United States Liability Insurance Company, usually shortened to USLI, is a specialty insurer based in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and owned by Berkshire Hathaway. It sells liability, property, and professional coverage mainly to small businesses, plus a few personal policies such as umbrella, and it sells only through insurance agents. AM Best reaffirmed its A++ (Superior) financial strength rating in August 2025, the highest grade the agency gives.
That is the short answer. The rest of this guide covers what the group actually sells, how buying works, what regulators and customers say, and how to decide whether it suits your situation.
Quick Facts About the Company
USLI is not a single insurer. It is a group of five carriers that share a brand: United States Liability Insurance Company, Mount Vernon Fire Insurance Company, Mount Vernon Specialty Insurance Company, Radnor Specialty Insurance Company and U.S. Underwriters Insurance Company. The group’s own website says all five carry the A++ rating. Which one issues your policy depends on the product and your state.
Here are the basics at a glance:
- Headquarters: 1190 Devon Park Drive, Wayne, Pennsylvania
- Parent: Berkshire Hathaway, which acquired the group in 2000, according to Coverage Cat’s review
- Regulatory home: the flagship company moved its legal domicile from Pennsylvania to Nebraska on March 9, 2022, per the Missouri Department of Insurance
- NAIC company code: 25895
- Sales channel: wholesale and retail agents, with no direct-to-consumer sales
Who Owns It and How Strong the Balance Sheet Is
Berkshire Hathaway backing is the main reason the group earns top ratings. AM Best’s 2024 rating release says the ratings benefit from implicit support (investment management and risk oversight from Berkshire) and explicit support through reinsurance treaties with National Indemnity Company, a Berkshire subsidiary.
The numbers look healthy too. The same release described USLI’s underwriting income as the largest in ten years. An AM Best company report quoted by Coverage Cat says gross written premium grew 14.5% in 2023 over 2022, helped by rate increases and more policies.
Ratings are reviewed every year, so confirm the current grade at ambest.com before you rely on it.
What Coverage Does USLI Sell
The group sorts its products into commercial, professional and personal lines. Most of the volume sits in the first two.
1. Commercial Liability and Property
USLI says it writes more than 500 business classes, with a focus on low-premium, low-hazard risks. Typical customers include general and artisan contractors, child care providers, janitorial companies, pet care businesses, bars, restaurants and fitness centers. Coverage options include general liability, excess and umbrella liability, property, business interruption, inland marine, liquor liability and special events.
A product line called Main Street Mercantile covers more than 75 shop types, from florists to antique stores. Street vendors, kiosks and food trucks are also eligible, which is unusual for a carrier of this size.
2. Professional Liability
On the professional side, USLI offers errors and omissions, directors and officers, employment practices liability and cyber liability. It says it has written directors and officers coverage for nonprofits for more than 20 years. Its cyber policy targets businesses with up to 500 employees.
3. Personal Policies
Personal lines are limited. They include personal umbrella and excess umbrella, condo owners, renters, rental dwelling for landlords and vacant dwelling coverage.
USLI does not sell a standard homeowners policy. AM Best’s rating disclosure also notes the group has cut its personal umbrella exposure in California and Florida, so availability there may be tight.
How You Actually Buy a Policy
You cannot buy USLI coverage on its website. A licensed retail agent submits your application, sometimes through a wholesale broker, and the group advertises a turnaround of about three hours on submissions and binders. If you search for a quote button and find none, that is why.
USLI writes both admitted and non-admitted (surplus lines) policies. The difference matters. Non-admitted policies generally sit outside state guaranty fund protection, and they can carry surplus lines taxes and fees. Your agent should tell you which kind you are getting.
There is no public price list. Policies are underwritten one by one, and premiums for complex or higher-risk classes are often above what standard carriers charge. As one anecdote, a 2019 poster on the Bogleheads forum reported a broker quote near $300 a year for a $1 million personal umbrella. Treat that as a data point, not a rate.
What USLI Insurance Reviews and Regulators Say
The regulatory record is quiet. When checked, the Missouri Department of Insurance listed the company as active, showed no enforcement action in the past three years and held no complaint data on it.
Consumer review sites tell a thinner and rougher story. The Better Business Bureau shows USLI as not accredited, with six complaints in three years. One 2023 BBB reviewer said they were billed $150 of a $625 policy after cancelling, and a 2024 Trustpilot reviewer said a roof leak claim was refused because it was not wind or hail damage.
Sample sizes here are small, and unhappy customers post more often than satisfied ones. Still, both stories point to the same two pressure points: billing after cancellation and coverage exclusions.
Exclusions also show up in court. Coverage Cat’s review cites Insurance Business Magazine reporting that a federal judge ruled in March 2025 that USLI had no duty to defend an insurance agency over a premium-handling claim, because the professional policy excluded failure to safeguard money. That is a normal contract dispute, but it shows why the wording matters more than the brand.
Is USLI Legit and Licensed Where You Live
Yes, USLI is a legitimate insurer. The Missouri insurance department lists the flagship company as active, and the group’s carriers hold AM Best ratings. You can repeat the check yourself in a few minutes.
Search your state insurance department’s company lookup for the exact carrier named on your quote (NAIC code 25895 for the flagship company). Confirm it is licensed in your state, or approved as a surplus lines insurer if the policy is non-admitted. Then look at the complaint index, which showed no complaint data for the company in Missouri.
How to Report a USLI Claim or Pay a Bill
Coverage Cat’s review, citing USLI’s support page, lists 1-888-523-5545 (option 3) for claims during business hours and 1-888-875-5231 after hours. Claims can also be reported through the online policyholder portal, and supporting documents go to newlosses@usli.com.
Billing questions go to 1-866-632-2003 in the United States. CTG Insurance, an agency that places USLI policies, lists a Baltimore P.O. box for mailed payments. Numbers change, so confirm them on usli.com, and tell your agent about any loss at the same time you call.
USLI vs. RLI and Markel for Personal Umbrella Coverage
For personal umbrella coverage, USLI mainly competes with RLI and Markel. Coverage Cat reports that AM Best upgraded RLI to A++ in February 2026 and rates Markel A (Excellent), and that all three sell roughly $1 million to $5 million in limits.
USLI’s edge is appetite. It accepts higher-risk households and offers an excess umbrella that can sit as a third layer above other policies. Markel sells through appointed brokers in about 43 states, while USLI and RLI are available in all 50.
If your agent can quote all three, compare how defense costs are treated and what underlying coverage each requires, not just the price.
How to Read an A++ Rating Without Overtrusting It
A strong rating answers one question only: can the insurer pay? There are three separate questions, and each needs its own check.
First, can it pay? AM Best’s A++ and Berkshire’s reinsurance support speak to this directly. Second, will it pay your particular claim? That depends on policy wording and claims handling, so read the exclusions and look up the company in your state insurance department’s complaint database. Third, can you reach someone? Because everything runs through an agent, the quality of your agent decides how smooth service feels.
Most review articles stop at the first question. Working through all three gives a far better picture than any star count.
Who USLI Fits and Who Should Look Elsewhere
USLI tends to suit small contractors, restaurant and bar owners, child care providers, nonprofit boards, landlords who need rental dwelling coverage, and households with hard-to-place umbrella risks. Quick binding and wide class eligibility are the real draw for these buyers.
It is a poor fit if you want a standard homeowners policy, expect to buy online without an agent, or want an app for billing and claims. Larger businesses with complex programs usually work with a broker who can compare bigger commercial markets.
Five Questions to Ask Your Agent Before You Sign
- Is this policy admitted or non-admitted in my state, and what does that mean for guaranty fund protection?
- Which USLI company is issuing it?
- Which exclusions are most likely to affect my business?
- Do defense costs sit inside or outside the policy limit?
- What happens to my billing if I cancel mid-term?
Written answers to these will tell you more than any rating. A quote from the United States Liability Insurance Company is only as good as the wording behind it, so get the full policy form before you pay. This article is general information, not insurance advice.
