Berkshire's Specialty Insurance, Bigger Than You Think?

By Steve Symington – Jul 2, 2013 at 8:31PM

NYSE: BRK.A

Berkshire Hathaway

Market Cap

$863B

Today's Change

(0.70%) $4,194.21

Current Price

$604,494.21

Price as of April 18, 2024, 1:09 p.m. ET

Berkshire recently announced its move into specialty insurance, but investors may be underestimating just how big this could be over the long-term.

Two weeks ago, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A 0.70%) (BRK.B 0.68%) announced its newly formed commercial property-casualty insurance group, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, is officially up and running.

While that may not be a surprise given the fact Berkshire hired four of AIG's (AIG 0.91%) senior property-casualty executives in April, investors may not realize just how much this unit could eventually contribute to Berkshire's operations as the company takes market share from other players in the space, says Fool contributor Steve Symington in the following interview with the Fool's Erin Miller.

But what do you think? Please watch the video to get Steve's take, and then let us know whether you believe specialty insurance significantly improves Berkshire Hathaway stock's value.

Fool contributor Steve Symington has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends American International Group and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool owns shares of American International Group and Berkshire Hathaway and has the following options: Long Jan 2014 $25 Calls on American International Group.

We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.