Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs CFC: How Do They Compare for Product Liability Insurance?

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance markets primary products/completed-operations liability as a distinct line. CFC includes product liability in life-science and nutraceutical packages, with up to $15 million claims-made or $7 million occurrence limits and government recall cover. 6,12,13

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. 1,2,3,4

Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance profile

What Is CFC Insurance?

CFC fits technology businesses seeking one eligible package for E&O, cyber, media/IP and general liability; buyers wanting to bind directly online should compare other routes. Its cyber policies may also include 24/7 incident support. 7,8,9,10

Read the CFC profile

Read the CFC Product Liability Insurance page

What Is Product Liability Insurance?

Product liability can cover claims that a product you make, import, distribute or sell injured someone or damaged property. If your business handles products, describe every role in the supply chain and ask how the quote treats product damage and recall costs. 15,16,17,18,19

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Product Liability Insurance

What the Published Offering Defines

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance describes primary products/completed-operations liability as a distinct casualty product. CFC’s product liability is available only inside life-science or nutraceutical package policies, which combine bodily-injury and property-damage protection with government-enforced recall costs; voluntary recall can be added. A company that wants a single package should examine CFC’s structure, while a buyer seeking a standalone primary line can ask Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance how it coordinates with other casualty policies. 6 12

Buying and Policy Details to Resolve

CFC publishes maximum product-liability limits of $15 million on a claims-made basis and $7 million on an occurrence basis. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s reviewed offering record gives no numerical product limit, though its appetite guide includes capacity and minimum-premium guidance for selected casualty accounts. CFC also excludes certain product classes, including specified implants and some nutraceutical ingredients. Ask both underwriters to confirm eligibility before comparing limit and recall options. 12 5

What to Confirm in Product Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Does CFC accept your product, ingredients and recall scenario under either package? 6 12
  • What Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance capacity and minimum premium apply to the proposed product class? 6 12

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.

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

CFC

-/ 10

Review Score

No reviews found

The reviewed sources did not yield customer reviews of CFC; the available survey concerns UK brokers. The one rating we found is from UK brokers: 4.76 out of 5 in Insurance Times’ 2024/25 survey.[4][11]

Read CFC reviews

Offering Details

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs CFC: Product Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaPrimary products/completed-operations liabilityCFC Life Science and Nutraceuticals
Role in This Line

Confirm in your quote.

CFC sells product liability only inside its life science and nutraceuticals package policies, not as a standalone product-liability product. 11Company-reported. Life science product page, which lists life sciences and nutraceuticals as the two package policies covering products/completed operations exposure.

Issuing Insurer

Confirm in your quote.

The reviewed life science and nutraceuticals brochures describe CFC as the policy designer and point of contact but do not name the insurer that carries the product-liability risk for either package. 11,12,13Not publicly disclosed. Life science page and both brochures as read on 2026-09-23. CFC's own materials describe it as an underwriting manager rather than a risk-bearing insurer, so a specific carrier for either package would need to come from the quote or declarations.

Who It’s For

BHSI identifies manufacturers and distributors, including discontinued-products/IBNR exposures, as products-liability targets. 6Company-reported. Selected US products/completed-operations risks. Material limitation: A target class is not a guarantee of eligibility; discontinued-product exposure has distinct underwriting.

For the life science package, CFC says it considers companies importing, manufacturing, distributing or leasing tangible products, implantable and non-implantable devices, and software as a medical device, but ordinarily declines products such as hip and knee replacement kits, infusion devices, implantable silicone, and breast implants. 12Company-reported. Life science brochure's "Products we consider" and "What we ordinarily decline" lists; actual acceptance depends on individual underwriting.

For the nutraceuticals package, CFC says its appetite covers products like energy drinks, weight-loss or weight-gain products, functional health products and cosmetics, but ordinarily declines products containing or derived from kratom or colloidal silver, or with excessively high stimulant levels. 13Company-reported. Nutraceuticals brochure's "What we like" and "What we ordinarily decline" lists; actual acceptance depends on individual underwriting.

Coverage Features

BHSI markets primary products/completed-operations liability as a distinct casualty product. 6Company-reported. BHSI US commercial primary products/completed-operations liability. Material limitation: This does not establish product-recall expense insurance.

Both packages cover legal expenses and compensation for bodily injury or property damage claims arising from use, ingestion, or (for life science) implantation of the insured's product, alongside product recall costs for government-enforced recalls, with voluntary recall available as an extension. 12,13Company-reported. Life science and nutraceuticals brochures' "Commercial general liability"/"Products and completed operations" and "Product recall" sections; exact wording and exclusions are set by the policy as issued.

Limits and Retentions

The casualty appetite guide names Products Liability, primary GL and lead umbrella/excess as lines, and states capacity and minimum-premium guidance for selected casualty accounts. 5Company-reported. Selected US casualty submissions in the guide. Material limitation: The shared guide parameters do not promise product-specific limit availability; contract wording controls.

CFC's brochures list a maximum products-liability limit of $15 million on a claims-made basis and $7 million on an occurrence basis for both the life science and nutraceuticals packages. 12,13Company-reported. "Limits and minimum premiums" sections of both brochures; the limit actually issued depends on underwriting.

How to Apply

Confirm in your quote.

CFC publishes separate application forms for life science products/software and for nutraceuticals, so the underwriting intake differs by package even though both share the same product-liability grant. 11Company-reported. Life science product page's downloads list.

Claims Support

Confirm in your quote.

CFC says it has pioneered coverage for nutraceuticals as an emerging risk area and has claims handlers experienced with that sector's product claims. 14Company-reported. CFC's claims page, "Emerging risk" section; a general capability statement with no published nutraceuticals-specific claim volume or outcome data.

Full Comparison

More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs CFC Comparisons

Other Product Liability Insurance Comparisons

Sources

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. 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.
  6. 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.

CFC

  1. About CFC. CFC; Matt Taylor biography: independent MGA and Syndicate 1988. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Technology. CFC; Introduction; Technology key features; Digitally traded. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Technology — United States product brochure. CFC; Page 1: coverage sections, including Products and services liability; Response app highlights; Limits and deductibles. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Regulatory information. CFC; CFC USA Inc.; CFC Underwriting Limited; CFC Lloyd’s Syndicate 1988. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  5. Life science. CFC; Life sciences and Nutraceuticals tiles; "What does CFC's life science policy cover?" list; downloads (brochures, application forms). Accessed 2026-09-23.
  6. Life science | Product brochure | United States. CFC; Commercial general liability; Product recall; At a glance: Products we consider / What we ordinarily decline; Limits and minimum premiums. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  7. Nutraceuticals | Product brochure | United States. CFC; Products and completed operations; Product recall; At a glance: What we like / What we ordinarily decline; Limits and minimum premiums. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  8. Claims. CFC; Emerging risk: "CFC has pioneered coverage for many emerging risk areas - like intellectual property and nutraceuticals - and is one of the only teams in the market with experience handling claims from a variety of new sectors". Accessed 2026-09-23.

Product Liability Insurance Guide

  1. Get business insurance. U.S. Small Business Administration; Six common types of business insurance table. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Facts + Statistics: Product liability. Insurance Information Institute; Product liability insurance opening definition (manufacturer, distributor, or seller; defective condition causing personal injury or damage); Product recall insurance sentence. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Product liability, recall and contamination insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Product liability opening (design/manufacture/distribute/sell; injury, property damage or death; added to GL or stand-alone); What could go wrong? (roles; directions/warnings); Covering the costs of a product recall; Contamination insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Commercial General Liability Coverage: premises, products liability and completed operations; major exclusions including damage to your work, impaired property, sistership liability and failure to perform; Limits of Insurance products and completed operations aggregate; glossary Sistership Liability. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  5. Commercial General Liability Coverage Form. ISO Properties, Inc.; specimen hosted by Hiscox; Recall exclusion p.5; Supplementary Payments pp.8–9; Section III limits p.10; V.16 and V.21 p.15, warnings/instructions continue p.16. 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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