Berkshire Hathaway owns many separate insurers, not one. Its 2025 annual report sorts them into GEICO, the Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group and the Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group. For business insurance, three names matter most: biBERK, which sells online directly to businesses; Berkshire Hathaway GUARD, which sells through independent agents; and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI), which sells through brokers. They are run, sold and rated separately.
TL;DR: Buying yourself, online: biBERK. Working through an agent on a small commercial account: GUARD. Working through a broker on a larger or specialty risk: BHSI. GEICO is Berkshire's personal-auto insurer.
Which Berkshire Hathaway insurer is which?
This table follows Berkshire's own description of its insurers in the business section of its 2025 annual report (Berkshire Hathaway 2025 Annual Report, Form 10-K). The last column links the QuoteSweep page where one exists.
| Company | What the annual report says it writes | How it sells | Based in | QuoteSweep page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| biBERK (Berkshire Hathaway Direct, "BH Direct") | Workers' comp, property, commercial auto, general and professional liability for small and medium-sized businesses; admitted basis | Two internet platforms: biBERK.com and Threeinsurance.com | Stamford, Connecticut | biBERK, Berkshire Hathaway Direct |
| Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies | Commercial insurance for small and medium-sized businesses | Independent agents, wholesale brokers and managing general agents | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | GUARD |
| Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) | Commercial property and casualty, executive and professional lines and other coverages; primary and excess, admitted and non-admitted | Wholesale and retail brokers, and managing general agents | Boston, Massachusetts | BHSI |
| NICO Primary (National Indemnity Company and affiliates) | Commercial auto and general liability, admitted and excess and surplus lines | Insurance agents and brokers nationwide | Nebraska (domicile) | National Indemnity |
| Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Group | Workers' comp, commercial auto and commercial property | Not stated in the report | Omaha, Nebraska | None |
| RSUI and CapSpecialty | Specialty property, umbrella and excess, professional, D&O and general liability | Independent wholesale brokers, retail agents and managing general agents | Not stated in the report | RSUI |
| MedPro Group | Healthcare liability; also professional liability for non-healthcare professionals | Not stated in the report | Fort Wayne, Indiana | MedPro |
| U.S. Liability Insurance (USLI) | Commercial, professional and personal lines from five specialty insurers | Wholesale and retail agents, in all 50 states, DC and Canada | Wayne, Pennsylvania | USLI |
| GEICO | Private passenger auto for individuals in all 50 states and DC; also motorcycles, boats, RVs and commercial vehicles | Mainly direct by internet and phone, plus some agencies | Maryland | None |
Berkshire also owns reinsurers (National Indemnity's reinsurance group, General Re and Transatlantic Reinsurance) that sell to other insurers, not to businesses. Berkshire's own subsidiary list on berkshirehathaway.com names the same insurers.
GUARD and biBERK are not the same company
Both are Berkshire insurers that sell to small businesses, and the names get mixed up. They are different companies:
- biBERK is the online brand of Berkshire Hathaway Direct. You buy from the website, with no agent. See biBERK's profile.
- GUARD (Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies) markets its policies through independent agents, wholesale brokers and managing general agents. National Indemnity Company, a Berkshire subsidiary, has owned it since October 2012, per GUARD's history page as seen in search results. See GUARD's agent guide.
- Security-guard insurance is unrelated to GUARD. If you searched for coverage for a security-guard business, this is not that company.
If you are a business owner who wants to buy on your own, that is biBERK. If you work with an agent, the agent decides whether GUARD fits.
Are they all rated the same?
No. The ratings belong to each group of companies, not to Berkshire as a whole.
| Insurer | AM Best financial strength | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GUARD | A+ (Superior), reaffirmed August 2026 | AM Best and GUARD, via search results |
| biBERK | A++ (Superior) | Stated by biBERK for its major subsidiaries; its site blocked automated checks on 7 November 2026 |
| BHSI | A++ (Superior) for the National Indemnity group it belongs to | BHSI about-us page, read 7 November 2026 |
A rating measures the ability to pay claims, not service. Check the rated company named on your policy, not the brand on the website. For how this plays out in a three-way comparison, see Hiscox vs NEXT vs biBERK.
What the 2025 annual report says changed
Two year-over-year changes in the annual report matter if you or your agent are choosing between these insurers. These are written-premium changes for 2025 compared with 2024, as Berkshire reports them.
- GUARD wrote 32.6% less premium. Berkshire attributes the drop to volume reductions across numerous product categories, including personal lines, businessowners' and workers' comp, from initiatives to exit unprofitable lines and tighter underwriting standards. If GUARD wrote a class for you in the past, ask the underwriter whether it still does.
- Berkshire Hathaway Direct wrote 15.8% more premium. The report puts BH Direct, the company behind biBERK, among the units that grew.
- The whole primary group wrote $18.7 billion in premiums in 2025, slightly less than the year before.
Read the figures as company-reported totals for whole groups, not as a guide to any one state or class.
How to use this
- Decide how you want to buy. Online alone: biBERK. Through an agent: ask whether GUARD, National Indemnity or BHSI fits your class and size.
- Match the size of the risk. Berkshire describes both Berkshire Hathaway Direct and GUARD as writing mainly for small and medium-sized businesses; BHSI writes commercial and specialty lines that brokers place.
- Quote more than one insurer on the same limits. Berkshire's name does not make the price or the fit identical. Compare biBERK with ERGO NEXT and Hiscox, or compare quotes from several insurers. See the carrier directory for other insurers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is biBERK part of Berkshire Hathaway?
Yes. Berkshire's annual report names biBERK.com as one of two internet platforms of Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company, which is part of the Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group.
Is GUARD the same as biBERK?
No. They are separate Berkshire insurers. biBERK sells online directly to businesses, and GUARD sells through independent agents, wholesale brokers and managing general agents.
Is GEICO part of Berkshire Hathaway?
Yes. Berkshire's annual report lists GEICO as one of its three insurance groups. GEICO's main business is private passenger auto insurance for individuals.
What is Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance?
BHSI is Berkshire's commercial property, casualty, executive and professional lines insurer, based in Boston. It writes through wholesale and retail brokers and managing general agents, not directly to small businesses online.
Can I get a quote from Berkshire Hathaway directly?
For business insurance, the direct route is biBERK. The other Berkshire insurers sell through agents or brokers, so you need one to place the policy.
Are all Berkshire Hathaway insurers rated A++?
No. GUARD is rated A+ (Superior) by AM Best, while biBERK states A++ and BHSI says the National Indemnity group it belongs to holds A++.
What changed on this page
- 7 November 2026: Page created. The company descriptions, sales channels, locations and 2025 premium changes come from Berkshire Hathaway's 2025 annual report, which was fetched and read. BHSI's rating wording comes from bhspecialty.com, read the same day.
- Not rechecked on 7 November: biBERK's A++ rating and GUARD's A+ rating and ownership date, which are carried from QuoteSweep's GUARD and biBERK pages because guard.com and biberk.com block automated requests.
