Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Marsh: Commercial Crime Insurance

Marsh's financial and professional liability practice places commercial crime, citing experience with placements of about $10 million to $110 million; Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance includes crime in one portfolio form with limits up to $50 million.

Van Ness Partners presents a practical comparison of source materials relevant to financial crime exposures.Research updated 2026-09-30

What Are the Key Differences Between Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Marsh Crime Insurance?

Coverage Structure and Crime Scope

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance includes crime with D&O, EPL, fiduciary, and employed-lawyer insurance in Executive First. Marsh places crime coverage for employee and third-party fraud, collusion, hacking-related crime, social engineering, and tangible-asset theft. Marsh also describes infill and top-up social-engineering protection above existing programs, a placement option to compare with BHSI’s portfolio structure. [1] [4]

Limits, Eligibility, and Placement

Marsh cites experience with complex placements from about $10 million to $110 million but does not publish standard limits or premiums for an individual risk. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance advertises portfolio limits up to $50 million, shared or separate, and targets private firms from $10 million revenue. Buyers should compare actual crime limits, excess attachment, and whether social engineering needs a separate layer. [1] [4]

What Should You Confirm in Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Marsh Crime Insurance Quotes?

  • Ask Marsh whether its quote is primary, infill, or excess and what social-engineering sublimit and retention apply.
  • Ask Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance how crime limits coordinate with other Executive First lines and which account criteria apply.

Crime coverage

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

  • role: BHSI describes Executive First Private Company Portfolio as one comprehensive form combining D&O, EPL, fiduciary, Commercial Crime and employed-lawyer insurance. Portfolio marketing establishes a listed product structure, not a buyer’s entitlement or standalone availability.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: BHSI identifies private companies with at least $10 million in revenue among the portfolio’s target accounts. Portfolio-level target, not a guarantee that a particular applicant qualifies for the crime component.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: The portfolio page advertises shared or separate limits up to $50 million. This is a portfolio-wide figure, not a crime-specific limit; the page does not say how limits would be allocated on a specific policy.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: The portfolio page specifically names Commercial Crime as one component of the comprehensive form. The page names the line but does not state its insuring agreements, coverage triggers or relationship to fidelity bonds.company-reportedSource ↗

Marsh

  • role: Marsh's financial and professional liability practice places commercial crime insurance; Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), the middle-market subsidiary, also places crime coverage bundled with fidelity as part of its executive and professional liability practice. Marsh corporate commercial crime page and MMA executive and professional liability page.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: Marsh lists employee white-collar fraud (including fidelity losses from trusted employees), third-party fraud, collusion, hacking or computer-related crime, social engineering fraud, and tangible asset theft as risks a commercial crime policy can address. It notes that crime policies usually exclude ransomware, though most cover direct financial losses from funds stolen by hackers. Commercial crime insurance page; the page is Marsh's global/UK financial-professional-liability practice content and cites a UK-based crime leader, so figures and coverage descriptions may not reflect a US-specific program.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: Marsh says its team has experience handling complex crime placements ranging from about $10 million to $110 million (also stated in GBP as £10 million to £100 million elsewhere on the page), but does not publish standard limits, retentions or premiums for a specific placement. Commercial crime insurance page; a description of Marsh's placement experience range, not a quoted limit for any individual buyer.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: The reviewed pages do not name a specific crime insurer. Marsh says definitions and extensions for crime coverage differ across insurers and that it works to secure coverage aligned with a client's risks, implying the carrier varies by placement. Commercial crime insurance page as read on 2026-09-23.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • services: Marsh says it provides insights on emerging crime risks, claim examples, market conditions and product education throughout renewal and placement, and offers infill and top-up social engineering cover in excess of a client's existing program. Commercial crime insurance page, Why Marsh section.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: You engage Marsh's crime specialists (Marsh corporate or MMA) directly to identify crime exposure and place coverage; the reviewed pages describe advisor-led placement rather than an online quote tool. Commercial crime insurance and MMA executive and professional liability pages.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance offers crime within a combined management portfolio; Marsh arranges complex commercial-crime placements and excess social-engineering cover.

Sources consulted

  1. 01
    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

  2. 02
    Commercial Insurance Guide

    California Department of Insurance · Crime · accessed 2026-09-16

  3. 03
    Social Engineering Fraud Insurance

    Chubb · Opening; coverage highlights · accessed 2026-09-16

  4. 04
    Commercial crime insurance

    Marsh · Opening positioning; The crime risks businesses cannot ignore; What does commercial crime insurance cover? (employee white-collar fraud, third-party fraud, collusion, hacking, social engineering fraud, tangible asset theft); Why Marsh: complex crime placements up to $110 million · accessed 2026-09-23

  5. 05
    Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance

    Marsh McLennan Agency · Our policies include D&O, E&O, EPL, commercial crime/fidelity, network security privacy risk/cyber, fiduciary, media liability, IP, architects and engineers, lawyers professional, and kidnap and ransom · accessed 2026-09-23

  6. 06
    Crime Terms and Conditions

    The Travelers Companies, Inc. · I.A–G, printed/PDF pages 1–4; III.RR, printed/PDF p.13; V.B.1–2, printed/PDF pp.18–20; Consideration, printed/PDF p.1; III.P p.8; V.A.3 pp.16–17; V.A.4 p.17; V.B.3 p.20; I.A.3 p.1; III.C p.7; III.S pp.8–9; III.II and III.KK p.12; III.QQ p.13; V.A.5 pp.17–18 (printed/PDF pages); IV.J–O, printed/PDF pages 14–15 · accessed 2026-09-16

  7. 07
    Crime Non-Financial Applications and Forms

    Travelers · Opening paragraph; Sample Policy Forms · accessed 2026-09-16

  8. 08
    Commercial Crime Coverage Application

    Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America · I–III pages 1–2; IX–XI pages 3–4; V–VII, printed/PDF pages 2–3 · accessed 2026-09-16

Contact Van Ness Partners to discuss controls, exposures and insurance options.

Contact Van Ness Partners