Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
USI Insurance Services: How Do They Compare for Cyber 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 Cyber Insurance page
What Is USI Insurance Services?
USI suits software and hardware companies from seed stage through IPO seeking consultative broker support; buyers wanting a self-serve quote should compare digital agencies. Insurer commissions are typical and contingent compensation may also apply. 7,8,9
What Is Cyber Insurance?
Cyber insurance can help pay covered response costs and claims against your business after a cyber incident. If your business relies on data, software or outside providers, compare response limits, vendor outages and approval rules. 12,13
Key Differences in Cyber Insurance
Notification and defense amounts
USI’s PrivaSafe describes protection up to $10 million, up to $2 million for notification costs beyond the aggregate, and $250,000 for defense costs outside the limit. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance lists response, extortion, third-party breach, and network-interruption exposures but publishes no standard limit in the reviewed record. A buyer can compare USI’s published structure with the specific BHSI limits quoted for the same event types. 10 5
Brokered manuscript program or insurer form
USI is a broker that places coverage and layers its manuscripted PrivaSafe program over carrier policies, including pre- and post-breach services. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance describes its own standalone Network Security & Privacy policy or blended E&O/Cyber forms. The buying relationship therefore differs: ask USI how its program wording interacts with the underlying carrier, and compare that structure with BHSI’s proposed policy. 10 10 5
What to Confirm in Cyber Insurance Quotes
- Ask USI whether the notification and defense amounts sit outside the aggregate in your quote and which carrier issues the policy; compare BHSI’s response and extortion limits. 10 5
- USI asks for current cyber policies, financials, and a vulnerability assessment. Ask BHSI what submission documents it needs and whether its proposal includes the listed incident services. 10 5
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
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 reviewsUSI Insurance Services
Review Score
1 rated source
USI’s public feedback is too sparse and office-specific for a firmwide verdict. Check the local team’s responsiveness and experience with your type of business.[4][6][8]
Read USI Insurance Services reviewsOffering Details
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs USI Insurance Services: Cyber Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Professional First Network Security & Privacy | USI PrivaSafe Cyber and Privacy Liability Program |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | BHSI describes both a stand-alone Network Security & Privacy policy and blended E&O/Cyber forms in Professional First. 5,6Company-reported. Form selection depends on the risk and proposal; the overview does not establish issuance for an individual applicant. | USI is a broker, not an insurer, for cyber coverage. It places cyber and privacy liability policies for clients and layers on its own manuscripted program, PrivaSafe, rather than underwriting the risk itself. 10,8Company-reported. PrivaSafe program page and USI's property & casualty and technology practice pages. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | USI does not name the insurer that issues PrivaSafe or other cyber policies on the pages reviewed. PrivaSafe is described as a manuscripted (custom-drafted) coverage form that USI negotiates with the market, so the carrier varies by placement. 10Not publicly disclosed. PrivaSafe program page as read on 2026-09-23; no dedicated cyber carrier list was found. |
| Who It’s For | The Network Security & Privacy page names professional-services firms among its targets; the overview separately lists technology, telecom and financial-sector customers in targeted or selective categories. 5,6Company-reported. The overview’s class lists have different appetite labels; neither is a blanket eligibility rule. | USI markets PrivaSafe to middle-market firms, saying they are particularly vulnerable to cyber events because they have limited in-house access to security expertise. The page also says any business that gathers personal or health information, manages a network, or accepts electronic payments is a potential target. 10Company-reported. Program page marketing description, not an underwriting appetite statement. |
| Coverage Features | BHSI markets third-party breach exposures, direct breach-response and extortion expenses, and business interruption from a network-security failure. 5Company-reported. The product page is a coverage summary; conditions, sublimits and exclusions require the policy and endorsements. | USI describes PrivaSafe as covering three areas: liability costs (including inability to protect information and related tort liability), compliance and corrective costs (data breach and forensic costs, privacy regulatory costs, payment-card standards), and direct costs (network interruption, data reconstruction, cyber extortion, bricking, voluntary shutdown, reputational harm business interruption, and cyber crime). 10Company-reported. PrivaSafe program page; actual insuring agreements and exclusions are set by the issued policy form. |
| Limits and Retentions | Confirm in your quote. | USI says PrivaSafe can prevent uninsured or underinsured losses up to $10 million, includes up to $2 million in notification-cost coverage in addition to the policy's aggregate limit, and $250,000 in defense-cost coverage outside the limit (with additional limit available). 10Company-reported. Program page figures describe the PrivaSafe structure generally; a buyer's actual limits, sublimits and retentions are set on the policy declarations. |
| Risk Services | BHSI lists eRiskHub as a resource with its Network Security & Privacy product. 5Company-reported. The product-page listing does not define the resource’s service scope or confirm availability on an individual policy. | USI says PrivaSafe includes pre-breach services to help avoid cyber threats and post-breach services designed to streamline incident response and recovery, on top of USI's general property & casualty cyber specialists. 10,11Company-reported. Program page and property-casualty practice team description. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | To review cyber exposure with USI, the program page says a buyer should be ready to provide current cyber policies (if any), an assessment of its largest financial and operational cyber vulnerabilities, and its most recent audited financials. 10Company-reported. PrivaSafe program page intake description. |
Full Comparison
More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs USI Insurance Services Comparisons
Other Cyber Insurance Comparisons
Sources
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.
- Professional First Network Security & Privacy Policy. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights, lines 6–19: third-party breach exposures, regulatory investigations, direct response/extortion expense, electronic-content media liability and network-security business interruption; target professional services. Retained canonical source record accessed 2026-09-28; direct re-open failed in this session. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Professional First Professional Liability Overview. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; PDF pp. 1–2: separately named Professional First Media Liability and Network Security & Privacy; targeted customer categories; in-house claims handling; product portfolio descriptions. Version 2026-06-03-A; re-opened 2026-09-30. Accessed 2026-09-30.
USI Insurance Services
- The Power of ONE. USI Insurance Services; History, client-count, nationwide office, and P&C / benefits / personal risk / retirement description. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology Insurance. USI Insurance Services; USI's Technology Practice provides risk management advisory and insurance placement for: ...Network Security/USI PrivaSafe... Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Commissions and Fees. USI Insurance Services; Licensed-producer authority, insurer-paid commission default, contingent compensation, and client request right. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- USI Exclusive PrivaSafe. USI Insurance Services; How can USI help our firm...; Comprehensive Cyber Coverage Through Three Distinct Offerings (Liability Costs, Compliance/Corrective Costs, Direct Costs); Up to $2 million in notification costs...; $250,000 in defense cost coverage outside the limit; Our current local/regional broker already secured a Cyber liability policy... Accessed 2026-09-23.
- P&C Insurance and Risk Consulting. USI Insurance Services; risk management and insurance advice on broad risk exposures such as...Cyber Risk...; cyber specialists, claim advocates, risk control specialists. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Cyber Insurance Guide
- Cyber Insurance. Federal Trade Commission; Opening; First-Party and Third-Party Coverage; First-Party Coverage; Third-Party Coverage; What Should Your Cyber Insurance Policy Cover. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- CyberEdge specimen policy. AIG; General Terms §§4–6, PDF pp.3–6; Security and Privacy §1 p.11, §2(l)/(p) p.14, §3 pp.15–18, exclusions p.18; Event Management §1 and §2(h), PDF pp.19–20. Accessed 2026-09-16.
