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

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance details informal investigation costs; Coalition offers broker-distributed Executive Risks D&O with up to $10 million in limits and risk-management tools. 5,11

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

Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance D&O Insurance page

What Is Coalition Insurance?

Coalition fits businesses that want cyber insurance bundled with free attack-surface monitoring and alerts, and technology companies that want Tech E&O alongside it. You can't buy it online yourself: you need an appointed broker, and the final price isn't published. 7,8,9,10

Read the Coalition profile

Read the Coalition 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. 13,14,15

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in D&O Insurance

Stated limits and organization thresholds

Coalition says Executive Risks D&O can offer limits up to $10 million for private and nonprofit U.S. organizations with up to $500 million in assets and 1,000 employees. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance names large commercial and financial firms as target accounts but publishes no standard limit in the reviewed record. A buyer can use Coalition’s stated thresholds to screen fit, then compare actual capacity and BHSI appetite for the organization. 11 11 5

Brokered services and defense counsel

Coalition distributes Executive Risks through appointed brokers and says D&O policyholders receive a risk assessment, HR and director/officer hotline, employee training, handbook builder, and website compliance tools. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s reviewed D&O claims focus on government investigations, derivative-action costs, and choice of defense counsel. Companies comparing service needs should ask Coalition which tools accompany the selected policy and BHSI how its claim support works. 11 11 5

What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Coalition which carrier will issue the policy and whether $10 million is available for your company; request BHSI’s offered limit and target-account confirmation. 12 11
  • Compare Coalition’s hotline and training with BHSI’s defense-counsel choice, and ask both how informal investigations and derivative demands are treated. 11 5

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

Coalition

10.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Coalition has a BBB A+ grade. The reviewed independent sources did not establish a customer-star rating; the displayed RaveCapture collection is broker-focused. Its Trustpilot page has no reviews, and its best-looking rating comes from a review page the company arranges for brokers.[10][14][13]

Read Coalition reviews

Offering Details

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

CriteriaExecutive First D&O Liability InsuranceCoalition Executive Risks — Directors and Officers Liability (D&O)
Role in This Line

Confirm in your quote.

Coalition designs and distributes D&O as one of four coverages in its Executive Risks product suite, sold through appointed brokers. 11Company-reported. Executive Risks product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Issuing Insurer

Confirm in your quote.

Coalition's disclaimer names Zurich American Insurance Company (NAIC 16535) as the admitted carrier for Executive Risks, and says Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc. also places Executive Risks with unaffiliated insurers on a non-admitted basis, so the carrier for a specific D&O policy depends on the placement route. 12Company-reported. U.S. Disclaimers page as read on 2026-09-23.

Who It’s For

The D&O page names large commercial and financial firms as target accounts. 5Company-reported. U.S. target-account description, not a complete eligibility rule or acceptance commitment.

Coalition says Executive Risks products, including D&O, are available to private and not-for-profit U.S. organizations in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with up to $500 million in assets, up to 1,000 employees, and up to $500 million in plan assets. 11Company-reported. Executive Risks FAQ as read on 2026-09-23.

Coverage Features

The U.S. Executive First D&O page describes coverage for government investigations, including informal investigations of insured individuals without sublimits. 5Company-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. 5Company-reported. U.S. D&O product-page summary; do not read as all derivative-action costs covered under every issued policy.

Coalition says D&O coverage protects company leadership from liability arising from their business decisions, including alleged breaches of duty or financial mismanagement. 11Company-reported. Executive Risks product page as read on 2026-09-23; exclusions and limitations apply per the page footer, and the issued policy controls actual terms.

Limits and Retentions

Confirm in your quote.

Coalition says limits up to $10 million per coverage line may be available for Executive Risks products, including D&O, subject to exclusions and limitations. 11Company-reported. Executive Risks FAQ as read on 2026-09-23; not a quoted or bindable limit for any specific applicant.

Risk Services

BHSI describes full choice of defense counsel for the D&O product. 5Company-reported. Company-reported product feature; applicable policy terms and any state-specific requirements remain controlling.

Coalition says Executive Risks policyholders, including D&O buyers, get a customized risk assessment, a hotline for assistance with HR and director/officer-related issues, employee training, a handbook builder, and website compliance tools. 11Company-reported. Executive Risks page and FAQ as read on 2026-09-23.

How to Apply

Confirm in your quote.

Coalition distributes Executive Risks, including D&O, only through appointed insurance brokers rather than direct to buyers. 11Company-reported. Executive Risks product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Full Comparison

More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Coalition Comparisons

Other D&O 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. 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.

Coalition

  1. Coalition Control. Coalition; How We Help; Policyholder Features; Wirespeed ADR. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Tech E&O Insurance Coverage. Coalition; Who needs Technology Errors & Omissions coverage? (organizations that provide a technology product or service for a fee); Combine Technology Errors & Omissions coverage with Active Cyber Insurance; Coalition Advantage. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. How do I qualify for and buy cyber insurance from Coalition? Coalition; Eligibility; broker contact; underwriting paragraphs. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. U.S. Producer Compensation. Coalition; Insurance Producers; Base Commission; Contingent Commission; Business Production Incentive Programs; Non-Insurance Products. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  5. Executive Risks. Coalition; Product Offering: Directors and Officers Liability (D&O) — offers protection for company leadership from liability arising from their business decisions, including alleged breaches of duty or financial mismanagement; FAQ: What type of businesses do you protect?, What limits do you offer?, What resources do you have for policyholders? Accessed 2026-09-23.
  6. U.S. Disclaimers. Coalition; Admitted Executive Risk: insurance products offered by Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc. acting on behalf of unaffiliated insurance companies and, on an admitted basis, on behalf of Zurich American Insurance Company (NAIC # 16535). Accessed 2026-09-23.

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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