伯克希尔·哈撒韦Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) 2008年年度报告「NYSE」.pdf

1、BERKSHIREHATHAWAYINC.2008ANNUAL REPORTBusiness ActivitiesBerkshire Hathaway Inc.is a holding company owning subsidiaries that engage in a number of diversebusiness activities including property and casualty insurance and reinsurance,utilities and energy,finance,manufacturing,services and retailing.I

2、ncluded in the group of subsidiaries that underwrite property and casualtyinsurance and reinsurance is GEICO,the third largest auto insurer in the United States and two of the largestreinsurers in the world,General Re and the Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group.Other subsidiaries thatunderwrite pro

3、perty and casualty insurance include National Indemnity Company,Medical Protective Company,Applied Underwriters,U.S.Liability Insurance Company,Central States Indemnity Company,Kansas BankersSurety,CypressInsuranceCompany,BoatU.S.andseveralothersubsidiariesreferredtoasthe“Homestate Companies.”MidAme

4、rican Energy Holdings Company(“MidAmerican”)is an international energy holding companyowning a wide variety of operating companies engaged in the generation,transmission and distribution of energy.Among MidAmericans operating energy companies are Northern Electric and Yorkshire Electricity;MidAmeric

5、an Energy Company;Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power;and Kern River Gas TransmissionCompany and Northern Natural Gas.In addition,MidAmerican owns HomeServices of America,a real estatebrokerage firm.Berkshires finance and financial products businesses primarily engage in proprietary investingstra

6、tegies(BH Finance),commercial and consumer lending(Berkshire Hathaway Credit Corporation andClayton Homes)and transportation equipment and furniture leasing(XTRA and CORT).McLane Company is awholesale distributor of groceries and nonfood items to convenience stores,wholesale clubs,massmerchandisers,