Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

Alliance Risk focuses D&O on funding and transaction milestones and reviews existing programs; Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance describes government-investigation and derivative-action costs. 5,10

What Is Alliance Risk?

Alliance Risk suits tech startups from pre-seed through IPO that want a broker to review their tech E&O policy for free and shop specialist insurers; if you want to buy online in minutes, use a digital insurer. Quotes take 24 hours to ten business days, depending on your risk. 1,2,3

Read the Alliance Risk profile

Read the Alliance Risk D&O Insurance page

What Is Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance?

BHSI provides commercial and specialty insurance in the U.S., with product-specific industry lists that include healthcare, energy and technology. Online quote and application submissions are nonbinding. 6,7,8,9

Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance profile

Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance D&O Insurance page

What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

D&O insurance can help pay covered defense costs and losses from claims against company leaders over management decisions. If your organization has a board or executives, check whether the company itself is insured and whether legal bills reduce the limit. 12,13,14

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in D&O Insurance

Who each route targets

Alliance Risk says D&O should be in place at a company’s first priced funding round and lists venture-backed, public, nonprofit, and changing companies among its audiences. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance names large commercial and financial firms as target accounts. A founder approaching institutional funding may find Alliance Risk’s milestone guidance more directly applicable, while a larger organization should ask BHSI whether it fits its stated target segment. 5 4 10

Coverage for investigations and derivative claims

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance describes government-investigation coverage, including informal inquiries of insured individuals without sublimits, and costs related to shareholder derivative actions. Alliance Risk explains the Side A, B, and C structure of the policies it places, showing how personal, company-reimbursement, and entity protection fit together. Boards comparing proposals should test BHSI’s investigation terms against Alliance’s program structure and ask both for the policy wording. 10 10 4

What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Alliance Risk how it structures separate versus shared Side A/B/C limits; ask BHSI whether its investigation and derivative-action costs have conditions or exclusions in the proposed form. 5 10
  • If you are raising your first priced round, ask Alliance Risk when its application should begin; if a larger commercial account, confirm BHSI’s underwriting appetite and timing. 5 10

Review Scores

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.

Alliance Risk

-/ 10

Review Score

No reviews found

Alliance Risk has no customer ratings on the review sites we checked, so there's no Review Score yet. That says nothing bad about the company; it means you'll need to ask for references.[1][4][6]

Read Alliance Risk reviews

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

-/ 10

Review Score

No reviews found

The public ratings for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance are low but thin: Trustpilot shows 2.1 out of 5 from 9 reviews and BBB shows 1 out of 5 from 6. Both mix travel and commercial customers, so we don't count them in a score.[5][7]

Read Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance reviews

Offering Details

Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaAlliance Risk Directors & Officers (D&O) InsuranceExecutive First D&O Liability Insurance
Role in This Line

Alliance Risk places D&O insurance as a broker: it reviews a company's existing D&O program and markets the risk to carriers that specialize in management liability. 4Company-reported. D&O product page; Alliance Risk does not underwrite the policy itself.

Confirm in your quote.

Issuing Insurer

The reviewed D&O page does not name the insurer that would issue a policy; it says Alliance Risk markets a company's risk to carriers that specialize in management liability, so the issuing insurer depends on the placement. 4Not publicly disclosed. D&O product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Confirm in your quote.

Who It’s For

Alliance Risk says D&O is relevant to venture-backed and public companies, high-risk industries such as fintech, healthcare, real estate and financial services, companies going through M&A, IPO or leadership changes, nonprofits, and small private companies without outside investors. 4Company-reported. D&O product page; eligibility for a particular company depends on underwriting.

Alliance Risk says a company should turn on D&O coverage at its first priced funding round, because institutional investment brings personal exposure for directors and officers from day one. 5Company-reported. Management liability page's program-staging guidance, describing D&O specifically among the three bundled lines.

The D&O page names large commercial and financial firms as target accounts. 10Company-reported. U.S. target-account description, not a complete eligibility rule or acceptance commitment.

Coverage Features

Alliance Risk describes D&O policies it places as having three parts: Side A for individual directors and officers when the company cannot indemnify them, Side B reimbursing the company for indemnification costs, and Side C covering the company directly for certain liabilities. 4Company-reported. D&O product page; actual policy structure and whether sides are combined or separately limited depend on the carrier and the policy as issued.

Alliance Risk lists standard D&O exclusions it sees, including fraud and intentional misconduct, criminal acts, bodily injury and property damage, and often prior acts before the policy started; it says employment practices and ERISA benefit-plan claims are typically excluded and need separate EPLI or fiduciary liability coverage. 4Company-reported. D&O product page; exclusion wording varies by carrier and the policy as issued.

The U.S. Executive First D&O page describes coverage for government investigations, including informal investigations of insured individuals without sublimits. 10Company-reported. U.S. D&O product-page summary; the actual policy, definitions, exclusions, conditions, insureds, and state forms control.

BHSI says its D&O product covers plaintiffs’ attorney fees and costs for shareholder derivative actions and company costs to investigate derivative demands or actions where no demand is made. 10Company-reported. U.S. D&O product-page summary; do not read as all derivative-action costs covered under every issued policy.

Limits and Retentions

Alliance Risk publishes indicative Side A limit and premium ranges: mid-size companies ($5M-$50M revenue) typically carry $2M-$5M in Side A limits, and larger private companies $5M-$25M or more. It shows overall D&O premium bands from $2,500-$10,000 for small private companies up to $50,000-$500,000 for large private companies, noting fintech, crypto and venture-backed companies often pay 2-3x more. 4Company-reported. D&O product page; illustrative bands, not a quote for any particular company.

Alliance Risk says entry-level management-liability packages that bundle D&O with EPLI and fiduciary often share a single aggregate limit, so a large EPLI or fiduciary settlement earlier in the policy year can reduce what is left for a later D&O claim; it says a specialist broker structures shared versus separate limits to manage that risk. 5Company-reported. Management liability page's discussion of bundled D&O, EPLI and fiduciary programs.

Confirm in your quote.

Risk Services

Alliance Risk offers a no-charge review of an existing D&O policy, identifying gaps in the Side A/B/C structure and missing endorsements and comparing the program to market options. 4Company-reported. D&O product page, Get Your D&O Risk Review section.

BHSI describes full choice of defense counsel for the D&O product. 10Company-reported. Company-reported product feature; applicable policy terms and any state-specific requirements remain controlling.

How to Apply

For a D&O quote, Alliance Risk asks for company revenue, industry and stage, board composition, investor structure, current D&O coverage and carrier, five-year claims history and upcoming events such as M&A or an IPO, and says it typically delivers proposals within a few business days. 4Company-reported. D&O product page, What We Need for Your Quote section; timing is a company estimate, not a guarantee.

Confirm in your quote.

Claims Support

The reviewed D&O page does not describe an Alliance Risk claims-handling or claims-advocacy process; it discusses what a D&O policy covers rather than how Alliance Risk itself supports a claim. 4Not found in reviewed sources. D&O product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Confirm in your quote.

Full Comparison

More Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Comparisons

Other D&O Insurance Comparisons

Sources

Alliance Risk

  1. Technology Insurance. Alliance Risk; What is Technology Insurance?; Types of Technology; Types of Coverage; startup placement introduction; quote documents and process. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Tech E&O Insurance. Alliance Risk; Opening placement description; Get Your Tech E&O Risk Review; What We Need for Your Quote; Policy Review. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Get a Quote. Alliance Risk; Request form; Prefer to Call?; Why Alliance Risk? section. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Directors & Officers Insurance (D&O). Alliance Risk; D&O Insurance: Protecting Directors and Officers From Personal Liability; The Three Sides of D&O Coverage; What D&O Insurance Does NOT Cover; Who Needs D&O Insurance?; D&O Insurance Cost: What to Expect; How to Buy D&O Insurance; Get Your D&O Risk Review. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  5. Management Liability Insurance: How D&O, EPLI, and Fiduciary Fit Together. Alliance Risk; The shared limit problem; How to structure the program as you scale. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

  1. At A Glance. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; United States section, zero-based PDF pages 49–53 (viewer pages 50–54): product/industry lists on pages 49–50; U.S. disclosure/version footer on page 53 is 2026-8-03 A. The 2026-09-14 A footer is on preceding European page 48, not the U.S. section. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. About Us. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; About BHSI; company profile page re-opened through official site on 2026-09-28; company says it is part of National Indemnity group. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Terms of Service. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Important Information Concerning Use of this Web Site, paragraphs 2–4; nonbinding submissions, contracted-agent authority, state variation, product availability and policy-specific terms. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Public Disclosure — Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Singapore Branch. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Singapore branch public disclosure, Company Profile ¶¶ 1–2; direct page opened 2026-09-28. ¶ 1 identifies BHSIC as a Nebraska-domiciled direct P&C insurer; ¶ 2 states BHSIC is wholly owned by National Indemnity Company, itself wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Executive First Directors & Officers Liability Insurance. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights: government investigations, shareholder derivative actions, late-notice qualification, defense counsel selection; Top Targets: large commercial and financial firms, lines 6–19. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Executive First Private Company Portfolio. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights: D&O, EPL, Fiduciary, Commercial Crime and Employed Lawyers in one comprehensive form; shared or separate limits to $50m; EPL First services. Top Targets: private companies at $10m+ revenues and listed industries, lines 11–25. Portfolio limit is not a separate line limit. Accessed 2026-09-28.

D&O Insurance Guide

  1. Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. The Chubb Primary Directors & Officers and Entity Securities Liability Insurance. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; hosted by eperils; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; I and III.A–B pp.1–2; VI Reporting pp.3–4. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; Header p.1 and VI.A pp.6–7. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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