Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Newfront: Representations and Warranties Insurance

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance publishes portfolio capacity up to $25 million; Newfront brokers R&W through its transaction advisory group and supports deal teams with diligence and analytics.

Kearny Risk organizes these comparisons for firms whose advice, content or technology creates professional exposures.Research updated 2026-10-01

Areas of coverage

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

  • coverage: BHSI’s current U.S. Transactional Liability page and linked overview name Representations and Warranties Insurance as a product. Direct U.S. product listing; final coverage depends on transaction-specific contract terms.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: The U.S. overview describes R&W insurance as adding protection beyond negotiated caps and survival periods and as potentially reducing seller escrow. Company-reported transactional use cases; not a promise of clean exit, outcome or standardized policy response.company-reportedSource ↗
  • limits: The 2025 U.S. Transactional Liability overview states portfolio capacity up to $25 million and says premiums/retentions vary with transaction size and risks. Portfolio-wide underwriting capacity, not a guaranteed R&W limit or quote; document dated 2025-05-16-A.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: The current page lists manufacturing, financial institutions, technology, real estate, energy, healthcare and retail as transactional-liability target sectors. Portfolio target sectors, not R&W-only acceptability criteria.company-reportedSource ↗

Newfront

  • role: Newfront places representations and warranties (R&W) insurance through its Private Equity & Transaction Advisory Group, which it describes as operating as "an extension of your deal-team" during M&A transactions. Newfront brokers R&W coverage; it does not underwrite it. Mergers & Acquisitions page's Transaction liability paragraph.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Newfront markets R&W insurance to clients executing mergers and acquisitions, working alongside private-equity deal teams; the reviewed page does not set a minimum deal size or industry restriction. Mergers & Acquisitions page; a practice-wide description, not a stated R&W-specific eligibility threshold.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Newfront describes R&W insurance as protecting clients "across unknown risks" arising from a transaction, distinguishing it from the tax insurance and contingent-liability insurance the same team also places for "hard-to-place transaction risks." The reviewed page does not describe R&W policy exclusions, retention structure or claims-made terms. Mergers & Acquisitions page's Transaction liability paragraph; general description, not a policy form summary.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: Newfront says it has relationships with transaction liability insurers but does not name an R&W carrier. As a broker, the insurer varies by deal. Mergers & Acquisitions page's Subject matter expertise section.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • limits: Published limits, retentions or premium rates for R&W coverage were not found on the reviewed page. Mergers & Acquisitions page as read on 2026-09-23; limits and pricing are deal-specific for broker placements.not-disclosedSource ↗
  • services: Newfront says its due-diligence professionals "operate on deal-time identifying key risk exposures, mitigation solutions, and cost-savings opportunities," and that its technology and data-analytics capabilities support the M&A insurance team's work, including transaction-liability placement. Mergers & Acquisitions page's Due diligence and Technology & data-driven results sections; describes the M&A practice generally, not R&W-exclusive services.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: You engage Newfront's Private Equity & Transaction Advisory Group for R&W placement by requesting a consultation, which asks for your industry, company details and the service you need rather than issuing an instant quote. General consultation intake, not an R&W-specific application path.company-reportedSource ↗

What Are the Key Differences Between Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Newfront Representations and Warranties Insurance?

Underwriting capacity and deal-team placement

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s 2025 overview gives portfolio-wide capacity up to $25 million and says premiums and retentions vary with transaction size and risk. Newfront brokers R&W through its Private Equity & Transaction Advisory Group, which it describes as an extension of the deal team. One source describes underwriting capacity; the other describes broker placement. Ask both for the capacity a carrier will commit to this transaction. [3] [7]

Due diligence and policy detail

Newfront describes its Private Equity & Transaction Advisory Group as an extension of the deal team during M&A and says it brokers R&W rather than underwriting it. BHSI describes R&W as potentially extending protection beyond negotiated caps and survival periods and reducing seller escrow; its overview does not establish those results for a specific transaction. Ask Newfront which insurer will issue the policy, then compare the proposed wording and economics with BHSI’s offer. [7] [3]

What Should You Confirm in Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Newfront Representations and Warranties Insurance Quotes?

  • Ask Newfront which insurer will issue the policy and request its retention, exclusions and claims terms. [7]
  • Ask BHSI what capacity and retention are available for this transaction. [3]
  • Confirm how any proposed policy changes the negotiated cap, survival period and escrow. [3]

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s 2025 overview states up to $25 million in portfolio-wide capacity, not a committed R&W limit; Newfront brokers R&W through its Private Equity & Transaction Advisory Group, which it describes as an extension of the deal team during M&A.

Sources reviewed

  1. 01
    Mergers & Acquisitions

    Beazley · Product overview: buyer and seller protection for inaccuracies in representations or warranties · accessed 2026-09-16

  2. 02
    Transactional Liability

    Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance · Product Highlights list R&W, tax, contingent-liability and class-action-settlement insurance; Top Targets list manufacturing, financial institutions, technology, real estate, energy, healthcare and retail, lines 6–27. The target list is for the transactional-liability portfolio, not exclusive R&W eligibility. · accessed 2026-09-28

  3. 03
    Transactional Liability Overview

    Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance · PDF pp.1–2: R&W, tax, contingent-liability, and class-action-settlement products; portfolio-wide primary/excess and up-to-$25m capacity; premiums/retentions vary by transaction/risk; portfolio appetite and in-house claims group; R&W buyer-use descriptions; dated 2025-05-16-A. Product-specific limits and final terms not stated. Source version: 2025-05-16-A. · accessed 2026-09-28

  4. 04
    Transaction liability insurance | Representation and indemnities insurance

    CFC · What are representations and warranties?; Who should buy representation and warranty insurance?; Available to buyers & sellers; Limited seller security; Is transaction liability insurance available to sellers · accessed 2026-09-16

  5. 05
    Transactional Risk Insurance

    Coverdash · Transactional risk insurance; representations and warranties coverage; buy-side policies; tax and contingent liability products · accessed 2026-09-16

  6. 06
    Get Started Today

    Newfront · Consultation form: schedule a consultation to see how Newfront can reduce your risk · accessed 2026-09-23

  7. 07
    Mergers & Acquisitions

    Newfront · Transaction liability: "Our deep expertise across R&W insurance, Tax insurance, and Contingent Liability insurance provides significant protection for clients across unknown risks"; Due diligence; Subject matter expertise; Leadership: Ted Dobos · accessed 2026-09-23

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