Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Nationwide: How Do They Compare for Commercial Property Insurance?

Nationwide describes commercial property coverage for business buildings and property, with coverage and occupancy qualifications dependent on the policy. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists all-risk and selected catastrophe perils and separately states working-layer capacity for its share. 5,6,10

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 Commercial Property Insurance page

What Is Nationwide?

Nationwide’s commercial catalogue includes common small-business policies and separate specialty products. A catalogue listing does not establish eligibility or policy terms; confirm the issuing company and coverage for your state and business. 7,8,9

Read the Nationwide profile

Read the Nationwide Commercial Property Insurance page

What Is Commercial Property Insurance?

Commercial property may fit your business if you own a building or rely on equipment and stock. Compare replacement-cost terms, deductibles and any coinsurance condition, and check lost-income protection separately. 11,12,13

Read the full coverage guide

What Are the Key Differences Between Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Nationwide Commercial Property Insurance?

Property perils and forms

BHSI lists all-risk commercial property and selected flood, earthquake and windstorm offerings. Nationwide describes business-building and property protection, with actual coverage, exclusions and occupancy qualifications depending on the issued policy. Ask Nationwide for the causes of loss and endorsements in its quote and compare them with BHSI’s scheduled perils. 5 10

Portfolio scale

BHSI’s U.S. appetite guide dated February 2026 states $100 million working-layer capacity and a $100,000 minimum premium per policy for BHSI’s share; these are not an insured limit or quote. Nationwide’s selected claim describes property coverage and policy-dependent qualifications, not a stated universal layer. Request Nationwide’s offered limit and BHSI’s specific participation against the same schedule. 6 10

Quote path and underwriting

Ask Nationwide how to submit this schedule and what occupancy information to provide. BHSI’s guide says final terms, issuer and availability depend on submission and policy; share the same locations, values and loss history with both providers. 10 6

What Should You Confirm in Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Nationwide Commercial Property Insurance Quotes?

  • Which covered causes, occupancy qualifications and form apply to Nationwide’s quote? 10
  • Does BHSI’s share minimum and working-layer guidance fit the schedule and requested attachment? 6
  • What is Nationwide’s submission route and what schedule information is required? 10

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Nationwide 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

-/ 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

Nationwide Review Score

7.8/ 10

Review Score

4 rated sources

Experts like Nationwide more than customers do. NerdWallet gives it 4.5 out of 5 for business insurance, while small-business customers on ConsumerAffairs give it 2.5 out of 5 from 19 reviews.[1][10]

Read Nationwide reviews

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Nationwide Commercial Property Compared

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Nationwide: Commercial Property Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCommercial property all-risk and selected single-peril/catastrophe offeringsNationwide commercial property (official overview)
Role in This Line

Confirm in your quote.

Nationwide describes offering commercial property for the audience stated on the cited product page. 10Company-reported. commercial property marketed by nationwide; 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 targets property portfolios in sectors including public entities, finance, healthcare, education, manufacturing and retail. 5Company-reported. Commercial property risks described by BHSI. Material limitation: Target-sector language is not a complete appetite guide or individual acceptance commitment.

Businesses insuring commercial property; specific occupancy and terms depend on underwriting. 10Company-reported. commercial property marketed by nationwide; 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 lists all-risk commercial property and selected single-peril offerings such as earthquake, flood and windstorm. 5Company-reported. US commercial property risks. Material limitation: Single-peril availability is separate from all-risk and depends on peril, state, risk and capacity.

The cited product page describes commercial property coverage for business buildings and property, with the page's stated coverage and occupancy qualifications. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 10Company-reported. commercial property marketed by nationwide; 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

BHSI’s general property appetite guide lists a $100,000 minimum premium per policy for BHSI’s share and $100 million working-layer capacity, with more capacity for selected risks. 6Company-reported. U.S. general property appetite in guide dated 2026-02-10; per-policy premium applies to BHSI share. Material limitation: Working capacity is not an insured policy limit or quote. “More for select risks” is selective. Final terms, exclusions, issuer and availability require the policy/submission.

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. 10Not 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 directs prospective customers to contact an agent or request a quote. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 10Company-reported. commercial property marketed by nationwide; 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 Nationwide

Commercial Property Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Nationwide

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Sources for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Nationwide

Sources About 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. Property. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; All-risk, single-peril, catastrophe, inland/ocean marine and builder's risk offerings; target account descriptions. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. General Property Appetite Guide. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Page 1: minimum premium, product/forms, territory, attachment and working capacity; page 2 footer identifies 2026-02-10 A; lines 0-9, 89-99. Accessed 2026-09-28.

Sources About Nationwide

  1. Small Business Insurance. Nationwide; Small business products and solutions, lines 185–214: BOP, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, umbrella, EPLI, cyber and surety; purchase guidance lines 235–247. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Small Business Insurance Solutions for Agents. Nationwide; Specialized small commercial solutions: BOP, auto, workers’ compensation, cyber, EPLI, umbrella, inland marine and professional liability; page states appetite varies by state, lines 129–163, 191–193. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Terms and Conditions for Nationwide.com. Nationwide; P&C products not offered by all companies/states; policy/declarations control; NMI and affiliates may underwrite; each underwriter responsible for own products, lines 358–368 and 391–394. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Commercial Property Insurance. Nationwide; Commercial property page; buildings, business property, and property-in-transit coverage overview. Accessed 2026-09-30.

Sources for the Commercial Property Insurance Guide

  1. Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; What Should I Expect from a Broker-Agent; Commercial Property: Coverage Sections, Limits of Insurance, and Coinsurance; Covered Causes of Loss; Valuation Types; Inland Marine. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Business Interruption Insurance/Businessowner’s Policies (BOP). National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Background; Commercial Property and Business Interruption bullets. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Commercial property insurance guide. Texas Department of Insurance; Introduction; Coverage options; Shopping for commercial property insurance; Saving money on your 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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