Liberty Mutual includes crime coverage in its ProShield management-liability package for private and not-for-profit organizations. Liberty Mutual’s cited product or program overview documents this description. It does not establish the issuing insurer for an individual quote, exact state or provincial availability, the policy form, complete exclusions, or terms offered to a particular buyer; confirm those in the quote and policy documents.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: The ProShield page lists employee dishonesty, embezzlement, safe burglary, computer fraud and other crime exposures, plus selected coverage enhancements; these are marketing summaries, not policy terms. Liberty Mutual’s cited product or program overview documents this description. It does not establish the issuing insurer for an individual quote, exact state or provincial availability, the policy form, complete exclusions, or terms offered to a particular buyer; confirm those in the quote and policy documents.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: The source scopes ProShield to private and not-for-profit organizations; a specific organization’s eligibility is not established. Liberty Mutual’s cited product or program overview documents this description. It does not establish the issuing insurer for an individual quote, exact state or provincial availability, the policy form, complete exclusions, or terms offered to a particular buyer; confirm those in the quote and policy documents.company-reportedSource ↗
  • services: Liberty Mutual describes ProShield as one package policy that combines multiple management-liability coverages and is designed to reduce the need for separate endorsements. Liberty Mutual’s cited product or program overview documents this description. It does not establish the issuing insurer for an individual quote, exact state or provincial availability, the policy form, complete exclusions, or terms offered to a particular buyer; confirm those in the quote and policy documents.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: The cited public overview does not establish the limits, deductibles, exclusions or form terms that would apply to a specific buyer. Ask for the quote and specimen or issued policy forms before treating a listed feature as covered.not-disclosedSource ↗

What Are the Key Differences Between Cowbell and Liberty Mutual Crime Insurance?

Wholesaler access and account scope

Cowbell says its Select Plus crime module is accessed through appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers using Cowbell’s platform API and is not sold directly to businesses. It targets private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets. Liberty Mutual describes ProShield crime for private and not-for-profit organizations. Confirm the applicable access route and eligibility for your organization before comparing a quote. [3] [4]

Crime descriptions and policy identity

Cowbell describes crime as one module within Zurich Select Plus and lists theft, fraud and embezzlement by employees or third parties. Liberty Mutual lists employee dishonesty, embezzlement, safe burglary and computer fraud in ProShield. Those are company descriptions, not policy wording. Ask for the actual agreements, quote-specific issuer and limits; do not assume a brand name alone identifies the issuing company. [3] [4]

What Should You Confirm in Cowbell and Liberty Mutual Crime Insurance Quotes?

  • Ask the appointed wholesaler whether your size qualifies and which insurer appears on the quote. [3]
  • Ask Liberty Mutual which ProShield crime agreements and organization criteria apply. [4]

Cowbell describes Select Plus crime access through appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers and targets private firms under 250 employees and $50 million in assets; Liberty Mutual describes ProShield crime for private and not-for-profit organizations.

Sources consulted

  1. 01
    Commercial Insurance Guide

    California Department of Insurance · Crime · accessed 2026-09-16

  2. 02
    Social Engineering Fraud Insurance

    Chubb · Opening; coverage highlights · accessed 2026-09-16

  3. 03
    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

  4. 04
    ProShield

    Liberty Mutual Business Insurance · Opening paragraphs identify package combining directors and officers, employment practices, fiduciary, and crime coverages; D&O and crime sections describe examples of exposures and selected coverage features. Examples are not policy terms. · accessed 2026-09-29

  5. 05
    Crime Terms and Conditions

    The Travelers Companies, Inc. · I.A–G, printed/PDF pages 1–4; III.RR, printed/PDF p.13; V.B.1–2, printed/PDF pp.18–20; Consideration, printed/PDF p.1; III.P p.8; V.A.3 pp.16–17; V.A.4 p.17; V.B.3 p.20; I.A.3 p.1; III.C p.7; III.S pp.8–9; III.II and III.KK p.12; III.QQ p.13; V.A.5 pp.17–18 (printed/PDF pages); IV.J–O, printed/PDF pages 14–15 · accessed 2026-09-16

  6. 06
    Crime Non-Financial Applications and Forms

    Travelers · Opening paragraph; Sample Policy Forms · accessed 2026-09-16

  7. 07
    Commercial Crime Coverage Application

    Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America · I–III pages 1–2; IX–XI pages 3–4; V–VII, printed/PDF pages 2–3 · accessed 2026-09-16

  8. 08
    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

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