Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance includes fiduciary alongside D&O, EPL, crime, and employed-lawyer coverages in Executive First. Heffernan places fiduciary for general businesses and family offices, and its family-office practice describes assessing structures, assets, and exposures, then shaping risk strategies and helping navigate claims. 5,10

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 Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

What Is Heffernan Insurance Brokers?

Heffernan’s technology practice targets mid- and late-stage, venture-funded and pre-IPO companies; early-stage firms seeking a direct online quote should compare digital providers. It also offers claims consulting and workers’ compensation support. 7,8,9

Read the Heffernan Insurance Brokers profile

Read the Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance?

Fiduciary liability can protect your company and plan fiduciaries when participants claim mishandling of an employee benefit plan. If you sponsor a retirement or health plan, check who is insured and whether both administration errors and fiduciary-breach claims are addressed. 11,12,13

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance

Scope of the Policy

The service descriptions address different needs: Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance supplies a named form with full settlor coverage, ACA gaps, and fines and penalties; Heffernan describes broader advisory support for family offices and financial institutions. Heffernan’s reviewed pages do not specify fiduciary policy terms or limits, so request the carrier form behind its placement. 6 9

Program and Placement

Heffernan identifies family offices, trust companies, trustees, financial advisers, private-equity firms, and foundations as clients for its specialist practice. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance targets large commercial and financial firms with complex risk-transfer needs. A family office may value Heffernan’s named segment, while Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s product features merit a direct comparison. 6 9

What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Heffernan which carrier will issue the policy and request the fiduciary limit, retention, and policy wording. Ask Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance whether your organization qualifies and how the settlor, ACA, and penalty features apply. 6 9

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

Heffernan Insurance Brokers

5.2/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Heffernan’s available review sample is small and local, with a low Google rating for one office. Check the team that would actually serve your business.[6][7][8]

Read Heffernan Insurance Brokers reviews

Offering Details

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaFiduciary Liability in Executive First Private Company PortfolioHeffernan Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Role in This Line

BHSI lists fiduciary liability as a component of its Executive First Private Company Portfolio comprehensive form with D&O, EPL, Commercial Crime and employed-lawyer insurance. 5Company-reported. This is a marketed portfolio component; the source does not say every line is required or that limits are shared.

Heffernan places fiduciary liability coverage within its general corporate/executive-protection lineup and again within a dedicated family-office and financial-institution practice. It shops and places the coverage with insurers rather than underwriting it. 9,10Company-reported. Business Insurance and Family Office page listings; no dedicated fiduciary-liability product page was found.

Issuing Insurer

Confirm in your quote.

The reviewed pages do not name the insurer or insurers that issue fiduciary liability policies Heffernan places for either business clients or family offices. 9,10Not publicly disclosed. Business Insurance and Family Office pages as read on 2026-09-23.

Who It’s For

The portfolio targets private companies with at least $10 million in revenue and names construction, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, service, technology and transportation sectors. 5Company-reported. These are portfolio target-account statements, not guaranteed fiduciary eligibility.

BHSI identifies large commercial and financial firms with complex risk-transfer needs as targets for this fiduciary policy. 6Company-reported. A target segment does not guarantee eligibility for an applicant or plan.

Heffernan offers fiduciary liability to two named segments: general business clients through its business-insurance brokerage, and family offices, trust companies, trustees, financial advisors, private equity firms, foundations, and other financial institutions through its family-office practice. 9,10Company-reported. Direct practice-page listings; no minimum size or asset-under-management threshold was published for the coverage specifically.

Coverage Features

BHSI names fiduciary liability as one component of the Executive First Private Company Portfolio. 5Company-reported. The source does not describe the fiduciary insuring agreement, covered plans or insured parties.

BHSI’s Executive First Fiduciary Liability Policy page lists full settlor coverage, Affordable Care Act gap coverage, and coverage for fines and penalties; it says specialized defense counsel is recommended but not required. 6Company-reported. These are company-described product highlights. Applicable law, policy wording, conditions and exclusions govern a given plan or claim.

On the family-office page, fiduciary liability insurance is listed alongside directors and officers, professional liability, employment practices liability, trustee liability, and other management-liability-adjacent lines as coverage the practice can arrange, without describing the policy's insuring agreement or exclusions. 10Company-reported. Family Office page as read on 2026-09-23.

Limits and Retentions

BHSI advertises shared or separate limits up to $50 million for the portfolio. 5Company-reported. The source does not give a fiduciary-specific limit or explain allocation among components.

Neither page publishes a fiduciary-liability limit, retention, or premium range. 9,10Not found in reviewed sources. Business Insurance and Family Office pages as read on 2026-09-23.

Risk Services

Confirm in your quote.

Heffernan's family-office practice describes a Risk Management Assessment: itemizing a client's structures, assets, and exposures; crafting insurance and risk-management strategies to close coverage gaps; and helping navigate claims, for its fiduciary and financial-institution client base. 10Company-reported. Family Office page as read on 2026-09-23; a company-described service, not a measured outcome.

How to Apply

Confirm in your quote.

The family-office practice's fiduciary-liability coverage is reached through a named Private Client Group specialist contact rather than a self-service online quote flow. 10Company-reported. Family Office page as read on 2026-09-23; the general business-insurance page's fiduciary listing routes through Heffernan's general Contact Us form instead.

Full Comparison

More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Comparisons

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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 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.
  6. Executive First Fiduciary Liability Policy. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights: full settlor coverage, ACA gap coverage, recommended-not-mandatory specialized defense counsel, and fines/penalties; Top Targets: large commercial and financial firms (lines 6–20). Reopened 2026-09-30. Accessed 2026-09-30.

Heffernan Insurance Brokers

  1. Our Story. Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Headquartered in Walnut Creek; nationwide presence; founded 1988; employee owned; niche practices including technology. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Technology Company Insurance. Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Pre-IPO and venture-funded heading; mid to late stage specialization; global expansion copy; self-insurance strategies; Key Markets list; Why Heffernan broker history; Joseph Talmadge practice leader; FAQ. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Heffernan Business Insurance Brokerage. Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Corporate and executive protection, such as employment practices liability, directors and officers liability, fiduciary responsibility, cyber liability, and kidnap and ransom are also available through our comprehensive business insurance programs. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  4. Family Office. Heffernan Insurance Brokers; We serve: Family offices, Trust companies, Individual and professional trustees, Financial advisors/CPAs/attorneys, Private equity firms, Foundations, Financial institutions; Coverage for Family Offices, Trustees & Financial Firms: ... Fiduciary liability insurance ...; Risk Management Assessment section; contact Lacey Garrison. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Fiduciary Liability Insurance Guide

  1. Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2008-04: Guidance Regarding ERISA Fidelity Bonding Requirements. U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; Q2 pp.2–3. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Fiduciary Liability. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; II.D,J–L pp.2–3; II.A p.1; II.V p.5; Header p.1; II.M p.3; I p.1; III.A.6–8 pp.5–6; II.M.2 p.3; III.B.1 p.6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Travelers; What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance? 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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