Alliance Risk vs 
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance: How Do They Compare for Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
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 Umbrella and Excess 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. 5,6,7,8
Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance profile
Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance page
What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Umbrella or excess insurance adds liability limits above the policies named in the quote after a covered claim exhausts their limits. It may fit if a contract sets higher limits; check which primary policies are listed and any gaps between them. 11,12,13,14,15
What Are the Key Differences Between Alliance Risk and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Umbrella Versus Follow-Form Excess
Alliance Risk says umbrella coverage may broaden protection for some claims beyond the underlying policy, while excess strictly follows that policy’s terms; it describes limits from about $1 million to $25 million or more. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists lead umbrella, follow-form excess and retained-limit forms, with $10 million excess capacity and more for selected risks. Buyers should first decide whether they need broader lead wording or an added follow-form layer. 4 9
Capacity and Industry Fit
Alliance Risk names construction, manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and large fleets as common buyers and offers guidance on contract risk transfer and limit reviews. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists manufacturers, real estate, grocery, finance, construction, energy and trucking as target sectors, with contractor and pollution features in its casualty product. The overlap is useful, but confirm the scheduled underlying policies and whether Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s selected capacity applies to the account. 4 10
What Should You Confirm in Alliance Risk and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Quotes?
Alliance Risk and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance 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 Review Score
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 reviewsBerkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Review Score
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 reviewsAlliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Compared
Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance: Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Alliance Risk Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance | Lead umbrella and excess casualty |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Alliance Risk places umbrella and excess liability coverage that sits above a client's underlying general liability, auto liability or employer's liability policies, describing its role as arranging this additional layer rather than underwriting it. 4Company-reported. Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance page. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Issuing Insurer | The reviewed umbrella/excess page does not name the insurers Alliance Risk places this coverage with. 4Not publicly disclosed. Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23; the issuing insurer depends on the specific placement. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Who It’s For | Alliance Risk says umbrella and excess coverage is commonly needed by construction firms, manufacturers and distributors, retailers and hospitality businesses, and logistics and transportation companies with large vehicle fleets. 4Company-reported. Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance page, "Who Needs" section. | BHSI lists manufacturers/distributors, real estate, grocery, financial institutions, construction, energy and trucking as umbrella/excess targets. 10Company-reported. BHSI US lead umbrella/excess casualty targets. Material limitation: Targets remain subject to restrictions and underwriting appetite. |
| Coverage Features | Alliance Risk distinguishes umbrella coverage, which it says can broaden protection to some claims not in the underlying policy, from excess coverage, which strictly follows the underlying policy's terms and only extends its limits; both exclude claims already excluded by the underlying policy, first-party property damage, workers' compensation claims and intentional or criminal acts. 4Company-reported. Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance page, "What Is" and "What Does/Doesn't Cover" sections; the issued policy and declarations control actual terms. | BHSI markets lead umbrella and excess casualty as an explicit product line and lists pollution/contractor-form features. 10Company-reported. US commercial casualty placements. Material limitation: Marketing overview; the manuscript and broker-specific forms require underwriting. |
| Limits and Retentions | Alliance Risk describes umbrella/excess limits typically starting at $1M and extending to $25M or more, with indicative annual costs of $500–$1,500 for a $1M policy at a small business up to $10,000+ for large or high-risk operations. 4Company-reported. Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance page, cost section; illustrative ranges, not a specific quote. | The appetite guide lists lead umbrella, follow-form excess and retained-limit forms, with $10 million excess capacity and more for selected risks. 9Company-reported. Select risks in the guide’s US casualty appetite. Material limitation: Capacity is not a quote or universally available layer; “more” is risk-selective. |
| Risk Services | Alliance Risk's risk-management guidance for this line includes contractual risk-transfer agreements with vendors and subcontractors, periodic reviews of limits against business growth, and working with a broker to model catastrophic-loss scenarios. 4Company-reported. Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance page, "Risk Management Tips" section. | Confirm in your quote. |
| How to Apply | The reviewed umbrella/excess page does not describe a line-specific quote submission checklist beyond the general "Get a Quote" contact form used across Alliance Risk's product pages. 4Not found in reviewed sources. Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Claims Support | The reviewed umbrella/excess page does not describe a claims-handling or claims-advocacy process specific to this line. 4Not found in reviewed sources. Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23. | Confirm in your quote. |
Related Pages for Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Umbrella and Excess Liability Pages for Alliance Risk and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Other Coverage Lines Compared for Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons
Sources for Alliance Risk vs Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Sources About Alliance Risk
- 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.
- 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.
- Get a Quote. Alliance Risk; Request form; Prefer to Call?; Why Alliance Risk? section. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance. Alliance Risk; What Is Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance?; Who Needs Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance?; What Does/Doesn't Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance Cover?; How Much Does Umbrella & Excess Liability Insurance Cost?; Risk Management Tips. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Sources About Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Casualty Appetite Guide - U.S. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Casualty appetite PDF page 1: $50K minimum premium, GL/products/lead umbrella/excess lines, selected $10M excess capacity, placement forms and target/avoided classes; guide dated 2026-07-15. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Casualty. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; US casualty product lines and features: Primary General Liability lines 10-34; Primary Products/Completed Operations Liability 35-44; Lead Umbrella and Excess Casualty 46-63. Accessed 2026-09-28.
Sources for the Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Guide
- Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Heading Umbrella Liability Insurance; sentence Umbrella Liability—also known as Excess Liability Insurance; underlying policies listed with limits; typically GL, auto and employers’ liability; starts when a covered loss exhausts the primary per occurrence limit; Most umbrella policies exclude EPL, professional liability, product recall, workers compensation, asbestos, pollution, war and terrorism. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Commercial Umbrella; excess over a basic liability policy; auto/CGL/WC or any liability policy can be covered; may respond if basic policy not in force or for gaps; SIR when no underlying. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Lines of Insurance. California Department of Insurance; Umbrella or Excess Liability Policy: excess limits over existing liability; may provide additional coverages not provided by underlying policies. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Coverage Hub. Coverdash; Excess & Specialty: Umbrella; Excess Liability. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Products. Kinro; 09 Umbrella/Excess: additional limits above scheduled underlying policies; when to review; reviewed with. Accessed 2026-09-16.
