Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs 
Zurich U.S.: 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 structures with $10 million capacity for selected risks (U.S. casualty appetite guide; not an account quote). Zurich says its Commercial Umbrella combines Coverage A follow-form excess and Coverage B lead umbrella; exact terms and availability depend on the issued policy. 5,9
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
Zurich U.S. Business Insurance: Products, Access, and Claims
Zurich U.S. serves Middle Market businesses and large or national accounts with commercial property-casualty and specialty insurance. Buyers can explore product lines and work through an agent or broker; the insurer named on a quote or policy identifies which Zurich company underwrites that coverage. 7,8
Read the Zurich U.S. 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. 10,11,12,13,14
What Are the Key Differences Between Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Zurich U.S. Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?
Umbrella Forms and Shared Facility
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s guide lists lead umbrella, follow-form excess, and retained-limit options with capacity for selected risks. Zurich describes Coverage A as follow-form excess and Coverage B as lead umbrella; separately, its claims-made facility can offer up to $100 million through a joint Zurich, Chubb, and National Indemnity facility. Buyers should keep the shared facility distinct from the standard umbrella and identify participating insurers and terms in a proposal. 5 9
Crisis Expense Feature
Zurich describes Coverage C as reimbursement of emergency casualty business-crisis expenses up to $250,000. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s casualty overview lists pollution and contractor-form features. These address different risks rather than equivalent endorsements; a buyer should identify which specific exposure matters and request the applicable wording from each quoting market. 9 6
What Should You Confirm in Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Zurich U.S. Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Quotes?
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Zurich U.S. 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 reviewsZurich U.S. Review Score
Review Score
No reviews found
The available Zurich review evidence is mixed and comes from distinct populations: a car-rental-business editorial rating, broad global and U.S. review-platform snapshots, and a BBB business-profile grade. These are not a representative measure of every Zurich commercial policy or claim.[1][4][5][6][7]
Read Zurich U.S. reviewsBerkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Zurich U.S. Umbrella and Excess Liability Compared
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Zurich U.S.: Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Lead umbrella and excess casualty | Zurich Commercial Umbrella and Excess Liability |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Confirm in your quote. |
| 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. | Zurich Commercial Umbrella combines Coverage A follow-form excess liability and Coverage B lead umbrella liability. 9Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; commercial umbrella and excess liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms. Zurich’s Excess Claims Made Facility offers up to $100 million in claims-made excess casualty coverage and may consider customized wording; it is a joint Zurich, Chubb and National Indemnity facility. 9Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; commercial umbrella and excess liability; United States. Facility capacity and terms are shared among Zurich, Chubb and Berkshire Hathaway National Indemnity; do not attribute the whole facility solely to Zurich. |
| 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. | Coverage C Casualty Business Crisis Expense reimburses emergency expenses up to $250,000. 9Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; commercial umbrella and excess liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms. |
Related Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Zurich U.S.
Umbrella and Excess Liability Pages for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Zurich U.S.
Other Coverage Lines Compared for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Zurich U.S.
Other Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons
Sources for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Zurich U.S.
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 Zurich U.S.
- About Us | Zurich U.S. | Commercial Insurance. Zurich U.S.; About Zurich U.S.; customer and industry description; FAQ on U.S. product focus. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Agents and Brokers | Zurich U.S. Zurich U.S.; Agent/broker route and locator. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Commercial Umbrella Insurance Coverage | Zurich Insurance. Zurich U.S.; Umbrella and excess coverage forms, crisis expense limit, excess claims-made facility. Accessed 2026-09-28.
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.
