Latest Berkshire Hathaway Headlines

All the headlines from our Berkshire Hathaway Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Jumps Into Surety with Zurich’s Delisio

Jun 12 2014 // Continuing with its rapid expansion, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance is moving into the surety market, focusing on contract surety business. The company has appointed Geoff Delisio as senior vice president of...

Best Affirms Ratings of National Indemnity, Other Berkshire Hathaway Units

May 23 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A++’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aaa” of National Indemnity Company and its affiliates, and the FSR of...

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Enters Travel Insurance Business

May 20 2014 // Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, part of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, has launched the first product in its new travel-insurance line designed for travelers, travel agencies, tour operators and travel...

Mass. Fines GEICO for Accident Report Inconsistencies

May 19 2014 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) announced on May 1 it reached an agreement with auto insurance giant GEICO to resolve inconsistencies in its reporting of auto accident information to Massachusetts state...

Investigation Finds Inspections Lacking for Rail Tanker Cleaning

May 12 2014 // Federal inspectors responsible for workplace safety appear not to know which firms and how many firms handle the dangerous task of cleaning the inside of railroad tankers that carry petrochemicals, a Houston Chronicle...

Railroads Now Required to Alert States When Shipping Oil

May 8 2014 // The U.S. Transportation Department issued an emergency order designed to reduce the risks of transporting crude from North Dakota’s booming Bakken region by rail, a week after an oil train derailed and burned in...

Berkshire Hathaway 1Q P/C Re/Insurance Results Down from Last Year

May 5 2014 // Berkshire-Hathaway’s primary property/casualty operations recorded double-digit gains in premiums and pre-tax earnings in the first quarter, but P/C reinsurance results contributed to a 6.6 percent drop in operating...

GEICO Making Gains Across the Country: SNL Financial

May 5 2014 // GEICO Corp. beat out its competitors in premium growth in 2013 and reported one of the best underwriting margins among the top 20 U.S. auto insurers.According to a report by SNL Financial, GEICO’s direct personal...

BNSF Settles Lawsuit with Montana City Over Contamination

May 5 2014 // BNSF Railway has settled a lawsuit filed by landowners living near a former railroad tie treatment plant near Somers, Mont.BNSF spokesman Matt Jones told the Flathead Beacon the settlement reached last month calls for the...

Massachusetts Fines GEICO $275K for Accident Reporting Inconsistencies

May 2 2014 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Joseph Murphy announced Thursday an agreement with auto insurance giant GEICO to resolve inconsistencies in its reporting of auto accident information to Massachusetts state agencies...

Speculation on Buffett’s Successor Heats Up Before Berkshire Annual Meeting

May 1 2014 // Two years ago, Warren Buffett, then 81, announced that the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. board had chosen his successor as chief executive officer.The board, he said, also had two backups, but all three names were to remain a...

Buffett Says Rail Industry Concerned Over Oil Transport Safety

Apr 23 2014 // Warren Buffett, chairman of conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, said on Wednesday that safety is a major priority for the rail industry, after a recent spate of accidents raised concerns about how to transport oil...

SNL’s Top 30 E&S Writers: Berkshire On Fire with 40% Growth in 2013

Apr 7 2014 // With 40 percent premium growth in 2013, Berkshire Hathaway climbed five spots in the U.S. excess and surplus lines (E&S) ranking by SNL Financial, while QBE scaled back its North American operations and fell three...

Group Urges New York DFS to Review Auto Insurers’ Rate-Setting Practices

Apr 7 2014 // A consumer advocacy group said its analysis shows some of New York State’s largest auto insurers are charging higher premiums to motorists who have less education and non-professional, non-managerial jobs.The New...

People – East

Apr 7 2014 // The MEMIC Group, a Portland, Maine-based workers’ compensation carrier, has announced the promotion of Eileen M. Fongemie and Deborah E. Lander.Fongemie has been named director of finance. In this capacity, she will...

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Exec on Acquisitions, Expansion Plans

Mar 31 2014 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI), part of Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway, has its eyes on overseas expansion, according to BHSI’s top executive.BHSI’s...

GEICO’s Advertising Spending Slows But Still Tops $1 Billion: SNL

Mar 20 2014 // After two years of double-digit percentage increases in advertising spending, GEICO Corp. boosted its ad spend by just over five percent in 2013, according to research by SNL Financial.GEICO, with its Gecko and Maxwell the...

Carriers Committed to D&O Segment

Mar 10 2014 // Several turbulent years of increased claims, more regulation and additional oversight of directors and officers have not deterred carriers from the directors and officers (D&O) liability segment. As more carriers beef...

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Launches Healthcare Umbrella Policy

Mar 4 2014 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has introduced a healthcare umbrella policy designed to address the exposures of large medical providers in the ever-changing healthcare environment. Reflecting the...

Insurance Units’ Profits Drive Berkshire Hathaway

Mar 3 2014 // Insurance operations contributed $5.7 billion to total operating income of $15.1 billion for Berkshire Hathaway in 2013—with an underwriting profit of $2.0 billion (after taxes) representing the 11th year in a row with...