Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
Travelers: How Do They Compare for Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
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 Travelers Insurance?
Travelers suits technology companies that want CyberRisk Tech and can work through an independent agent; buyers seeking a direct online technology quote should compare digital providers. Many small accounts can be quoted in agent platforms, while specialty risks need underwriting. 7,8,9
Read the Travelers 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. 11,12,13,14,15
What Are the Key Differences Between Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Travelers Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Commercial Umbrella and Excess Paths
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s U.S. appetite guide lists lead umbrella, follow-form excess, and retained-limit forms. Travelers describes three paths: A/B umbrella, excess liability, and Northfield excess-and-surplus-lines coverage for harder-to-place risks. Both present multiple ways to arrange an umbrella or excess layer; the buyer can compare the available structure for the same risk without treating the names as interchangeable policy terms. 5 10
Industry Eligibility
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists manufacturers, construction, trucking, energy, and real estate among its U.S. umbrella/excess target classes, subject to restrictions and underwriting. Travelers says its commercial umbrella and excess coverage is available across industries and separately markets A/B Umbrella to small businesses. Both address industry fit for a commercial liability buyer: BHSI publishes named target classes, while Travelers describes broader industry reach and a small-business product path. 6 10
What Should You Confirm in Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Travelers Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Quotes?
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Travelers 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 reviewsTravelers Review Score
Review Score
3 rated sources
Travelers earns 4.5/5 from NerdWallet, but customer feedback is poor: 1.4/5 on Trustpilot and 1.3/5 for homeowners on ConsumerAffairs. Those reviews mostly concern personal insurance.[1][2][4][5][6][7]
Read Travelers reviewsBerkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Travelers Umbrella and Excess Liability Compared
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Travelers: Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Lead umbrella and excess casualty | Travelers Commercial Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Confirm in your quote. | Travelers underwrites commercial umbrella and excess liability coverage as a supplemental policy layered on top of a buyer's existing general liability, auto liability and employer's liability policies, sold through three product options rather than one single form. 10Company-reported. Commercial-umbrella product page, as read on 2026-09-23. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | The reviewed commercial-umbrella page does not name the specific underwriting entity for A/B umbrella, excess liability or the Northfield excess-and-surplus-lines option. 10Not publicly disclosed. Commercial-umbrella page as read on 2026-09-23. |
| 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. | Travelers says commercial umbrella and excess coverage is available across all industries, and separately markets its A/B Umbrella product to small businesses as part of its small-business insurance solutions. 10Company-reported. Commercial-umbrella page, including its small-business FAQ answer. |
| 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. | Travelers describes three coverage paths: A/B umbrella, excess liability, and Northfield excess-and-surplus-lines coverage for hard-to-place risks such as businesses with multiple prior claims, limited loss history or an unusual classification. 10Company-reported. Commercial-umbrella page's solutions list and Northfield FAQ answer. Travelers says the policy increases limits above standard primary policies, can replace exhausted primary limits, and can offer broader coverage than the underlying policies for certain losses, but that it does not cover all legal risk, such as some instances of uninsured-motorist exposure. 10Company-reported. Umbrella benefits section and FAQ; specific exclusions depend on the policy as issued. |
| 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. | Travelers says umbrella coverage typically starts at $1 million and increases in $1 million increments, and that it can write unsupported (monoline) policies with limits up to $25 million for small, midsized and large organizations. It does not publish a maximum limit for excess liability or Northfield placements. 10Company-reported. Commercial-umbrella cost section and benefits list. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | Travelers says an umbrella policy is usually purchased from the same insurer holding a buyer's primary coverage, which may require maintaining certain primary liability limits with Travelers first, and directs buyers to a Travelers independent agent to get started. 10Company-reported. Umbrella FAQ 'How do I buy umbrella insurance?' and video transcript. |
Related Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Travelers
Umbrella and Excess Liability Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Travelers
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Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons
Sources for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Travelers
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 Travelers
- Technology Insurance. Travelers; Technology insurance products we offer: CyberRisk Tech, Global Companion Plus+, general liability, commercial property, workers compensation, commercial auto, umbrella; startup-to-established-leader audience. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Travelers Producer Compensation Disclosure (United States). Travelers; Independent producers; seven compensation types; Simply Business, Inc. and InsuraMatch, LLC ownership; The Travelers Indemnity Company footer; Northfield Excess & Surplus Lines product list. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Contact Us. Travelers; Business insurance sold through independent agents; business claims 1.800.238.6225; MyTravelers for business features. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Commercial Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance. Travelers; What are the benefits of commercial umbrella insurance?; Our commercial umbrella and excess liability solutions include: A/B umbrella, Excess liability, Excess and surplus lines: Northfield; Commercial umbrella liability insurance cost; small business FAQ answer. 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.
