Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
Markel Insurance: How Do They Compare for Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s U.S. casualty appetite guide lists $10 million excess capacity for selected risks (U.S. casualty appetite guide; not an account quote) and three forms. Markel describes excess umbrella as additional limits above primary policies, subject to the underlying coverage and issued policy terms; neither description is a quote for a specific business. 5,9
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 Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance page
Markel Insurance: Specialty Business and Products
Markel Insurance is Markel Group's specialty and small-business insurance business, with offerings across packages, workers' compensation, cyber, professional and management liability, property, marine, and surety. Products use different insurers and distribution routes, so compare the issuer and terms shown on the specific quote. 7,8
Read the Markel Insurance profile
Read the Markel Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance page
What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Umbrella or excess insurance adds liability limits above the policies named in the quote after a covered claim exhausts their limits. It may fit if a contract sets higher limits; check which primary policies are listed and any gaps between them. 10,11,12,13,14
What Are the Key Differences Between Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Markel Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Guide Capacity and Policy-Dependent Layer
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s guide names lead umbrella, follow-form excess, and retained-limit structures and cites $10 million capacity for selected U.S. casualty risks. Markel describes its excess umbrella as adding limits beyond primary policies, with actual coverage and availability controlled by the issued policy and jurisdiction. Buyers can compare Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s selective guide reference with a Markel quote only after confirming the same underlying coverage and attachment. 5 9
Target Risk and Product Qualification
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance identifies target sectors such as construction, energy, and trucking, subject to restrictions and underwriting. Markel’s record describes small-business casualty appetite and says any umbrella placement depends on underlying coverage and risk review. These are different eligibility lenses: sector targeting versus a general small-business description. A buyer should ask each market whether its operation and underlying program fit before comparing limits. 6 9
What Should You Confirm in Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Markel Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Quotes?
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Markel Insurance 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
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 reviewsMarkel Insurance Review Score
Review Score
2 rated sources
There is little public customer feedback on Markel. Trustpilot shows 2.5 out of 5 from just 5 reviews, and BBB lists 12 complaints closed in the last three years.[4][3]
Read Markel Insurance reviewsBerkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Markel Insurance Umbrella and Excess Liability Compared
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Markel Insurance: Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Lead umbrella and excess casualty | Markel umbrella excess (official overview) |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Confirm in your quote. | Markel describes offering umbrella excess for the audience stated on the cited product page. 9Company-reported. umbrella excess marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Who It’s For | BHSI lists manufacturers/distributors, real estate, grocery, financial institutions, construction, energy and trucking as umbrella/excess targets. 6Company-reported. BHSI US lead umbrella/excess casualty targets. Material limitation: Targets remain subject to restrictions and underwriting appetite. | Small-business risks within the page's casualty appetite; an umbrella placement depends on underlying coverage and risk review. 9Company-reported. umbrella excess marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Coverage Features | BHSI markets lead umbrella and excess casualty as an explicit product line and lists pollution/contractor-form features. 6Company-reported. US commercial casualty placements. Material limitation: Marketing overview; the manuscript and broker-specific forms require underwriting. | The cited product page describes excess umbrella liability providing additional limits beyond primary policies, subject to the underlying coverage and policy terms. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 9Company-reported. umbrella excess marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Limits and Retentions | The appetite guide lists lead umbrella, follow-form excess and retained-limit forms, with $10 million excess capacity and more for selected risks. 5Company-reported. Select risks in the guide’s US casualty appetite. Material limitation: Capacity is not a quote or universally available layer; “more” is risk-selective. | The cited overview does not set a universal limit or retention for this line. Ask for the proposed policy form, limits, retentions, exclusions, and conditions in the quote. 9Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | The page invites prospective customers or brokers to contact Markel or the named underwriting team. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 9Company-reported. umbrella excess marketed by markel; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
Related Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Markel Insurance
Umbrella and Excess Liability Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Markel Insurance
Other Coverage Lines Compared for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Markel Insurance
Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons
Sources for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Markel Insurance
Sources About 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.
Sources About Markel Insurance
- About us. Markel; Markel at a glance; description of Markel Insurance within Markel Group Inc. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Markel Group Inc. 2025 Form 10-K. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; filed by Markel Group Inc.; Cover page; Part I, Item 1 Business—Markel Insurance, U.S. Wholesale and Specialty, Programs and Solutions; Part II, Item 7/8 for group and segment risks. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Small Business Casualty and Property Insurance. Markel; Excess umbrella section; added liability limits beyond primary policies. Accessed 2026-09-30.
Sources for the Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Guide
- Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Heading Umbrella Liability Insurance; sentence Umbrella Liability—also known as Excess Liability Insurance; underlying policies listed with limits; typically GL, auto and employers’ liability; starts when a covered loss exhausts the primary per occurrence limit; Most umbrella policies exclude EPL, professional liability, product recall, workers compensation, asbestos, pollution, war and terrorism. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Commercial Umbrella; excess over a basic liability policy; auto/CGL/WC or any liability policy can be covered; may respond if basic policy not in force or for gaps; SIR when no underlying. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Lines of Insurance. California Department of Insurance; Umbrella or Excess Liability Policy: excess limits over existing liability; may provide additional coverages not provided by underlying policies. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Coverage Hub. Coverdash; Excess & Specialty: Umbrella; Excess Liability. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Products. Kinro; 09 Umbrella/Excess: additional limits above scheduled underlying policies; when to review; reviewed with. Accessed 2026-09-16.
