Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
Newfront: How Do They Compare for Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s U.S. casualty appetite guide lists lead umbrella, follow-form excess, and retained-limit forms with $10 million capacity for selected risks (U.S. casualty appetite guide; not an account quote). Newfront says its Casualty practice places umbrella/excess coverage through carriers and negotiates placement structure and terms on clients’ behalf. 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 Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance page
What Is Newfront?
Newfront suits growing and enterprise businesses seeking specialist insurance and benefits teams plus Navigator policy tools; small firms wanting an instant direct quote should compare online carriers. Its Partner Management tool is included in client service agreements. 7,8,9,10
Read the Newfront 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. 12,13,14,15,16
What Are the Key Differences Between Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Newfront Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Marketed Product and Broker Placement
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance markets lead umbrella and excess casualty as a U.S. product line and its guide names several structures. Newfront describes its Casualty practice as placing umbrella/excess through carriers and negotiating placement structure and terms on a client’s behalf. Buyers should distinguish the marketed product line from broker-arranged placements, then compare the named insurer, form, and terms in any proposal. 6 5 11
Available Detail and Risk Services
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s casualty material identifies pollution and contractor-form features, while Newfront describes analytics and benchmarking, claims advocacy, and integrated risk control across casualty coverages including umbrella/excess. Those are different parts of a placement: listed policy features versus practice-level services. A buyer can ask Newfront how its risk services apply to the umbrella program and ask the quoting insurer which endorsements are actually included. 6 11
What Should You Confirm in Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Newfront Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Quotes?
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Newfront 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 reviewsNewfront Review Score
Review Score
1 rated source
Newfront has too little firmwide customer feedback for a reliable review verdict. An individual agent’s BBB grade does not establish the wider company’s service quality.[6]
Read Newfront reviewsBerkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Newfront Umbrella and Excess Liability Compared
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Newfront: Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Lead umbrella and excess casualty | Newfront Umbrella/Excess Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Confirm in your quote. | Newfront places umbrella and excess liability coverage through its Casualty practice rather than underwriting it; the practice negotiates placement structure and terms with carriers on the client's behalf. 11Company-reported. Casualty page Our Approach and Key Coverages sections. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | The reviewed Casualty page does not name an insurer for umbrella or excess placements; it describes 'strong carrier relationships' generally without naming a carrier. 11Not publicly disclosed. Casualty page as read on 2026-09-23; carrier depends on the specific placement. |
| 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. | Newfront says its Casualty team protects companies of every size and scope, and lists industry verticals it serves, including construction, manufacturing, technology, and life science, without a stated minimum size or premium threshold for umbrella/excess placements specifically. 11Company-reported. Casualty page intro and Areas of Expertise list. |
| 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. | Umbrella/Excess Liability is listed as one of the Key Coverages within Newfront's Casualty practice, alongside general liability, product liability, auto liability, and workers' compensation, but the page does not describe specific attachment points or underlying-policy requirements. 11Company-reported. Casualty page Key Coverages list; no policy form reviewed. |
| 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. | Newfront's Casualty page does not publish umbrella or excess limit options; it describes program structuring (guaranteed cost, large deductible, self-insurance, captive) as a service rather than stating specific limit tiers. 11Not publicly disclosed. Placement Expertise section; no limits schedule available. |
| Risk Services | Confirm in your quote. | Newfront says its Casualty team provides predictive analytics and benchmarking, claims advocacy, and integrated risk control to reduce claim frequency and total cost of risk, which the page frames as relevant across the casualty coverages it places, including umbrella/excess. 11Company-reported. Our Approach and The Newfront Difference sections. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | You engage Newfront for umbrella/excess placement by requesting a consultation through the Casualty page, led by Frannie Epps, Head of the Casualty Practice; the page does not describe an online quote or bind flow. 11Company-reported. Casualty page call-to-action and Leadership section. |
Related Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Newfront
Umbrella and Excess Liability Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Newfront
Other Coverage Lines Compared for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Newfront
Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons
Sources for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Newfront
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 Newfront
- Business Insurance. Newfront; Purpose-Built Team; Full Transparency; Streamlined Program Management. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Employee Benefits. Newfront; Employee Benefits heading; Tailored Solutions; Comprehensive Expertise: Benefits, Global Benefits, Compensation and Retirement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- WTW Completes Acquisition Of Newfront. WTW; 27 January 2026 release; completion announcement and allocation of Business Insurance and Total Rewards to WTW segments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Casualty. Newfront; Key Coverages to Protect Your Business: Umbrella/Excess Liability; Our Approach: Market Intelligence, Placement Expertise, Risk Quantification & Optimization; Leadership: Frannie Epps. Accessed 2026-09-23.
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.
