Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies

What Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies does

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies is a U.S. property-and-casualty insurance group headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, operating through five insurance subsidiaries (AmGUARD, EastGUARD, NorGUARD, WestGUARD, and the excess-and-surplus AZGUARD) plus GUARDCo, Inc., a licensed medical management company. Founded in 1982 and wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway via National Indemnity Company since October 2012, GUARD specializes in small and mid-sized commercial insurance, with a portfolio spanning Workers' Compensation, Businessowner's Policy (BOP), Commercial Auto, General Liability with Inland Marine, Commercial Umbrella, and Professional Liability products (Lawyers, Architects & Engineers, Accountants, and Miscellaneous), plus personal-lines Homeowners and Disability coverage. The company holds an A+ (Superior) AM Best rating and is licensed in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia through its admitted carriers.

GUARD distributes exclusively through B2B channels—independent agents and brokers, the London Underwriters wholesale platform, hundreds of payroll service company partners feeding its proprietary GRIP pay-as-you-go billing system, medical providers accessing the Partner Resource Center, and real-time API connectivity via the Ivans Distribution Platform—rather than direct-to-consumer sales. Underwriting is supported by the Agency Service Center agent portal, the Policyholder Service Center (with the BHGUARD mobile app), AI-driven risk insight through its Planck partnership, telematics via IMS TrackMRI, IoT leak prevention through Triple+ and Guardian, and process automation through Roots Automation digital coworkers. The company writes approximately $2 billion in annual premiums across more than 250,000 policyholders, with disclosed average annual premium growth above 20% over the past decade and underwriting profitability of 10–15%, well above industry averages.

Name

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies

Legal name

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies

Website

https://guard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies is a U.S. property-and-casualty insurer owned by Berkshire Hathaway, specializing in small and mid-sized commercial lines such as Workers' Compensation, BOP, Commercial Auto, and Professional Liability, distributed through independent agents, wholesale brokers, and payroll partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Property & Casualty Insurance

NAICS

Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Workers’ Compensation for High-Hazard & Specialty Trades (FSAJAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indemnity (Lost-Time) Workers’ Compensation (FSAJAEAB), Employer’s Liability (FSAJADAE), Hired & Non-Owned Auto (FSAJABAE), Construction Specialty (Wrap-Ups/Builders Risk/Contractors) (FSAJAGAH)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance
• Workers compensation
• Small business insurance
• Property and casualty
• Businessowners policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilkes Barre

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commercial Insurance Premiums: GUARD generates the vast majority of its revenue through insurance premium income across commercial lines including Workers' Compensation, Businessowner's Policies, Commercial Auto, General Liability, Commercial Umbrella, and Professional Liability, as well as Homeowners coverage. The company writes approximately $2 billion in premiums annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies underwrites and distributes small commercial property and casualty insurance products — including Workers' Compensation, Businessowner's Policy, Commercial Auto, General Liability with Inland Marine, Commercial Umbrella, Disability, and Professional Liability — sold exclusively through independent agents, brokers, wholesale partners, and payroll service companies. The company also offers Homeowners coverage and value-added services such as loss control, medical management, return-to-work programs, and pay-as-you-go payroll-linked billing.

Product overview

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies is a commercial and personal property & casualty insurance provider backed by Berkshire Hathaway. The company operates as a holding company structure with five insurance subsidiaries (AmGUARD, AZGUARD, EastGUARD, NorGUARD, WestGUARD) and a medical management company (GUARDCo). The core product portfolio centers on commercial insurance lines including Workers' Compensation, Businessowner's Policy (BOP), General Liability with Inland Marine, Commercial Auto, Commercial Umbrella, and Professional Liability products (Lawyers, Architects & Engineers, Accountants, and Miscellaneous classes). Personal lines include Homeowners coverage. These products are supported by value-added services including Medical Management, Return-to-Work Programs, and Loss Control Services. The company differentiates through digital platforms including the Policyholder Service Center (with mobile BHGUARD App), Agency Service Center for agents, and Partner Resource Center for medical providers. Billing options include Pay-As-You-Go and Self-Reporting platforms. GUARD writes approximately $2B in premiums nationwide serving over a quarter million policyholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workers' Compensation Workers' Compensation coverage providing value-added services before, during, and after a claim including up-front loss control measures, responsive claims handling, pay-as-you-go payroll-linked billing, and facilitation of quality medical care. Designed for small to mid-sized businesses across targeted industries.
• Businessowner's Policy (BOP) Bundled property and liability protection combining traditional coverage into one form with optional add-ons and endorsements pre-designed for specific industry groups. Designed to simplify the insurance buying process for small to mid-sized businesses.
• General Liability & Inland Marine General Liability coverage providing financial protection against third-party claims, with popular industry add-ons including Inland Marine for tools and equipment. Now available for contractors as a turnkey solution.
• Commercial Auto Commercial insurance coverage for vehicles used to conduct business, transport goods, haul tools and equipment, or owned by corporations/partnerships. Protects against liability, collision, and personal injury with flexibility for single or multiple vehicles.
• Commercial Umbrella Excess liability coverage providing additional protection beyond underlying policy limits for businesses needing extended coverage above their base policy amounts.
• Disability Disability insurance coverage providing income protection for employees unable to work due to disability.
• Lawyers Professional Liability Professional liability protection for lawyers against financial losses due to negligence, errors, or omissions while performing professional services.
• Architects & Engineers Professional Liability Professional liability coverage for architects and engineers protecting against unintended errors or omissions while performing professional duties.
• Accountants Professional Liability Professional liability coverage for accountants protecting against negligence, errors, or omissions in professional services.
• Miscellaneous Professional Liability Professional liability coverage for various professional classes beyond specific categories, part of GUARD's expansion to become a one-stop shop for commercial coverage.
• Homeowners Personal lines homeowner's insurance coverage, with smart leak prevention systems available through the Guardian partnership.
• Commercial Insurance (Industry-Specific Bundled Vertical Solutions) Industry-tailored bundled commercial insurance packages covering Workers' Compensation, Businessowner's Policy, General Liability, Commercial Auto, and Umbrella for eight targeted small commercial verticals: Auto Repair, Contractors, Habitational, Hotels/Motels, Professional Offices, Restaurants, Retail Stores, and Service-related businesses.
• Pay-As-You-Go Billing Workers' Compensation billing option featuring zero down payment and zero installment fees, with premium payments matched to payroll cycle and directly drafted from bank account via the proprietary GRIP platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25% reduction in collisions for fleets using SDS anti-collision radar technology vs. control group
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• London UnderwriterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 September 2025Berkshire Hathaway GUARD partnered with London Underwriters, a leading wholesale insurance broker, to give insurance agencies streamlined access to GUARD's commercial insurance products. Agencies can use London Underwriters' LU One platform to quickly quote and bind Workers' Compensation policies, combining GUARD's coverage options with LU One's digital tools.
• IvanscoreTechnology or Integration · 17 June 2022GUARD expanded its relationship with Ivans to extend Workers' Compensation lines connectivity via the Ivans Distribution Platform. This creates a single submissions interface for quote data collection via insurtechs and agency management systems, enabling real-time quoting and supporting straight-through processing.
• PlanckcoreTechnology or Integration · 7 March 2019Partnership with Planck, an AI-driven data platform for commercial insurance, to expedite digital underwriting for GUARD's small and medium business segment. Planck provides AI-generated underwriting insights based on online/offline business data, allowing GUARD's underwriters to focus on quoting and underwriting right risks without spending time gathering and organizing data.
• Hundreds of Payroll Service CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGUARD has relationships with hundreds of payroll service companies nationwide that facilitate pay-as-you-go Workers' Comp billing. Partners either sell GUARD insurance products through their affiliated agency or connect GUARD's GRIP billing platform with their payroll processing services. Setup requires only two weekly file uploads.
• Medical Providers (Physician Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedical providers are key partners in GUARD's Workers' Comp operations, handling claims-related medical care coordination. GUARD provides the Partner Resource Center for providers to access bill search, check search, and document upload functions. Customer Service Center available at 1-800-673-2465 for provider registration assistance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Hartford: The Hartford is a large national P&C insurer with a substantial small commercial business division sold through independent agents. Comparable SMB commercial products (WC, BOP, commercial auto, liability, professional liability) but operates at much broader scale and product diversity than GUARD.
• Travelers Companies: Travelers is one of the largest U.S. P&C insurers with a substantial small commercial and Workers' Compensation franchise distributed through independent agents. Overlaps with GUARD in core SMB WC and BOP products but operates as a broad-line incumbent across many customer segments and geographies.
• Markel Group: Markel is a specialty insurer with significant small commercial and Workers' Comp exposure across niche verticals (contractors, hospitality, specialty trades). Compares to GUARD in vertical specialization and WC focus, though Markel operates across a much broader specialty insurance portfolio.

Direct peers

• Employers Holdings: Employers is a Workers' Compensation-focused insurance holding company serving small and mid-sized businesses across the U.S. through independent agents. Highly comparable to GUARD's core WC business model and SMB target customer, with similar geographic and vertical focus.
• Cincinnati Financial: Cincinnati Financial writes commercial property and casualty insurance primarily for small to mid-sized businesses through independent agents across the U.S. Comparable product portfolio (WC, BOP, commercial auto, liability) and distribution model to GUARD.
• AmTrust Financial Services: AmTrust is a leading specialty property and casualty insurer with a strong small commercial Workers' Compensation franchise, serving SMBs through similar agency and wholesale distribution channels. Closely comparable to GUARD in product mix (WC, BOP, commercial auto, liability) and target customer (small to mid-sized businesses across contractor, hospitality, and retail verticals).
• Hanover Insurance Group: The Hanover is a P&C insurer specializing in small and mid-sized commercial accounts distributed through independent agents. Overlapping product portfolio with GUARD (WC, commercial auto, BOP, umbrella) and similar SMB segmentation focus.
• Selective Insurance Group: Selective is a super-regional property and casualty insurer focused on small and mid-sized commercial accounts distributed through independent agents. Comparable to GUARD in standard commercial lines (WC, BOP, commercial auto, umbrella) and SMB customer base.

Emerging players

• biBERK (Berkshire Hathaway): biBERK is a Berkshire Hathaway direct-to-consumer digital commercial insurance provider offering WC, BOP, and liability to small businesses. Sister company to GUARD under the same parent, sharing the Berkshire Hathaway capital base and competing for overlapping SMB customers through a different distribution model.
• NEXT Insurance: NEXT is a digital-first insurtech providing small business insurance (WC, general liability, commercial auto, professional liability) directly online. Targets the same SMB customer as GUARD but bypasses independent agents, representing a structural competitive threat to traditional agency-distributed carriers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GUARDInsurance
• Facebookfacebook.com/guard

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies