Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?

Alliance Risk says fiduciary coverage can fit employers sponsoring a 401(k), pension, or health plan, including nonprofits, sole proprietors, partnerships, and multi-employer or union plans. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance names private companies with at least $10 million in revenue among Executive First portfolio targets. 4,10

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 Fiduciary Liability 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 Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance?

Fiduciary liability can protect your company and plan fiduciaries when participants claim mishandling of an employee benefit plan. If you sponsor a retirement or health plan, check who is insured and whether both administration errors and fiduciary-breach claims are addressed. 12,13,14

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance

What the Published Terms Show

Alliance Risk’s plan-based audience includes organizations that might fall below Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s stated revenue target. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance may suit a larger private company combining fiduciary with D&O, EPL, crime, and employed-lawyer insurance. A small plan sponsor should ask Alliance Risk which carrier will quote it; a larger buyer should test Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s appetite and exact plan eligibility. 4 11

Structure and Buyer Fit

Alliance Risk lists DOL audits and penalties among typically covered fiduciary costs and says a 401(k) should trigger a coverage review when it launches. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s dedicated fiduciary policy page lists full settlor coverage, ACA gap coverage, and fines and penalties, with specialized defense counsel recommended but not required. Compare these terms against the plan’s actual risks. 4 11

What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Alliance Risk to identify the carrier and whether DOL audit costs and penalties are covered under the proposed wording. Ask Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance for the fiduciary line limit and the terms for ACA gaps, fines, and defense counsel. 4 11

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: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaAlliance Risk Fiduciary Liability InsuranceFiduciary Liability in Executive First Private Company Portfolio
Role in This Line

Alliance Risk places fiduciary liability coverage as a broker: it reviews a company's current coverage and markets the risk to carriers that specialize in fiduciary liability. 4Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page; Alliance Risk does not underwrite the policy itself.

BHSI lists fiduciary liability as a component of its Executive First Private Company Portfolio comprehensive form with D&O, EPL, Commercial Crime and employed-lawyer insurance. 10Company-reported. This is a marketed portfolio component; the source does not say every line is required or that limits are shared.

Issuing Insurer

The reviewed fiduciary liability 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 fiduciary liability, so the issuing insurer depends on the placement. 4Not publicly disclosed. Fiduciary liability product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Confirm in your quote.

Who It’s For

Alliance Risk targets fiduciary liability coverage at any employer sponsoring a 401(k), defined benefit pension or health plan, including multi-employer and union plans, nonprofits, sole proprietors and partnerships with plans, and professional groups managing partner retirement plans; it says even plans fully outsourced to a TPA still need fiduciary coverage because the sponsor retains oversight liability. 4Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page; eligibility for a particular company depends on underwriting.

Alliance Risk says a company should add fiduciary liability coverage when it launches a 401(k) or similar benefit plan, because ERISA fiduciary duty attaches the moment the plan goes live. 5Company-reported. Management liability page's program-staging guidance, describing fiduciary liability specifically among the three bundled lines.

The portfolio targets private companies with at least $10 million in revenue and names construction, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, service, technology and transportation sectors. 10Company-reported. These are portfolio target-account statements, not guaranteed fiduciary eligibility.

BHSI identifies large commercial and financial firms with complex risk-transfer needs as targets for this fiduciary policy. 11Company-reported. A target segment does not guarantee eligibility for an applicant or plan.

Coverage Features

Alliance Risk lists legal defense costs, settlements and judgments, and Department of Labor audits and penalties as typically covered, responding to claims such as excessive-fee litigation and imprudent investment selection; it says criminal and fraudulent acts, bodily injury and property damage, and employee dishonesty (covered instead by an ERISA fidelity bond) are excluded. 4Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page; coverage and exclusions described in general terms, subject to the policy as issued.

BHSI names fiduciary liability as one component of the Executive First Private Company Portfolio. 10Company-reported. The source does not describe the fiduciary insuring agreement, covered plans or insured parties.

BHSI’s Executive First Fiduciary Liability Policy page lists full settlor coverage, Affordable Care Act gap coverage, and coverage for fines and penalties; it says specialized defense counsel is recommended but not required. 11Company-reported. These are company-described product highlights. Applicable law, policy wording, conditions and exclusions govern a given plan or claim.

Limits and Retentions

Alliance Risk states standard fiduciary liability deductibles it sees range from $5,000 to $50,000, with smaller, lower-risk plans qualifying for lower deductibles and higher deductibles reducing premium at the cost of more out-of-pocket exposure in a claim. 4Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page FAQ; illustrative range, not a quote for any particular plan.

Alliance Risk says entry-level management-liability packages that bundle fiduciary liability with D&O and EPLI often share a single aggregate limit, so a large D&O or EPLI settlement earlier in the policy year can reduce what is left for a fiduciary 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.

BHSI advertises shared or separate limits up to $50 million for the portfolio. 10Company-reported. The source does not give a fiduciary-specific limit or explain allocation among components.

Risk Services

Alliance Risk offers a no-charge review of an existing fiduciary liability policy, identifying gaps and exclusion risks and comparing the program to market options. 4Company-reported. Fiduciary liability product page, Get Your Fiduciary Liability Risk Review section.

Confirm in your quote.

How to Apply

For a fiduciary liability quote, Alliance Risk asks for the plan type, number of participants, total assets under management, current coverage and limits, whether an ERISA fidelity bond is in place, and a five-year claims history of DOL audits and participant complaints, and says it typically delivers proposals within a few business days. 4Company-reported. Fiduciary liability 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 fiduciary liability page does not describe an Alliance Risk claims-handling or claims-advocacy process; it discusses what a fiduciary liability policy covers rather than how Alliance Risk itself supports a claim. 4Not found in reviewed sources. Fiduciary liability product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Confirm in your quote.

Full Comparison

More Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Comparisons

Other Fiduciary Liability 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. Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Alliance Risk; Fiduciary Liability Insurance: Protecting the People Who Manage Your Plan; What Does Fiduciary Liability Insurance Cover?; What Fiduciary Liability Insurance Does NOT Cover; Who Needs Fiduciary Liability Insurance?; Cost of Fiduciary Liability Insurance; Get Your Fiduciary Liability 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 Private Company Portfolio. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights, lines 11–15: D&O, EPL, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and Employed Lawyers in one comprehensive form; shared or separate limits up to $50 million; EPL First HR resources and attorney helpline. Top Targets, lines 16–25: private companies with at least $10 million revenue and listed industries. Reopened 2026-09-30. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  6. Executive First Fiduciary Liability Policy. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights: full settlor coverage, ACA gap coverage, recommended-not-mandatory specialized defense counsel, and fines/penalties; Top Targets: large commercial and financial firms (lines 6–20). Reopened 2026-09-30. Accessed 2026-09-30.

Fiduciary Liability Insurance Guide

  1. Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2008-04: Guidance Regarding ERISA Fidelity Bonding Requirements. U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; Q2 pp.2–3. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Fiduciary Liability. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; II.D,J–L pp.2–3; II.A p.1; II.V p.5; Header p.1; II.M p.3; I p.1; III.A.6–8 pp.5–6; II.M.2 p.3; III.B.1 p.6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Travelers; What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance? 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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