Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs The Hartford: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?

BHSI lists full settlor and ACA gap coverage for fiduciary liability and targets large commercial and financial firms; The Hartford describes package and financial-institution routes. 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 Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

What Is The Hartford?

The Hartford suits SaaS and software small businesses seeking a BOP and an online quote; buyers needing commercial auto through self-service or built-in California EPL coverage should use another route. Eligible small-business quotes can start online in minutes. 7,8,9

Read the The Hartford profile

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

Policy features versus a plan-mismanagement example

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists full settlor coverage, Affordable Care Act gap coverage, and coverage for fines and penalties in its fiduciary policy. The Hartford instead explains the exposure with a benefit-plan mismanagement example: an employee whose medical bills were not paid under the employer’s plan. For a buyer, BHSI publishes more detail about policy features, while The Hartford’s page clarifies the kind of dispute the coverage addresses. 6 10

Different routes for private and financial organizations

BHSI identifies large commercial and financial firms with complex risk-transfer needs as targets for its fiduciary policy. The Hartford includes fiduciary liability in Private Choice Premier and also lists a separate line in its financial-institutions management-liability products. These descriptions suggest different starting points: ask BHSI about its target profile and ask The Hartford whether the package or financial-institution product fits your organization. 6 10

What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask BHSI which listed policy features and limits apply to your plan; its published portfolio maximum is not a fiduciary-specific limit. 5
  • Ask The Hartford whether the quote is standalone or packaged and how employee benefit-plan claims are treated. 10

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

The Hartford

4.9/ 10

Review Score

5 rated sources

The Hartford’s service record is mixed: NerdWallet rates it 4.5/5 but reports below-average small-business satisfaction. Low Trustpilot ratings add a service concern, although they mix policy types.[1][2][4][5][6][7]

Read The Hartford reviews

Offering Details

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs The Hartford: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaFiduciary Liability in Executive First Private Company PortfolioThe Hartford 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.

The Hartford's fiduciary liability coverage is one of five options in its Private Choice Premier management-liability package; it also offers a separate fiduciary liability line within its financial-institutions management and professional liability products. 10Company-reported. Management liability product page as read 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.

The Hartford's fiduciary liability coverage is available to nonprofit organizations, publicly traded companies and privately-held companies as part of its management-liability lineup. 10Company-reported. Management liability product page as read 2026-09-23.

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.

The Hartford says fiduciary liability insurance helps protect a business from claims of fiduciary mismanagement, giving as an example a staff member's claim after their medical bills weren't paid in accordance with the employer's benefit plans. 10Company-reported. Management liability product page as read 2026-09-23. General coverage description; the issued policy controls.

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.

Confirm in your quote.

Full Comparison

More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs The Hartford Comparisons

Other Fiduciary Liability Insurance Comparisons

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.

The Hartford

  1. SaaS Insurance for Your Business. The Hartford; Audience list (software startups, SaaS, IT consulting); Get a Business Owner’s Policy; What Is Business Owner’s Policy Insurance?; general liability introduction and Get a Quote; Get Commercial Property Insurance; Commercial Property Insurance for Your Business; Benefits of The Hartford’s WC Insurance for Employers and Employees; cyber insurance and data breach descriptions; Get a quote for cyber insurance; EPLI introduction and Private Choice Premier; add-ons (workers’ compensation, data breach, commercial auto); technology professional liability mention; small-business availability banner; industry-average premium footnote; footnote 2 state restrictions; footer product-availability disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Find a Local Insurance Agent. The Hartford; Small-business and midsize agent locators; FAQ that buyers can purchase without an agent by calling or quoting online; statement that agents may charge fees. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Management Liability Insurance | Get a Quote. The Hartford; Fiduciary Liability Insurance section; Who Does Management Liability Insurance Protect?; Management and Professional Liability Insurance for Financial Institutions. 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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