Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
CNA: How Do They Compare for Product Liability Insurance?
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
CNA Small Business Insurance: Products, Agents and Service
CNA directs small-business buyers to independent agents and describes CNA Connect as a businessowners policy for more than 600 small-business classes. Issuer and availability vary by policy and state, so confirm both in a quote. 7,8,9
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. 13,14,15,16,17
Key Differences in Product Liability Insurance
What the Published Offering Defines
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance markets primary products/completed-operations liability as a distinct casualty product for manufacturers and distributors. CNA’s offering focuses on life sciences, including pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, biotech and medical-device manufacturers, distributors and research organizations. That narrower audience matters: a general manufacturer should not assume CNA’s cited product applies, while a life-sciences applicant can ask CNA whether its product and work-hazard exposures fit the defined program. 6 10
Buying and Policy Details to Resolve
CNA says qualified applicants may receive product-liability limits up to $10 million and can buy Products–Work Hazard Liability and Professional Liability separately or combined under one aggregate. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s record names a primary line and selected casualty capacity guidance but no specific ceiling. A life-sciences buyer should compare whether separate limits or one shared aggregate better matches bodily-injury and professional exposures, then verify that the proposed terms cover the actual products. 11 5
What to Confirm in Product Liability Insurance Quotes
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
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 reviewsCNA
Review Score
1 rated source
Customer feedback on CNA is mixed and hard to compare. NerdWallet gave it 4.5 out of 5 for manufacturers, while Trustpilot shows about 1.4 out of 5 from 49 mostly self-selected reviews.[1][5]
Read CNA reviewsOffering Details
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs CNA: Product Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Primary products/completed-operations liability | CNA Life Sciences Product Liability |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNA targets life-sciences manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, including pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, biotechnology and medical-device organizations, as well as R&D/clinical-trial organizations. 10Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Life-sciences product and professional liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. life-sciences manufacturers, distributors, R&D and clinical-trial organizations Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. |
| 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. | CNA markets a Life Sciences Work-Hazard Product Liability policy for bodily injury or property damage arising from product work-hazard claims. 10Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Life-sciences Work-Hazard Product Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. life-sciences manufacturers, distributors, R&D and clinical-trial organizations Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. CNA says Products–Work Hazard Liability and Professional Liability may be issued separately or combined with one aggregate; monoline options are available. 12Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Small-business life-sciences products and professional liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. small-business life-sciences products liability; summary is not policy form Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. Source FAQ is dated 2023 and is an informational summary, not the issued policy form. Historical FAQ summary ©2023; not the issued form. Source/date qualification: Copyright ©2023; FAQ details are historical summary, not issued policy terms. |
| 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. | CNA’s small-business life-sciences page states that qualified applicants may obtain product liability with E&O limits up to $10 million. 11Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Small-business life-sciences Products Liability with E&O Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. small-business life-sciences professional and products liability Claim limitation: Up to $10 million for qualified risks; not guaranteed offered limit or universal availability. |
Full Comparison
More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs CNA Comparisons
Other Product Liability Insurance Comparisons
Sources
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.
CNA
- Insurance for Small Businesses. CNA; Insurance for Small Businesses, lines 38-50 and 65-67 (CNA Central and agent route); lines 79-106 (product and stated appetite lists); page footer line 132 (CNA registered service mark). Accessed 2026-09-28.
- CNA Connect Small Businessowners Policy (BOP) | CNA Insurance. CNA; CNA Connect; coverages, product range, services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- General Disclaimer. CNA; General Disclaimer paragraphs 1 and 5 (HTML lines 24 and 28): CNA describes Continental Casualty Company and its relevant affiliates; references to CNA may include one or more CCC affiliates; each particular policy/product/service is the responsibility only of the specific CNA company that issues or supplies it. Footer line 57 identifies CNA Financial Corporation as trademark registrant. Re-read 2026-09-29. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Life Sciences Insurance | CNA. CNA; Life Sciences: products, target classes, claims and risk control. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Small Business Life Sciences Insurance | CNA. CNA; Coverage and appetite: products liability, limits, optional features and target classes. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Life Sciences Coverage Highlights FAQ | CNA. CNA; pp. 1–3: work-hazard products liability, separate/combined form, recall benefit, reporting, availability and exclusions. Accessed 2026-09-28.
Product Liability Insurance Guide
- Get business insurance. U.S. Small Business Administration; Six common types of business insurance table. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
