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 Crime Insurance page
What Is Cowbell Insurance?
Cowbell suits small and midsize businesses seeking cyber options by company size, with technology E&O and Zurich management-liability options also available; firms needing broad commercial coverage should compare a full-service broker. Some security services cost extra. 6,7,8
What Is Crime Insurance?
Crime insurance can help reimburse specified business losses from theft and fraud, including employee theft and forgery. Compare those protections separately and ask whether a payment sent after an impersonation scam is covered. 10,11,12,13,14
Key Differences in Crime Insurance
Product Structure and Crime Protection
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists Commercial Crime in Executive First with D&O, EPL, fiduciary, and employed-lawyer coverages. Cowbell’s crime module sits within Zurich’s Select Plus management-liability product, with Zurich underwriting the module. Buyers should identify who is assembling the placement and whether crime is a selectable component of the broader policy. 5 9
Eligibility, Limits, and Access
Cowbell targets private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets and says the crime module is accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through its platform. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance names private-company accounts from $10 million revenue and advertises portfolio limits up to $50 million. Confirm the distinct eligibility measures and get the issuing entity on the quote. 5 9
What to Confirm in Crime Insurance Quotes
- Ask Cowbell which wholesaler can submit the account and what crime coverage terms, limits, and insurer appear in the issued policy.
- Ask Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance how its revenue target relates to your assets and employee count, and whether crime limits are shared.
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 reviewsCowbell
Review Score
1 rated source
Cowbell has one public rating we could find: 1.0 out of 5 on SourceForge from three reviews in 2023. That's too few and too old to say much.[8]
Read Cowbell reviewsOffering Details
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Cowbell: Crime Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Commercial Crime in Executive First Private Company Portfolio | Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Crime Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | BHSI describes Executive First Private Company Portfolio as one comprehensive form combining D&O, EPL, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and employed-lawyer insurance. 5Company-reported. Portfolio marketing establishes a listed product structure, not a buyer’s entitlement or standalone availability. | Crime coverage is one module within Cowbell's distribution of Zurich's Select Plus management liability product; Cowbell operates the platform, Zurich underwrites the module. Zurich's own page lists 'Crime Insurance' as one of the four modules a buyer can combine. 9,8Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | Cowbell and Zurich both say the Select Plus modules, including crime, are written on Zurich admitted paper. Zurich's site footer names 'Zurich American Insurance Company' in its copyright notice, but neither page states that entity is the specific policy issuer for this module. 9,8Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer. |
| Who It’s For | BHSI identifies private companies with at least $10 million in revenue among the portfolio’s target accounts. 5Company-reported. Portfolio-level target, not a guarantee that a particular applicant qualifies for the crime component. | Cowbell targets this crime module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, across the same target industries listed for the broader Select Plus product. 9Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list. |
| Coverage Features | The portfolio page specifically names Commercial Crime as one component of the comprehensive form. 5Company-reported. The page names the line but does not state its insuring agreements, coverage triggers or relationship to fidelity bonds. | Cowbell describes crime coverage as protecting against losses resulting from criminal acts such as theft, fraud, and embezzlement committed by employees or third parties. 9Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. |
| Limits and Retentions | The portfolio page advertises shared or separate limits up to $50 million. 5Company-reported. This is a portfolio-wide figure, not a crime-specific limit; the page does not say how limits would be allocated on a specific policy. | Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes crime-coverage limit or retention amounts. 9,8Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| Risk Services | Confirm in your quote. | Neither reviewed page describes crime-specific risk-control services such as employee-dishonesty prevention programs; both describe the Select Plus product's claims backing only at the whole-product level. 9,8Not publicly disclosed. Management liability page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | This crime module is accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through the Cowbell platform's API; it is not sold directly to businesses. 9Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'. |
Full Comparison
More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Cowbell Comparisons
Other Crime 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.
- 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.
Cowbell
- Cowbell. Cowbell; What We Do; Assess, Insure, Respond and Improve; U.S. navigation; footer legal disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Prime Tech Product Overview. Cowbell; PDF pp. 1–4: non-admitted combined Technology E&O and cyber for technology businesses up to $1 billion; up to $5 million; surplus lines in 50 states; edition PRIME TECH US0001 1025. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus. Zurich North America; Intro on the Zurich/Cowbell collaboration; module name 'Crime Insurance'; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' (identical to Cowbell's page); Targeted industries list; footer copyright. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises. Cowbell; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' (Crime Coverage definition); Target industries list; FAQ on access and account size. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Crime Insurance Guide
- Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Crime. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Crime Non-Financial Applications and Forms. Travelers; Opening paragraph; Sample Policy Forms. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Crime Terms and Conditions. The Travelers Companies, Inc.; I.A–G, printed/PDF pages 1–4; III.RR, printed/PDF p.13; V.B.1–2, printed/PDF pp.18–20; Consideration, printed/PDF p.1; III.P p.8; V.A.3 pp.16–17; V.A.4 p.17; V.B.3 p.20; I.A.3 p.1; III.C p.7; III.S pp.8–9; III.II and III.KK p.12; III.QQ p.13; V.A.5 pp.17–18 (printed/PDF pages); IV.J–O, printed/PDF pages 14–15. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Commercial Crime Coverage Application. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I–III pages 1–2; IX–XI pages 3–4; V–VII, printed/PDF pages 2–3. Accessed 2026-09-16.
