About Us

The Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (BHHC) is a group of six regional insurance companies which are part of the Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The Insurance Group has various divisions, including a reinsurance operation which specializes in large “catastrophe” risks, and primary insurance operations which write commercial property and casualty insurance, with a focus on commercial auto and workers compensation.

As members of the Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group, each of the Homestate Companies has earned an “A++” rating from A.M. Best, and an “AAA” rating from Standard & Poor's. This combination of unparalleled financial strength and superior claims paying ability sets us apart from our competitors in the industry.

Our parent company, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., is a holding company which owns subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse businesses, and which is involved extensively in the insurance industry. Berkshire conducts its insurance and reinsurance activities through 32 domestic and 15 foreign-based insurance companies, including GEICO, General Reinsurance and National Indemnity. The Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Warren Buffett, is widely known for his success in managing the Group's investments and acquisitions.

Our California Workers Compensation Specialty Division started in 1980 with the purchase of Cypress Insurance Company, a monoline workers compensation carrier founded in 1963. In July of 2006, American All Risk Insurance Services (AARIS), a large managing general agency specializing in workers compensation, became part of the Homestate Companies and will begin operating as Oak River Insurance Company in January of 2007.

With the combination of Cypress Insurance Company and Oak River Insurance Company, the BHHC Workers Compensation Specialty Division has positioned itself to become one of the leading writers of workers compensation in California. With our large staff of workers compensation specialists, we are committed to helping California businesses better manage their workers compensation costs by providing innovative and comprehensive products, as well as the highest level of service and unparalleled financial strength.