8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                         PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) June 19, 1998

                             General Re Corporation
               (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Delaware                            1-8026                          06-1026471
(State or Other                 (Commission File               (I.R.S. Employer
Jurisdiction of                     Number)                 Identification No.)
Incorporation)

695 East Main Street, Stamford, Connecticut                          06904-2351
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                             (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code (203) 328-5000

                                 Not Applicable
Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)





Item 5.     Other Events.

            Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (the "Berkshire") and General Re Corporation
("General Re") have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Mergers dated as of
June 19, 1998 (the "Merger Agreement"). In connection with the Merger Agreement,
General Re has entered into a Stock Option Agreement dated June 19, 1998 with
Berkshire, and Warren E. Buffett and Charles T. Munger, Berkshire's Chair and
Vice-Chairman, have entered into a Voting Agreement dated June 19, 1998 with
General Re. Each of these agreements is filed herewith as an exhibit and is
incorporated herein by reference.

            Berkshire and General Re have issued a joint press release
announcing the Merger Agreement, which is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and is
incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7.     Financial Statements and Exhibits.

            (c) The following exhibits are filed with this report:

            Exhibit Number                         Description

                   2                    Agreement and Plan of Mergers dated as
                                        of June 19, 1998 between Berkshire and
                                        General Re

                 99.1                   Stock Option Agreement dated as of
                                        June 19, 1998 between Berkshire and
                                        General Re

                 99.2                   Voting Agreement between Warren E.
                                        Buffett and General Re

                 99.3                   Voting Agreement between Charles T.
                                        Munger and General Re

                 99.4                   Press Release of Berkshire and General
                                        Re issued June 19, 1998





                                   SIGNATURES

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                       GENERAL RE CORPORATION

                                       By:  /s/ Charles F. Barr
                                            ---------------------
                                          Name: Charles F. Barr
                                          Title: Vice President, General
                                                  Counsel and Secretary

Dated:      June 26, 1998





                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

            Exhibit Number                            Description

                   2                    Agreement and Plan of Mergers dated as
                                        of June 19, 1998 between Berkshire and
                                        General Re

                 99.1                   Stock Option Agreement dated as of
                                        June 19, 1998 between Berkshire and
                                        General Re

                 99.2                   Voting Agreement between Warren E.
                                        Buffett and General Re

                 99.3                   Voting Agreement between Charles T.
                                        Munger and General Re

                 99.4                   Press Release of Berkshire and General
                                        Re issued June 19, 1998

EX-2

                                                                  EXHIBIT 2
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------










                          AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGERS

                            Dated as of June 19, 1998

                                 By and Between

                             BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC.

                                       And

                             GENERAL RE CORPORATION







- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------



                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                            PAGE

RECITALS.....................................................................1

ARTICLE 1   FORMATION OF HOLDING COMPANY AND MERGER SUBSIDIARIES.............2
     1.1    Holding Company..................................................2
     1.2    Organization of Merger Subsidiaries..............................3
     1.3    Actions of Directors and Officers of the Merger Subsidiaries.....3
     1.4    Actions of Holding Company.......................................3
     1.5    Board of Directors of Holding Company; Name of Holding Company...3

ARTICLE 2   THE MERGERS; DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
OF THE MERGER SUBSIDIARIES; CLOSING..........................................3
     2.1    The Mergers......................................................3
     2.2    Effects of the Mergers...........................................4
     2.3    Certificates of Incorporation; Bylaws............................4
     2.4    Directors........................................................4
     2.5    Officers.........................................................5
     2.6    Closing..........................................................5

ARTICLE 3   EFFECT OF THE MERGERS ON SECURITIES OF
BERKSHIRE, GENERAL, HOLDING COMPANY

AND THE MERGER SUBSIDIARIES..................................................5
     3.1    Merger Subsidiary Stock..........................................5
     3.2    Holding Company Capital Stock....................................5
     3.3    Effect on Berkshire Common Stock.................................6
            (a)   Cancellation of Treasury Stock.............................6
            (b)   Conversion of Berkshire Common Stock.......................6
            (c)   Cancellation and Retirement of Berkshire Common Stock......6
            (d)   Stock Plans................................................6
     3.4    Effect on General Stock..........................................7
            (a)   Cancellation of Treasury Stock and Berkshire-Owned
                  General Stock..............................................7
            (b)   Conversion of General Stock................................7
            (c)   Cancellation and Retirement of General Stock...............7
            (d)   Stock Plans................................................7
     3.5    Exchange of General Certificates.................................8
            (a)   Exchange Agent.............................................8
            (b)   Exchange Procedures........................................9
            (c)   Distributions with Respect to Unexchanged Shares..........10

                                       i



            (d)   No Further Ownership Rights in General Common Stock.......10
            (e)   No Fractional Shares......................................10
            (f)   Termination of Exchange Fund..............................11
            (g)   No Liability..............................................11
            (h)   Investment of Exchange Fund...............................11
     3.6    General Preferred Stock.........................................11
     3.7    Partial Cash Election...........................................12
     3.8    Dissenting Shares...............................................13

ARTICLE 4   REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES..................................14
     4.1    Disclosure Schedules............................................14
     4.2    Representations and Warranties of General.......................14
            (a)   Organization, Standing and Corporate Power................14
            (b)   Subsidiaries..............................................14
            (c)   Capital Structure.........................................15
            (d)   Authority; Noncontravention...............................15
            (e)   SEC Documents; Undisclosed Liabilities....................17
            (f)   Information Supplied......................................17
            (g)   Absence of Certain Changes or Events......................18
            (h)   Litigation; Labor Matters; Compliance with Laws...........18
            (i)   Employee Matters..........................................19
            (j)   Tax Returns and Tax Payments..............................19
            (k)   State Antitakeover Laws Not Applicable; No Other
                  Restrictions..............................................20
            (l)   Environmental Matters.....................................21
            (m)   Properties................................................21
            (n)   Insurance Matters.........................................22
            (o)   Liabilities and Reserves..................................22
            (p)   Investment Advisory and Investment Company Matters........23
            (q)   Brokers...................................................23
            (r)   Opinion of Financial Advisor..............................24
            (s)   Board Recommendation......................................24
            (t)   Rights Agreement..........................................24
            (u)   Required General Vote.....................................24

     4.3    Representations and Warranties of Berkshire.....................24
            (a)   Organization, Standing and Corporate Power................24
            (b)   Subsidiaries..............................................25
            (c)   Capital Structure.........................................25
            (d)   Authority; Noncontravention...............................26
            (e)   SEC Documents; Undisclosed Liabilities....................27
            (f)   Information Supplied......................................27
            (g)   Absence of Certain Changes or Events......................28
            (h)   Compliance with Laws......................................28
            (i)   State Antitakeover Laws Not Applicable; No Other
                  Restrictions..............................................28

                                       ii



            (j)   Interim Operations of Holding Company and the
                  Merger Subsidiaries.......................................28
            (k)   Brokers...................................................29
            (l)   Board Recommendation......................................29
            (m)   Required Berkshire Vote...................................29

ARTICLE 5   COVENANTS RELATING TO CONDUCT OF
BUSINESS PRIOR TO MERGER....................................................29
     5.1    Conduct of Business of General..................................29

ARTICLE 6   ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS...........................................32
     6.1    Preparation of Form S-4 and the Proxy
            Statement/Prospectus; Stockholder Meetings......................32
     6.2    Letter of General's Accountants.................................33
     6.3    Berkshire Access to Information.................................33
     6.4    Best Efforts....................................................34
     6.5    Indemnification.................................................34
     6.6    Expenses........................................................35
     6.7    Public Announcements............................................35
     6.8    Affiliates......................................................35
     6.9    Stock Exchange Listing..........................................36
     6.10   Takeover Statutes...............................................36
     6.11   No Solicitation.................................................36
     6.12   Certain Agreements..............................................38
     6.13   Employee Benefits...............................................38
     6.14   Tax Matters.....................................................39

ARTICLE 7   CONDITIONS PRECEDENT............................................39
     7.1    Conditions to Each Party's Obligation To Effect the
            Transactions....................................................39
            (a)   General Stockholder Approval..............................39
            (b)   Berkshire Stockholder Approval............................40
            (c)   NYSE Listing..............................................40
            (d)   HSR Act. .................................................40
            (e)   No Injunctions or Restraints..............................40
            (f)   Form S-4..................................................40
            (g)   Rulings...................................................40
            (h)   Consents, etc.............................................40
     7.2    Conditions to Obligation of Berkshire...........................40
            (a)   Representations and Warranties............................41
            (b)   Performance of Obligations of General.....................41
            (c)   Tax Matters...............................................41
            (d)   Redemption of General Preferred Stock.....................42

                                      iii



     7.3    Conditions to Obligation of General.............................42
            (a)   Representations and Warranties............................42
            (b)   Performance of Obligations of Berkshire...................42
            (c)   Tax Opinion...............................................42

ARTICLE 8   TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND WAIVER...............................43
     8.1    Termination.....................................................43
     8.2    Effect of Termination...........................................44
     8.3    Amendment.......................................................45
     8.4    Extension; Waiver...............................................45

ARTICLE 9   GENERAL PROVISIONS..............................................45
     9.1    Nonsurvival of Representations and Warranties...................45
     9.2    Notices.........................................................45
     9.3    Definitions.....................................................46
     9.4    Interpretation..................................................47
     9.5    Counterparts....................................................47
     9.6    Entire Agreement; No Third-Party Beneficiaries..................47
     9.7    Governing Law...................................................47
     9.8    Assignment......................................................47
     9.9    Enforcement.....................................................48
     9.10   Severability....................................................48

EXHIBIT A      Stock Option Agreement
EXHIBIT B      Voting Agreement
EXHIBIT C      Form of General Affiliate Letter
EXHIBIT D      Definition of "Rulings"

                                       iv





                          AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGERS

            THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGERS (the "Agreement") is entered into
as of June 19, 1998 by and between Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a Delaware
corporation ("Berkshire"), and General Re Corporation, a Delaware corporation
("General").

                                    RECITALS

            WHEREAS, the Boards of Directors of Berkshire and General have each
determined that it is in the best interests of their respective companies and
stockholders to combine their businesses pursuant to the terms and conditions
set forth herein (the "Transactions");

            WHEREAS, the Boards of Directors of Berkshire and General have
further determined that it is in the best interests of their respective
companies and stockholders to accomplish such combination by their respective
stockholders exchanging their shares for shares of a new holding company, and to
accomplish such exchanges by Berkshire and General merging into subsidiaries of
such holding company;

            WHEREAS, in furtherance of such determination, Berkshire and General
have caused NBH, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Holding Company"), to be formed
and Holding Company has formed two wholly owned subsidiaries, Wyllis Merger Sub
Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Merger Sub A"), and Steven Merger Sub Inc., a
Delaware corporation ("Merger Sub B");

            WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of each of Berkshire, General, and
Holding Company have approved, and deem it advisable, that Merger Sub A merge
with and into Berkshire and Merger Sub B merge with and into General, pursuant
to the Merger Agreements (as defined below), with the result that Holding
Company will acquire through mergers, upon the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth in this Agreement, (A) each share of Common Stock, par
value $0.50 per share, of General ("General Common Stock") issued and
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (as defined in Section
2.1(b)), and (B) each share of Class A Common Stock, $5.00 par value per share,
of Berkshire ("Berkshire Class A Common Stock") and each share of Class B Common
Stock, $0.1667 par value per share, of Berkshire ("Berkshire Class B Common
Stock" and, together with Berkshire Class A Common Stock, "Berkshire Common
Stock") issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time;

            WHEREAS, the Transactions and this Agreement require the approval
thereof by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast thereon by holders of the
outstanding shares of General Common Stock and the Series A ESOP Convertible
Preferred Stock, no par value, of General ("General Preferred Stock" and,
together with General Common Stock, "General





Stock") entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, for the
approval thereof (the "General Stockholder Approval");

            WHEREAS, the Transactions and this Agreement require the approval
thereof by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast thereon by holders of the
outstanding shares of Berkshire Class A Common Stock and Berkshire Class B
Common Stock entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, for
approval thereof (the "Berkshire Stockholder Approval");

            WHEREAS, in order to induce Berkshire to enter into this Agreement,
as a condition to, and concurrently with the execution of, this Agreement,
Berkshire and General are entering into a stock option agreement (the "Stock
Option Agreement") in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A;

            WHEREAS, in order to induce General to enter into this Agreement, as
a condition to, and concurrently with the execution of, this Agreement, Warren
E. Buffett and Charles T. Munger, the beneficial owners of approximately 40% and
1.5%, respectively, of the voting power of Berkshire Common Stock, are entering
into a voting agreement (the "Voting Agreement") with General in the form
attached hereto as Exhibit B; and

            WHEREAS, for United States Federal income tax purposes, it is
intended that the Transactions structured as described above will qualify as an
exchange under Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
"Code").

            NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, warranties,
covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement, the parties agree as
follows:

                                    ARTICLE 1

             FORMATION OF HOLDING COMPANY AND MERGER SUBSIDIARIES

      1.1 Holding Company. At the Effective Time, the Certificate of
Incorporation and Bylaws of Holding Company shall be substantially in the form
of the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of Berkshire as of the date of
this Agreement, provided, that the Certificate of Incorporation of Holding
Company will provide that the authorized capital stock of Holding Company shall
consist initially of 1,650,000 shares of Class A common stock, $5.00 par value
("Holding Company Class A Common Stock"), 55,000,000 shares of Class B common
stock, $0.1667 par value ("Holding Company Class B Common Stock" and, together
with Holding Company Class A Common Stock, "Holding Company Common Stock") and
1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par value.

                                      -2-



      1.2 Organization of Merger Subsidiaries. Merger Sub A and Merger Sub B
have been organized for the sole purpose of effectuating the Berkshire Merger
(as defined in Section 2.1(a)) and the General Merger (as defined in Section
2.1(a)). The authorized capital stock of Merger Sub A initially consists of
1,000 shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, which shall be issued to
Holding Company at a price of $1.00 per share. The authorized capital stock of
Merger Sub B initially consists of 1,000 shares of common stock, par value $.01
per share, which shall be issued to Holding Company at a price of $1.00 per
share.

      1.3 Actions of Directors and Officers of the Merger Subsidiaries. As
promptly as practicable following the execution of this Agreement, (a) Holding
Company shall elect the directors of the Merger Subsidiaries, (b) the directors
of the Merger Subsidiaries shall elect their respective officers, (c) the
directors of Holding Company shall ratify and approve this Agreement and approve
the forms of the Merger Agreements (as defined in Section 2.1), (d) the
directors and officers of the Merger Subsidiaries shall take such steps as may
be necessary or appropriate to complete the organization of the Merger
Subsidiaries and to approve the Merger Agreements, and (e) the Merger Agreements
shall be executed on behalf of the parties thereto.

      1.4 Actions of Holding Company. As promptly as practicable following the
execution of this Agreement, Holding Company shall ratify and approve this
Agreement, and shall, as the sole shareholder of each of the Merger
Subsidiaries, adopt the Merger Agreements. The parties shall cause Holding
Company and the Merger Subsidiaries to perform their respective obligations
under this Agreement and the Merger Agreements.

      1.5 Board of Directors of Holding Company; Name of Holding Company.
Immediately after the Effective Time, Ronald E. Ferguson, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of General, shall be duly appointed as a director of Holding
Company, and the other directors of Holding Company shall be the directors of
Berkshire immediately prior to the Effective Time. Immediately after the
Effective Time, Holding Company shall change its name to "Berkshire Hathaway
Inc."

                                    ARTICLE 2

                       THE MERGERS; DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

                       OF THE MERGER SUBSIDIARIES; CLOSING

      2.1     The Mergers.

              (a) Pursuant to Plans of Merger, in forms to be mutually agreed
upon by Berkshire and General (sometimes hereinafter referred to individually as
the "Berkshire Merger Agreement" and the "General Merger Agreement",
respectively, and collectively as the "Merger Agreements"), upon the terms and
subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement and in the Merger
Agreements and in accordance with the Delaware General Corporation Law (the
"DGCL"), at the Effective Time:

                                      -3-




                    (i) Merger Sub A shall be merged with and into Berkshire
      (the "Berkshire Merger") and Berkshire shall be the surviving corporation
      in the Berkshire Merger and shall continue its corporate existence under
      the laws of the State of Delaware. As a result of the Berkshire Merger,
      Berkshire shall become a wholly owned subsidiary of Holding Company.

                    (ii) Merger Sub B will be merged with and into General (the
      "General Merger" and, together with the Berkshire Merger, the "Mergers"),
      and General shall be the surviving corporation in the General Merger and
      shall continue its corporate existence under the laws of the State of
      Delaware. As a result of the General Merger, General shall become a wholly
      owned subsidiary of Holding Company.

              (b) The term "Effective Time" shall mean the time and date which
is (i) the later of (A) the date and time of the filing of the certificate of
merger relating to the Berkshire Merger with the Secretary of State of the State
of Delaware (or such other date and time as may be specified in such certificate
and permitted by law) and (B) the date and time of the filing of a certificate
of merger relating to the General Merger with the Secretary of State of the
State of Delaware (or such other date and time as may be specified in such
certificate and permitted by law) or (ii) such other time and date as is
permissible in accordance with the DGCL and as Berkshire and General may agree;
provided that, in any event, (I) the Effective Time shall not be prior to the
Closing (as defined in Section 2.6) and shall be as soon as practicable
thereafter and (II) the parties shall use their best efforts to cause the
Berkshire Merger and the General Merger to occur contemporaneously or as close
thereto as is practicable.

      2.2 Effects of the Mergers. The Mergers shall have the effects set forth
in the DGCL.

      2.3     Certificates of Incorporation; Bylaws.

              (a) The Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of Merger Sub A as
in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the Certificate of
Incorporation and Bylaws of the surviving corporation of the Berkshire Merger
until thereafter changed or amended as provided therein or by applicable law.

              (b) The Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of Merger Sub B as
in effect at the Effective Time shall be the Certificate of Incorporation and
Bylaws of the surviving corporation of the General Merger until thereafter
changed or amended as provided therein or by applicable law.

      2.4 Directors. The directors of Merger Sub A immediately prior to the
Effective Time shall be the directors of the surviving corporation of the
Berkshire Merger as of the Effective Time until the earlier of their resignation
or removal or until their respective

                                      -4-



successors are duly appointed or elected in accordance with applicable law. The
directors of Merger Sub B immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the
directors of the surviving corporation of the General Merger as of the Effective
Time until the earlier of their resignation or removal or until their respective
successors are duly appointed or elected in accordance with applicable law.

      2.5 Officers. The officers of Berkshire and General immediately prior to
the Effective Time shall be the officers of the surviving corporations of the
Berkshire Merger and the General Merger, respectively, as of the Effective Time
until the earlier of their resignation or removal or until their respective
successors are duly appointed or elected in accordance with applicable law.

      2.6 Closing. Unless this Agreement shall have been terminated and the
transactions herein contemplated shall have been abandoned pursuant to Section
8.1, and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in
Article 7, the closing (the "Closing") of the Transactions will take place at
10:00 a.m. local time on the second business day after satisfaction of the
conditions set forth in Section 7.1 (or, if not satisfied or waived at that
time, as soon as practicable thereafter following satisfaction or waiver of the
conditions set forth in Sections 7.2 and 7.3) (the "Closing Date"), at the
offices of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, New
York, unless another date, time or place is agreed to in writing by the parties
hereto.

                                    ARTICLE 3

                     EFFECT OF THE MERGERS ON SECURITIES OF

                       BERKSHIRE, GENERAL, HOLDING COMPANY

                           AND THE MERGER SUBSIDIARIES

      3.1 Merger Subsidiary Stock. At the Effective Time, by virtue of the
Berkshire Merger, each share of the common stock of Merger Sub A outstanding
immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be converted into and shall become
one share of common stock of the surviving corporation of the Berkshire Merger.
At the Effective Time, by virtue of the General Merger, each share of the common
stock of Merger Sub B outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall
be converted into and shall become one share of common stock of the surviving
corporation of the General Merger.

      3.2 Holding Company Capital Stock. At the Effective Time, each share of
the capital stock of Holding Company issued and outstanding immediately prior to
the Effective Time shall be cancelled without payment therefor.

                                      -5-



      3.3 Effect on Berkshire Common Stock. At the Effective Time, by virtue of
the Berkshire Merger and without any action on the part of the holder of any
shares of Berkshire Common Stock:

               (a) Cancellation of Treasury Stock. Each share of Berkshire
Common Stock that is owned by Berkshire or any subsidiary of Berkshire shall
automatically be cancelled and retired and shall cease to exist, and no cash,
Holding Company Common Stock or other consideration shall be delivered or
deliverable in exchange therefor.

               (b) Conversion of Berkshire Common Stock. Except as provided in
Section 3.3(a), each issued and outstanding share of Berkshire Common Stock
shall be converted into the following:

                    (i) for each such share of Berkshire Class A Common Stock,
      one fully paid and nonassessable share of Holding Company Class A Common
      Stock; or

                    (ii) for each such share of Berkshire Class B Common Stock,
      one fully paid and nonassessable share of Holding Company Class B Common
      Stock.

               (c) Cancellation and Retirement of Berkshire Common Stock. (i)
All shares of Berkshire Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately
prior to the Effective Time shall no longer be outstanding and shall
automatically be cancelled and retired and shall cease to exist, and each
certificate theretofore representing any such shares shall, without any action
on the part of the holder thereof, be deemed to represent an equivalent number
of shares of Holding Company Class A Common Stock and (ii) all shares of
Berkshire Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the
Effective Time, shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be
cancelled and retired and shall cease to exist, and each such certificate
theretofore representing any such shares shall, without any action on the part
of the holder thereof, be deemed to represent an equivalent number of shares of
Holding Company Class B Common Stock.

               (d) Stock Plans. Each outstanding option or right to purchase
shares of Berkshire Class B Common Stock (a "Berkshire Option") shall, if agreed
by the holder of any such Berkshire Option to the extent such agreement is
required, be assumed by Holding Company in such manner that it is converted into
an option to purchase shares of Holding Company Class B Common Stock, with each
such Berkshire Option to otherwise be exercisable upon the same terms and
conditions as then are applicable to such Berkshire Option, including the number
of shares and exercise price provided thereby. Holding Company shall assume all
rights and obligations of Berkshire under Berkshire's stock option plans as in
effect at the Effective Time and shall continue such plans in accordance with
their terms.

                                      -6-




      3.4 Effect on General Stock. At the Effective Time, by virtue of the
General Merger and without any action on the part of the holder of any shares of
General Stock:

               (a) Cancellation of Treasury Stock and Berkshire-Owned General
Stock. Each share of General Common Stock, together with the rights (the
"Rights") attached thereto to purchase Series A Junior Participating Preferred
Stock of General (the "General Junior Preferred Stock") issued pursuant to the
Rights Agreement (the "Rights Agreement") dated as of September 11, 1991 between
General and Bank of New York, as Rights Agent (as it may be amended), that is
owned by General or any subsidiary of General and each share of General Common
Stock (with the associated Rights) that is owned by Berkshire or any subsidiary
of Berkshire shall automatically be cancelled and retired and shall cease to
exist, and no cash, Holding Company Common Stock or other consideration shall be
delivered or deliverable in exchange therefor.

               (b) Conversion of General Stock. Except as otherwise provided
herein and subject to Sections 3.5, 3.7 and 3.8, each issued and outstanding
share of General Common Stock (with the associated Rights) shall be converted
into either (i) the right to receive from the Holding Company 0.0035 of a fully
paid and nonassessable share of Holding Company Class A Common Stock or (ii) the
right to receive from the Holding Company 0.105 of a fully paid and
nonassessable share of Holding Company Class B Common Stock, as determined
pursuant to the election procedures set forth in Section 3.5(b) (the "Merger
Consideration"). In the event that, between the date of this Agreement and the
Effective Time, the issued and outstanding shares of Berkshire Common Stock
shall have been changed into a different number or class of shares as a result
of a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, spin-off, extraordinary
dividend, recapitalization, reclassification or other similar transaction with a
record date within such period, the Merger Consideration shall be appropriately
adjusted.

               (c) Cancellation and Retirement of General Stock. All shares of
General Common Stock (with the associated Rights), other than shares referred to
in Section 3.4(a), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be cancelled and
retired and shall cease to exist, and each holder of a certificate representing
any such shares of General Common Stock (with the associated Rights) shall cease
to have any rights with respect thereto, except the right to receive the Merger
Consideration in accordance with Section 3.4(b) and any cash in lieu of
fractional shares of Holding Company Class B Common Stock to be issued or paid
in consideration therefor upon surrender of such certificate in accordance with
Section 3.5.

               (d) Stock Plans. Prior to the mailing of the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus (as defined in Section 6.1(a)) to General's or Berkshire's
stockholders, the Board of Directors of General (or, if appropriate, any
committee administering the Stock Plans (as defined below)) shall adopt such
resolutions or take such other actions as may be required to effect the
following:

                                      -7-



                    (i) Adjust the terms of all outstanding employee stock
      options to purchase shares of General Common Stock ("General Stock
      Options") granted under any of General's 1995 Long Term Compensation Plan,
      Long Term Compensation Plan, 1996 Employee Stock Award Plan or 1989 Long
      Term Compensation Plan (collectively, the "Option Plans"), to provide
      that, at the Effective Time, each General Stock Option outstanding
      immediately prior to the Effective Time shall (except to the extent that
      Berkshire and the holder of a General Stock Option otherwise agree in
      writing prior to the Effective Time) be deemed to constitute an option to
      acquire, on the same terms and conditions as were applicable under such
      General Stock Option, the number of shares of Holding Company Class B
      Common Stock equal to the product of (1) the number of shares of General
      Common Stock issuable upon exercise of such General Stock Option and (2)
      0.105, provided that any fractional shares of Holding Company Class B
      Stock resulting from such multiplication shall be rounded up or down to
      the nearest one one-hundredth of a share (provided that, notwithstanding
      the foregoing, the terms of such General Stock Option shall provide for
      the payment of cash in lieu of any fractional share of Holding Company
      Class B Common Stock upon exercise thereof in an amount equal to such
      fraction multiplied by the last sale price of Holding Company Class B
      Common Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") Composite
      Tape on the date of exercise), at a price per share equal to (x) the
      exercise price for the shares of General Common Stock otherwise
      purchasable pursuant to such General Stock Option divided by
      (y) 0.105, provided, that such exercise price shall be rounded up or down
      to the nearest cent.

                    (ii) Except as provided in Section 6.13 or as otherwise
      agreed to in writing by the parties, (A) the Option Plans, the 1998
      Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the Stock Unit Plan for Directors, the
      Employee Stock Savings and Ownership Plan, Cologne Reinsurance Company
      401K Profit Sharing Plan and the Retirement Plan for Directors, and any
      other plan, program or arrangement providing for the issuance or grant of
      any interest in respect of the capital stock of General or any subsidiary
      (collectively, the "Stock Plans") shall terminate as of the Effective
      Time, and (B) General shall ensure that following the Effective Time no
      holder of a General Stock Option nor any participant in any of the Stock
      Plans shall have any right thereunder to acquire equity securities of
      General or the Holding Company.

      3.5     Exchange of General Certificates.

               (a) Exchange Agent. Prior to the mailing of the Proxy Statement/
Prospectus to General's stockholders and Berkshire's stockholders, Berkshire
shall designate and appoint a bank or trust reasonably satisfactory to
General to act as exchange agent (the "Exchange Agent") for the payment of the
Merger Consideration. As soon as reasonably practicable as of or after the
Effective Time, Holding Company shall deposit the Merger Consideration with the
Exchange Agent for the benefit of the holders of shares of General Stock, for
exchange in accordance with this Article 3.

                                      -8-



               (b) Exchange Procedures. As soon as practicable after the
Effective Time, the Exchange Agent shall mail to each holder of an outstanding
certificate or certificates which prior thereto represented shares of General
Common Stock (i) a letter of transmittal (which shall specify that delivery
shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to such certificate shall pass,
only upon delivery of such certificates to such Exchange Agent), and (ii)
instructions for use in effecting the surrender of the certificates for the
Merger Consideration. The letter of transmittal shall permit each such holder to
elect (a "Class A Election") the aggregate number of shares of General Common
Stock represented by the certificate(s) surrendered therewith to be converted
into shares of Holding Company Class A Common Stock pursuant to Section
3.4(b)(i) or Section 3.7(c)(i), as the case may be, and shall provide that all
shares of General Common Stock represented thereby with respect to which a Class
A Election has not been made shall be converted into Holding Company Class B
Common Stock pursuant to Section 3.4(b)(ii) or Section 3.7(c)(ii), as the case
may be. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the aggregate number of shares of General
Common Stock of any holder with respect to which a Class A Election has been
made shall be reduced, and the number of shares to be converted into Holding
Company Class B Common Stock shall be increased, by a number of shares
(including fractions thereof) equal to the quotient (rounded to four decimal
places) obtained by dividing (x) an amount equal to (1) the product of the
exchange ratio set forth in Section 3.4 (b)(i) or Section 3.7(c)(i)(A), as the
case may be, and the aggregate number of shares with respect to which such
holder has made a Class A Election minus (2) an amount equal to the product
obtained in the preceding clause (1) rounded down to the nearest whole number,
by (y) the exchange ratio referred to in such clause (1). Upon proper surrender
to the Exchange Agent of such certificates for cancellation, the holder of such
certificates shall after the Effective Time be entitled only to a certificate or
certificates representing the number of full shares of Holding Company Common
Stock into which the aggregate number of shares of General Common Stock
previously represented by such certificate or certificates surrendered shall
have been converted pursuant to this Agreement and any cash constituting Merger
Consideration, cash in lieu of fractional shares and cash dividends or
distributions to which such holder is entitled. The Exchange Agent shall accept
such certificates upon compliance with such reasonable terms and conditions as
the Exchange Agent may impose to effect an orderly exchange thereof in
accordance with normal exchange practices. After the Effective Time, there shall
be no further transfer on the records of General or its transfer agent of
certificates representing shares of General Common Stock and if such
certificates are presented to General for transfer, they shall be cancelled
against delivery of certificates for Holding Company Common Stock and cash in
lieu of fractional shares as provided herein. If any certificate for such
Holding Company Common Stock is to be issued in, or if cash is to be remitted
to, a name other than that in which the certificate for General Common Stock
surrendered for exchange is registered, it shall be a condition of such exchange
that the certificate so surrendered shall be properly endorsed, with signature
guaranteed, or otherwise in proper form for transfer and that the person
requesting such exchange shall pay to Holding Company or its transfer agent any
transfer or other taxes required by reason of the issuance of certificates for
such Holding Company Common Stock in a name other than that of the registered
holder of the certificate surrendered, or establish to the satisfaction of
Holding 

                                      -9-



Company or its transfer agent that such tax has been paid or is not
applicable. Until surrendered as contemplated by this Section 3.5(b), each
certificate for shares of General Common Stock shall be deemed at any time after
the Effective Time to represent only the right to receive upon such surrender
the Merger Consideration and any cash payable hereunder. No interest will be
paid or will accrue on the Merger Consideration, any dividends or distributions
or any cash payable in lieu of any fractional shares of Holding Company Common
Stock.

               (c) Distributions with Respect to Unexchanged Shares. No
dividends or other distributions with respect to Holding Company Common Stock
with a record date after the Effective Time shall be paid to the holder of any
unsurrendered certificate for shares of General Common Stock with respect to the
shares of Holding Company Common Stock represented thereby and no cash payment
as Merger Consideration, for dividends or distributions on Holding Company Stock
with a record date on or following the Effective Time or in lieu of fractional
shares shall be paid to any such holder pursuant to Section 3.5(e) until the
surrender of such certificate in accordance with this Section 3.5. Subject to
the effect of applicable laws, following surrender of any such certificate,
there shall be paid to the holder of the certificate representing whole shares
of Holding Company Common Stock issued in exchange therefor, without interest,
(i) at the time of such surrender the amount of any cash payable in lieu of a
fractional share of Holding Company Class B Common Stock to which such holder is
entitled hereunder and the amount of dividends or other distributions with a
record date after the Effective Time theretofore paid with respect to such whole
shares of Holding Company Common Stock, and (ii) at the appropriate payment
date, the amount of dividends or other distributions with a record date after
the Effective Time but prior to such surrender and a payment date subsequent to
such surrender payable with respect to such whole shares of Holding Company
Common Stock.

               (d) No Further Ownership Rights in General Common Stock. All
shares of Holding Company Common Stock issued and cash paid pursuant to Section
3.5(e) upon the surrender for exchange of certificates representing shares of
General Common Stock in accordance with the terms of this Article 3 shall be
deemed to have been issued and paid in full satisfaction of all rights
pertaining to the shares of General Common Stock (and the associated Rights)
theretofore represented by such certificates.

               (e) No Fractional Shares. No certificates or scrip representing
fractional shares of Holding Company Class B Common Stock shall be issued upon
the surrender for exchange of certificates representing shares of General Common
Stock, and such fractional share interests will not entitle the owner thereof to
vote or to any rights of a stockholder of Holding Company. Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Agreement, (A) each holder of shares of General Common
Stock exchanged pursuant to the General Merger who would have otherwise been
entitled to receive a fraction of a share of Holding Company Class B Common
Stock shall receive, in lieu thereof, a cash payment (without interest) equal to
the product of (x) such fraction and (y) the Average Trading Price for one share
of Berkshire Class B Common Stock. For purposes of this Agreement, "Average
Trading Price" shall mean the 

                                      -10-




average of the high and low trading prices of Berkshire Class A Common Stock or
Bentwood Class B Common Stock, as the case may be, as reported on the NYSE
Composite Tape for each of the five consecutive trading days ending on the last
full trading day immediately prior to the date on which the Effective Time
occurs.

               (f) Termination of Exchange Fund. Any portion of the Merger
Consideration deposited with the Exchange Agent pursuant to this Section 3.5
(the "Exchange Fund") which remains undistributed to the holders of the
certificates representing shares of General Common Stock for nine months after
the Effective Time shall be delivered to Holding Company, upon demand, and any
holders of shares of General Common Stock who have not theretofore complied with
this Article 3 shall thereafter look only to Holding Company and only as general
creditors thereof for payment of their claim for Merger Consideration, any cash
in lieu of fractional shares of Holding Company Class B Common Stock and any
dividends or distributions with respect to whole shares of Holding Company
Common Stock to which such holders may be entitled.

               (g) No Liability. None of Holding Company, Berkshire, General or
the Exchange Agent shall be liable to any person in respect of any shares of
Holding Company Common Stock (or dividends or distributions with respect
thereto) or cash from the Exchange Fund delivered to a public official pursuant
to any applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar law. If any
certificates representing shares of General Common Stock shall not have been
surrendered prior to five years after the Effective Time (or immediately prior
to such earlier date on which any shares of Holding Company Common Stock, any
cash payable as Merger Consideration or in lieu of fractional shares of Holding
Company Class B Common Stock or any dividends or distributions with respect to
Holding Company Common Stock in respect of such certificate would otherwise
escheat to or become the property of any Governmental Entity (as defined in
Section 4.1(d)), any such shares, cash, dividends or distributions in respect of
such certificate shall, to the extent permitted by applicable law, become the
property of Holding Company, free and clear of all claims or interest of any
person previously entitled thereto.

               (h) Investment of Exchange Fund. The Exchange Agent shall invest
any cash included in the Exchange Fund, as directed by Berkshire (or Holding
Company after the Effective Time), on a daily basis. Any interest and other
income resulting from such investments shall be paid to Berkshire (or Holding
Company after the Effective Time).

      3.6 General Preferred Stock. General agrees to take all actions necessary
to call for redemption, and to redeem, all of the shares of General Preferred
Stock as of immediately prior to the Effective Time pursuant to the terms
thereof.

                                      -11-




      3.7     Partial Cash Election.

              (a) Subject only to Berkshire's compliance in all material
respects with Section 6.14, Berkshire shall be permitted to elect (the "Partial
Cash Election"), but may decline to elect, to pay a portion of the Merger
Consideration in cash as provided under Section 3.7(c). Berkshire may make the
Partial Cash Election by giving written notice to General indicating that it is
making the Partial Cash Election within ten business days following the earlier
of (x) Berkshire being informed by the Internal Revenue Service of the United
States ("IRS") that it will not grant the 351(e) Ruling (as defined in Section
6.14) (and, if the IRS will not grant the 351(e) Ruling as a result of the
United States Treasury Department (the "Treasury Department") withdrawing or
announcing its intention to withdraw Proposed Treasury Regulation Sections
1.351-1(c)(1)(ii)(d) and 1.368-4 (the "Proposed Regulations"), Berkshire also
being informed by the IRS that it will not grant the 368(c) Ruling (as defined
in Section 6.14)), or (y) February 19, 1999. Notwithstanding the prior sentence,
Berkshire may not make the Partial Cash Election if Berkshire has received
written notice of the issuance of either (I) the 351(e) Ruling and the No Gain
or Loss Ruling or (II), if the Treasury Department has withdrawn the Proposed
Regulations, the No Gain or Loss Ruling or the 368(c) Ruling by the IRS on or
prior to the date Berkshire makes the election. In the event Berkshire is
entitled to make the Partial Cash Election and does not give any written notice
declining to make the Partial Cash Election to General, as of the expiration of
such ten business days, Berkshire shall be deemed to have made the Partial Cash
Election. Berkshire shall not be permitted to make the Partial Cash Election
except to the extent provided in this Section 3.7. Notwithstanding any provision
to the contrary contained in this Agreement, none of the failure to receive one
or more of the Rulings, the making of the Partial Cash Election or the effects
of any of the foregoing shall be deemed a material adverse effect to any party
hereunder or constitute a basis for any party not to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby.

              (b) If the Partial Cash Election has been made, then,
notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, at the Effective Time:
(i) the Berkshire Merger shall not be consummated, (ii) the outstanding Holding
Company Stock shall not be cancelled nor will any additional Holding Company
stock be issued, (iii) the Transactions will have no effect on Berkshire Common
Stock or any Berkshire Option, the Berkshire Certificate of Incorporation and
Bylaws, or the Berkshire Board of Directors and officers, except that Ronald E.
Ferguson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General, shall be duly
appointed as a director of Berkshire (rather than Holding Company) immediately
after the Effective Time, (iv) all of the rights and obligations of Holding
Company shall enure to, or be obligations of, Berkshire, (v) as appropriate,
references herein to Holding Company Class A Common Stock and Holding Company
Class B Common Stock shall instead refer to Berkshire Class A Common Stock and
Berkshire Class B Common Stock, respectively, and (vi) Berkshire shall take any
action required so that Merger Sub B is a direct subsidiary of a direct
subsidiary of Berkshire.

              (c) If the Partial Cash Election has been made, then,
notwithstanding Section 3.4(b), for each issued and outstanding share of General
Common Stock (with the 

                                      -12-




associated Rights), the Merger Consideration shall consist of either (i) the
right to receive from Berkshire (A) 0.003395 of a fully paid and nonassessable
share of Berkshire Class A Common Stock and (B) an amount in cash equal to the
product of .000105 and the Average Trading Price of one share of Berkshire Class
A Common Stock, or (ii) the right to receive from Berkshire (x) 0.10185 of a
fully paid and nonassessable share of Berkshire Class B Common Stock and (y) an
amount in cash equal to the product of .00315 and the Average Trading Price of
one share of Berkshire Class B Common Stock, as determined pursuant to the
election procedures set forth in Section 3.5(b).

              (d) As promptly as practicable after the date hereof, and in any
event prior to the filing of the Ruling Request (as defined in Section 6.14(a)),
Berkshire shall issue to General shares of a new class of non-voting,
non-participating cumulative preferred stock of Berkshire, which shares shall
have an aggregate face amount of $1,000,000, shall pay dividends at a market
rate and shall be redeemable for their aggregate face amount (plus accrued but
unpaid dividends) at Berkshire's option after five years from the date of
issuance, and in exchange General shall issue to Berkshire an equal number of
shares of a new class of preferred stock of General having equivalent value and
substantially identical terms. The preferred stock issued pursuant to this
Section 3.7(d) shall not be converted in the Berkshire Merger or the General
Merger and shall remain outstanding following the Effective Time.

      3.8 Dissenting Shares. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the
contrary, General Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time and held by a holder who has delivered a written demand for appraisal of
such shares in accordance with Section 262 of the DGCL, if such Section 262
provides for appraisal rights for such General Common Stock in the General
Merger ("Dissenting Shares"), shall not be converted as provided in Section
3.7(c) hereof, unless and until such holder fails to perfect or effectively
withdraws or otherwise loses his right to appraisal and payment under the DGCL.
If, after the Effective Time, any such holder fails to perfect or effectively
withdraws or loses his right to appraisal, such Dissenting Shares shall
thereupon be treated as if they had been converted as of the Effective Time into
the right to receive the Merger Consideration as provided in Section 3.4(b) or
Section 3.7(c) hereof, as appropriate, together with any dividends or
distributions payable thereon or cash in lieu of fractional shares, and to which
such holder is entitled, without interest thereon. General shall give Berkshire
prompt notice of any demands received by General for appraisal of General Common
Stock, and, prior to the Effective Time, Berkshire shall have the right to
participate in all negotiations and proceedings with respect to such demands.
Prior to the Effective Time, General shall not, except with the prior written
consent of Berkshire, make any payment with respect to, or offer to settle, any
such demands.

                                      -13-




                                    ARTICLE 4

                         REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

      4.1 Disclosure Schedules. On or prior to the date hereof, General has
delivered to Berkshire and Berkshire has delivered to General a schedule (each,
a "Disclosure Schedule" and respectively the "General Disclosure Schedule" and
the "Berkshire Disclosure Schedule") setting forth, among other things, items
the disclosure of which is necessary or appropriate either in response to an
express disclosure requirement contained in a provision hereof or as an
exception to one or more representations or warranties contained in Section 4.2
or 4.3, respectively, or to one or more of its covenants contained herein;
provided, that the mere inclusion of an item in a Disclosure Schedule as an
exception to a representation or warranty shall not be deemed an admission by a
party that such item represents a material exception or fact, event or
circumstance or that such item is reasonably likely to result in a material
adverse effect with respect to any party hereto. For purposes of this Agreement,
"Previously Disclosed" by a party shall mean information set forth in such
party's Disclosure Schedule and specifically designated as information
"Previously Disclosed" pursuant to this Agreement.

      4.2 Representations and Warranties of General. General represents and
warrants to Berkshire, except as otherwise Previously Disclosed, as follows:

               (a) Organization, Standing and Corporate Power. Each of General
and each of its subsidiaries (as defined in Section 9.3) is duly organized,
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in
which it is incorporated and has the requisite corporate power and authority to
carry on its business as now being conducted. Each of General and each of its
subsidiaries is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in good
standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business or the
ownership or leasing of its properties makes such qualification or licensing
necessary, other than in such jurisdictions where the failure to be so qualified
or licensed (individually or in the aggregate) would not have a material adverse
effect (as defined in Section 9.3) with respect to General. General has
Previously Disclosed complete and correct copies of the Certificate of
Incorporation and Bylaws of General.

               (b) Subsidiaries. The only direct or indirect subsidiaries of
General and other ownership interests held by General in any other person are
those listed in Section 4.2(b) of the Disclosure Schedule or in Exhibit 21 to
General's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
1997. Except as set forth in Section 4.2(b) of the Disclosure Schedule or such
Exhibit 21, all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other ownership
interests of each such subsidiary have been validly issued and are fully paid
and nonassessable and are owned (of record and beneficially) by General, by
another subsidiary (wholly owned) of General or by General and another such
subsidiary (wholly owned), free and clear of all pledges, claims, liens,
charges, encumbrances and security interests of any kind or nature whatsoever
(collectively, "Liens").

                                      -15-




               (c) Capital Structure. The authorized capital stock of General
consists of 250,000,000 shares of General Common Stock and 20,000,000 shares of
preferred stock, of which 1,754,386 shares have been designated as General
Preferred Stock. Subject to any Permitted Changes (as defined in Section 5.1(b))
following the date of this Agreement, there are approximately (i) 75,750,000
shares of General Common Stock issued and outstanding, (ii) 1,700,000 shares of
General Preferred Stock issued and outstanding, (iii) 27,150,000 shares of
General Common Stock and 60,000 shares of General Preferred Stock held in the
treasury of General or held by any subsidiary of General; (iv) 1,000,000 shares
of General Common Stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of authorized but
unissued General Stock Options pursuant to the Option Plans; and (v) 5,500,000
shares of General Common Stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding General
Stock Options. As of the date hereof there were no amounts withheld from
General's employees' salaries to purchase shares of General Common Stock
pursuant to and issuable under the Stock Purchase Plan. Except as set forth in
this Section 4.2(c), no shares of capital stock or other equity securities of
General are issued, reserved for issuance or outstanding. All outstanding shares
of capital stock of General are, and all shares which may be issued pursuant to
the Stock Plans will be when issued, duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid
and nonassessable and not subject to preemptive rights. Except as set forth in
this Section 4.2(c) or in the Stock Option Agreement, there are no outstanding
bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness or other securities of General
having the right to vote (or convertible into, or exchangeable for, securities
having the right to vote) on any matters on which stockholders of General may
vote. Except as set forth in this Section 4.2(c) or in the Stock Option
Agreement, there are no outstanding securities, options, warrants, calls,
rights, commitments, agreements, arrangements or undertakings of any kind to
which General or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is
bound obligating General or any of its subsidiaries to issue, deliver or sell,
or cause to be issued, delivered or sold, additional shares of capital stock or
other equity or voting securities of General or of any of its subsidiaries or
obligating General or any of its subsidiaries to issue, grant, extend or enter
into any such security, option, warrant, call, right, commitment, agreement,
arrangement or undertaking. Other than General Stock Options and the Stock
Option Agreement, (i) there are no outstanding contractual obligations,
commitments, understandings or arrangements of General or any of its
subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or make any payment in
respect of or measured or determined based on the value or market price of any
shares of capital stock of General or any of its subsidiaries and (ii) to the
knowledge of General, there are no irrevocable proxies with respect to shares of
capital stock of General or any subsidiary of General. Other than pursuant to
the Stock Option Agreement, there are no agreements or arrangements pursuant to
which General is or could be required to register shares of General Stock or
other securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities
Act").

               (d) Authority; Noncontravention. General has the requisite
corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and the Stock Option
Agreement and, subject to General Stockholder Approval with respect to the
consummation of the Transactions and the General Merger, to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The 

                                      -15-




execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement by
General and the consummation by General of the transactions contemplated hereby
and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the
part of General, subject, in the case of the Transactions and the General
Merger, to General Stockholder Approval. This Agreement and the Stock Option
Agreement have been duly executed and delivered by General and each constitutes
a valid and binding obligation of General, enforceable against General in
accordance with its terms. Except as disclosed in Section 4.2(d) of the
Disclosure Schedule, the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Stock
Option Agreement does not, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby and thereby and compliance with the provisions hereof and thereof will
not, conflict with, or result in any breach or violation of, or default (with or
without notice or lapse of time, or both) under, or give rise to a right of
termination, cancellation or acceleration of or "put" right with respect to any
obligation or to loss of a material benefit under, or result in the creation of
any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of General or any of its
subsidiaries under, (i) the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of General or
the comparable charter or organizational documents of any of its subsidiaries,
(ii) any loan or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease,
contract or other agreement, instrument, permit, concession, franchise or
license  applicable to General or any of its  subsidiaries  or their  respective
properties or assets or (iii) subject to the governmental filings and other
matters referred to in the following sentence, any judgment, order, decree,
statute, law, ordinance, rule, regulation or arbitration award applicable to
General or any of its subsidiaries or their respective properties or assets,
other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), any such conflicts, breaches,
violations, defaults, rights, losses or Liens that individually or in the
aggregate could not have a material adverse effect with respect to General or
could not prevent, hinder or materially delay the ability of General to
consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Stock Option
Agreement. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or registration,
declaration or filing with, or notice to, any Federal, state or local government
or any court, administrative agency or commission or other governmental
authority or agency, domestic or foreign (a "Governmental Entity"), is required
by or with respect to General or any of its subsidiaries in connection with the
execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement by
General or the consummation by General of the transactions contemplated hereby
and thereby, except for (i) the filing of a premerger notification and report
form by General under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976,
as amended (the "HSR Act"), (ii) the filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") of (y) the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, and (z) such
reports or schedules under the Exchange Act as may be required in connection
with this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement, (iii) the filing
of the Certificates of Merger for the Mergers with the Secretary of State of the
State of Delaware, and appropriate documents with the relevant authorities of
other states in which General is qualified to do business, (iv) the filing of
appropriate documents with, and approval of, the respective commissioners of
insurance of the states of Delaware, Ohio, Connecticut and North Dakota, and of
such notices as may be required under the insurance laws of other jurisdictions
in which General or any of its subsidiaries is domiciled or does business or is
licensed or authorized as an 

                                      -16-




insurance company, and (v) such other consents, approvals, orders, 
authorizations, registrations, declarations, filings or notices as are set forth
in Section 4.2(d) of the Disclosure Schedule.

               (e) SEC Documents; Undisclosed Liabilities. General has filed all
required reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents with the SEC
since January 1, 1996 (collectively, and in each case including all exhibits and
schedules thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, the "General
SEC Documents"). As of their respective dates, General SEC Documents complied in
all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act, as the case may be, and the rules and regulations of the SEC
promulgated thereunder applicable to such General SEC Documents, and none of
General SEC Documents (including any and all financial statements included
therein) as of such dates contained any untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading. The consolidated financial statements of General
included in General SEC Documents (the "General SEC Financial Statements")
comply as to form in all material respects with applicable accounting
requirements and the published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect
thereto, have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles (except, in the case of unaudited consolidated quarterly statements,
as permitted by Form 10-Q of the SEC) applied on a consistent basis during the
periods involved (except as may be indicated in the notes thereto) and fairly
present the consolidated financial position of General and its consolidated
subsidiaries as of the dates thereof and the consolidated results of their
operations and cash flows for the periods then ended (subject, in the case of
unaudited quarterly statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments). Since
December 31, 1997, neither General nor any of its subsidiaries has incurred any
liabilities or obligations of any nature (whether accrued, absolute, contingent
or otherwise) except (i) as and to the extent set forth on the audited balance
sheet of General and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 1997 (including the
notes thereto), (ii) as incurred in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement, (iii) as incurred
after December 31, 1997 in the ordinary course of business and consistent with
past practice, (iv) as described in General SEC Documents filed since December
31, 1997 (the "Recent General SEC Documents"), or (v) as would not, individually
or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect with respect to General.

               (f) Information Supplied. None of the information supplied or to
be supplied by General for inclusion or incorporation by reference in (i) the
registration statement on Form S-4 to be filed with the SEC by Holding Company
in connection with the issuance of Holding Company Common Stock in the
Transactions (the "Form S-4") will, at the time the Form S-4 is filed with the
SEC, and at any time it is amended or supplemented or at the time it becomes
effective under the Securities Act, contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and (ii) the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus will, at the date it is first mailed to General's
stockholders and the Berkshire's stockholders or at the time of General
Stockholders Meeting (as defined in Section 6.1(b)) and the Berkshire
Stockholders Meeting 

                                      -17-




(as defined in Section 6.1(c)), contain any untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which
they are made, not misleading. The Proxy Statement/Prospectus will comply as to
form in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the
rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, except that no representation is
made by General with respect to statements made or incorporated by reference
therein based on information supplied by Berkshire or Holding Company for
inclusion or incorporation by reference therein.

               (g) Absence of Certain Changes or Events. Except as disclosed in
the Recent General SEC Documents or in Section 4.2(g) of the Disclosure
Schedule, since December 31, 1997, General has conducted its business only in
the ordinary course consistent with past practice, and there is not and has not
been: (i) any material adverse change with respect to General; (ii) any
condition, event or occurrence which, individually or in the aggregate, could
reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect or give rise to a
material adverse change with respect to General; (iii) any event which, if it
had taken place following the execution of this Agreement, would not have been
permitted by Section 5.1 without the prior consent of Berkshire; or (iv) any
condition, event or occurrence which would prevent, hinder or materially delay
the ability of General to consummate the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement.

               (h)  Litigation; Labor Matters; Compliance with Laws.

                    (i) Except as disclosed in the Recent General SEC Documents,
      there is no suit, action or proceeding or investigation pending or, to the
      knowledge of General, threatened against or affecting General or any of
      its subsidiaries or any basis for any such suit, action, proceeding or
      investigation that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be
      expected to have a material adverse effect with respect to General or
      prevent, hinder or materially delay the ability of General to consummate
      the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Stock Option
      Agreement, nor is there any judgment, decree, injunction, rule or order of
      any Governmental Entity or arbitrator outstanding against General or any
      of its subsidiaries having, or which, insofar as reasonably could be
      foreseen by General, in the future could have, any such effect.

                    (ii) Neither General nor any of its subsidiaries is a party
      to, or bound by, any collective bargaining agreement, contract or other
      agreement or understanding with a labor union or labor organization, nor
      is it or any of its subsidiaries the subject of any proceeding asserting
      that it or any subsidiary has committed an unfair labor practice or
      seeking to compel it to bargain with any labor organization as to wages or
      conditions of employment nor is there any strike, work stoppage or other
      labor dispute involving it or any of its subsidiaries pending or, to its

                                      -18-



      knowledge, threatened, any of which could have a material adverse effect
      with respect to General.

                    (iii) The conduct of the business of each of General and
      each of its subsidiaries complies with all statutes, laws, regulations,
      ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees or arbitration awards
      applicable thereto, except for violations or failures so to comply, if
      any, that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be
      expected to have a material adverse effect with respect to General.

               (i) Employee Matters. General has delivered or made available to
Berkshire full and complete copies or descriptions of each material employment,
severance, bonus, profit sharing, compensation, termination, stock option, stock
appreciation right, restricted stock, phantom stock, performance unit, pension,
retirement, deferred compensation, welfare or other employee benefit agreement,
trust fund or other arrangement and any union, guild or collective bargaining
agreement maintained or contributed to or required to be contributed to by
General or any of its ERISA Affiliates, for the benefit or welfare of any
director, officer, employee or former employee of General or any of its ERISA
Affiliates (such plans and arrangements being collectively the "General Benefit
Plans"). Each of General Benefit Plans is in material compliance with all
applicable laws including ERISA and the Code. The Internal Revenue Service has
determined that each General Benefit Plan that is intended to be a qualified
plan under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and General is aware of no
event occurring after the date of such determination that would adversely affect
such determination. The liabilities accrued under each such plan are reflected
on the latest balance sheet of General included in the Recent SEC Reports in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent
basis. No condition exists that is reasonably likely to subject General or any
of its subsidiaries to any direct or indirect liability under Title IV of ERISA
or to a civil penalty under Section 502(j) of ERISA or liability under Section
4069 of ERISA or 4975, 4976, or 4980B of the Code or the loss of a federal tax
deduction under Section 280G of the Code or other liability with respect to
General Benefit Plans that would have a material adverse effect on General and
that is not reflected on such balance sheet. No General Benefit Plan (other than
any General Benefit Plan that is a "multiemployer plan" as such term is defined
in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA) is subject to Title IV of ERISA. There are no
pending, threatened, or anticipated claims (other than routine claims for
benefits or immaterial claims) by, on behalf of or against any of General
Benefit Plans or any trusts related thereto. "ERISA Affiliate" means, with
respect to any person, any trade or business, whether or not incorporated, that
together with such person would be deemed a "single employer" within the meaning
of Section 4001(a)(15) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,
as amended ("ERISA").

               (j) Tax Returns and Tax Payments. General and each of its
subsidiaries has timely filed (or, as to subsidiaries, General has filed on its
behalf) all Tax Returns (as defined below) required to be filed by it, has paid
(or, as to subsidiaries, General has paid on its behalf) all Taxes (as defined
below) shown thereon to be due and has provided (or, as to 

                                      -19-



subsidiaries, General has made provision on its behalf of) reserves in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in its financial
statements for any Taxes that have not been paid, whether or not shown as being
due on any Tax Returns. Except as set forth in Section 4.2(j) of the Disclosure
Schedule: (i) no material claim for unpaid Taxes has been asserted against
General or any of its subsidiaries in writing by a Tax authority or has become a
lien (except for liens for Taxes not yet due and payable or for Taxes that are
being disputed in good faith by appropriate proceedings and that have been
reserved against in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles)
against the property of General or any of its subsidiaries, (ii) no audit of any
Tax Return of General or any of its subsidiaries is being conducted by a Tax
authority, and (iii) no extension of the statute of limitations on the
assessment of any Taxes has been granted by General or any of its subsidiaries
and is currently in effect. Neither General nor any of its Subsidiaries is or
has been a member of any consolidated, combined, unitary or aggregate group for
Tax purposes except such a group consisting only of General and its
subsidiaries. As used herein, "Taxes" shall mean all taxes of any kind,
including, without limitation, those on or measured by or referred to as income,
gross receipts, sales, use, ad valorem, franchise, profits, license,
withholding, payroll, employment, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, premium,
value added, property or windfall profits taxes, customs, duties or similar
fees, assessments or charges of any kind whatsoever, together with any interest
and any penalties, additions to tax or additional amounts imposed by any
governmental authority, domestic or foreign. As used herein, "Tax Return" shall
mean any return, report or statement required to be filed with any governmental
authority with respect to Taxes.

               (k) State Antitakeover Laws Not Applicable; No Other
Restrictions. The Board of Directors of General has approved this Agreement and
the Stock Option Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby
and such approval constitutes approval of the Transactions and the General
Merger and the Stock Option Agreement and the other transactions contemplated
hereby and thereby by the Board of Directors of General under the provisions of
Section 203 of the DGCL and Article VIII of General's Certificate of
Incorporation such that Section 203 of the DGCL and such Article VIII do not
apply to this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby or thereby. No other state takeover statute or similar
statute or regulation of the State of Delaware (or, to the knowledge of General
after due inquiry, of any other state or jurisdiction) applies or purports to
apply to this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby or thereby. No provision of the Certificate of
Incorporation, Bylaws or other governing instruments of General or any of its
subsidiaries or the terms of any rights plan or agreement of General (including
the Rights Agreement) would, directly or indirectly, restrict or impair (i) the
ability of Berkshire or Holding Company to vote, or otherwise to exercise the
rights of a stockholder with respect to, securities of General and its
subsidiaries that may be acquired or controlled by Berkshire or Holding Company
by virtue of this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement, the transactions
contemplated hereby or thereby or (ii) the rights granted hereunder and
thereunder, including without limitation, the right to cause General to
repurchase options or equity securities pursuant to the Stock Option Agreement,
or

                                      -20-



permit any stockholder to acquire securities of General, Berkshire or Holding
Company, or any of their respective subsidiaries on a basis not available to
Berkshire or Holding Company in the event that Berkshire or Holding Company were
to acquire securities of General.

               (l) Environmental Matters. There are no legal, administrative,
arbitral or other proceedings, claims, actions, causes of action, private
environmental investigations or remediation activities or governmental
investigations of any nature seeking to impose, or that reasonably could be
expected to result in the imposition, on General or any of its subsidiaries of
any liability or obligations arising under common law standards relating to
environmental protection, human health or safety, or under any local, state,
federal, national or supernational environmental statute, regulation or
ordinance, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act of 1980, as amended (collectively, "Environmental Laws"), pending
or, to the knowledge of General, threatened, against General or any of its
subsidiaries, which liability or obligation would have or would reasonably be
expected to have a material adverse effect on General or any of its
subsidiaries. To the knowledge of General or any of its subsidiaries, there is
no reasonable basis for any such proceeding, claim, action or governmental
investigation that would impose any liability or obligation that would have or
would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on General or any
of its subsidiaries. To the knowledge of General, during or prior to the period
of (i) its or any of its subsidiaries' ownership or operation of any of their
respective current properties, (ii) its or any of its subsidiaries'
participation in the management of any property, or (iii) its or any of its
subsidiaries' holding of a security interest or other interest in any property,
there was no release or threatened release of hazardous, toxic, radioactive or
dangerous materials or other materials regulated under Environmental Laws in,
on, under or affecting any such property which would reasonably be expected to
have a material adverse effect on General or any of its subsidiaries. Neither
General nor any of its subsidiaries is subject to any agreement, order,
judgment, decree, letter or memorandum by or with any court, governmental
authority, regulatory agency or third party imposing any material liability or
obligations pursuant to or under any Environmental Law that would have or would
reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on General or any of
its subsidiaries.

               (m) Properties. Except as disclosed in the Recent General SEC
Documents, each of General and its subsidiaries (i) has good, clear and
marketable title to all the properties and assets reflected in the latest
audited balance sheet included in such Recent General SEC Documents as being
owned by General or one of its subsidiaries or acquired after the date thereof
which are, individually or in the aggregate, material to General's business on a
consolidated basis (except properties and assets sold or otherwise disposed of
since the date thereof in the ordinary course of business), free and clear of
(A) all Liens except (1) statutory liens securing payments not yet due and (2)
such imperfections or irregularities of title or other Liens (other than real
property mortgages or deeds of trust) as do not materially affect the use of the
properties or assets subject thereto or affected thereby or otherwise materially
impair business operations at such properties, and (B) all real property
mortgages and deeds of trust and (ii) is the lessee of all leasehold estates
reflected in the latest audited financial statements 

                                      -21-



included in such Recent General SEC Documents or acquired after the date thereof
which are material to its business on a consolidated basis and is in possession
of the properties purported to be leased thereunder, and each such lease is
valid without default thereunder by the lessee or, to General's knowledge, the
lessor.

               (n)  Insurance Matters.

                    (i) Except as otherwise would not, individually or in the
      aggregate, be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect, all
      policies, binders, slips, certificates, annuity contracts and
      participation agreements and other agreements of insurance, whether
      individual or group, in effect as of the date hereof (including all
      applications, supplements, endorsements, riders and ancillary agreements
      in connection therewith) that are issued by General or its subsidiaries
      (the "General Insurance Contracts") and any and all marketing materials,
      are, to the extent required under applicable law, on forms approved by
      applicable insurance regulatory authorities or which have been filed and
      not objected to by such authorities within the period provided for
      objection, and such forms comply in all material respects with the
      insurance statutes, regulations and rules applicable thereto and, as to
      premium rates established by General or any subsidiary which are required
      to be filed with or approved by insurance regulatory authorities, the
      rates have been so filed or approved, the premiums charged conform thereto
      in all material respects, and such premiums comply in all material
      respects with the insurance statutes, regulations and rules applicable
      thereto.

                    (ii) All reinsurance and coinsurance treaties or agreements,
      including retrocessional agreements, to which General or any of its
      subsidiaries is a party or under which General or any of its subsidiaries
      has any existing rights, obligations or liabilities are in full force and
      effect except for such treaties or agreements the failure to be in full
      force and effect as individually or in the aggregate are not reasonably
      likely to have a material adverse effect.

                    (iii) As of the date hereof, General has no reason to
      believe that any rating presently held by General or any of its
      subsidiaries is likely to be modified, qualified, lowered or placed under
      surveillance for a possible downgrade for any reason other than as a
      result of the transactions contemplated hereby.

               (o) Liabilities and Reserves.

                    (i) The reserves carried on General statutory accounting
      statements of each of General and its subsidiaries for the year ended
      December 31, 1997 for losses, claims and similar purposes (including
      claims litigation) are in compliance in all material respects with the
      requirements for reserves established by the insurance departments of the
      state of domicile of General or such subsidiary, as

                                      -22-



      appropriate, were determined in all material respects in accordance with
      generally accepted actuarial standards and principles consistently
      applied, and are fairly stated in all material respects in accordance with
      sound actuarial and statutory accounting principles. Such reserves were
      adequate in the aggregate to cover the total amount of all reasonably
      anticipated liabilities of General and each of its Subsidiaries under all
      outstanding insurance, reinsurance and other applicable agreements as of
      the respective dates of such General statutory accounting statements.
      The admitted assets of General and each of its subsidiaries as determined
      under applicable laws are in an amount at least equal to the minimum
      amounts required by applicable laws.

                    (ii) Except for regular periodic assessments in the ordinary
      course of business or assessments based on developments which are publicly
      known within the insurance industry, to the knowledge of General, no claim
      or assessment is pending or threatened against any subsidiary which is
      peculiar or unique to such subsidiary by any state insurance guaranty
      associations in connection with such association's fund relating to
      insolvent insurers which if determined adversely, would, individually or
      in the aggregate, be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect.

               (p)  Investment Advisory and Investment Company Matters.

                    (i) Neither General nor any of its subsidiaries conducts
      activities of or is otherwise deemed under law to control an "investment
      adviser," as such term is defined in Section 2(a)(20) of the Investment
      Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"), whether or
      not registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the
      "Investment Advisers Act"), of any person required to be registered as an
      investment company under the Investment Company Act. Neither General nor
      any of its subsidiaries is an "investment company" as defined in the
      Investment Company Act, and neither General nor any of its subsidiaries is
      a promoter (as such term is defined in Section 2(a)(30) of the Investment
      Company Act) of any person that is such an investment company.

                    (ii) Neither General nor any of its subsidiaries conduct
      activities of, controls, owns more than a 20% interest in, or is deemed
      under applicable law to control, any person that is an investment adviser
      as defined in the Investment Advisers Act, whether or not registered under
      such Act, other than such an investment adviser whose only clients are
      "insurance companies" as defined in Section 2(a)(17) of the Investment
      Company Act.

               (q) Brokers. No broker, investment banker, financial advisor or
other person, other than Goldman, Sachs & Co., the fees and expenses of which
will be paid by General (pursuant to a fee agreement, a copy of which has been
provided to Berkshire), is entitled to any broker's, finder's, financial
advisor's or other similar fee or commission in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of
General.

                                      -23-



               (r) Opinion of Financial Advisor. General has received the
opinion of Goldman, Sachs & Co., dated the date of this Agreement, to the effect
that the Merger Consideration to be received in the Transactions by General's
stockholders is fair to the holders of General Common Stock from a financial
point of view, a signed copy of which opinion will be delivered to Berkshire.

               (s) Board Recommendation. The Board of Directors of General, at a
meeting duly called and held, has by unanimous vote of those directors present
(who constituted 100% of the directors then in office) (i) determined that this
Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby and thereby, including the Transactions and the General Merger, are fair
to and in the best interests of the stockholders of General, and (ii) resolved
to recommend that the holders of General Stock approve this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated herein, including the Transactions and the General
Merger.

               (t) Rights Agreement. General has taken all action required so
that the entering into of this Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will
not enable or require the Rights to be separated from the shares of General
Common Stock with which the Rights are associated, or to be distributed,
exercisable, exercised, or nonredeemable or result in the Rights associated with
any General Stock beneficially owned by Berkshire or any of its Affiliates or
Associates (as defined in the Rights Agreement) to be void or voidable.

               (u) Required General Vote. General Stockholder Approval, being
the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by holders
of the outstanding shares of General Common Stock and General Preferred Stock,
voting together as a single class, is the only vote of the holders of any class
or series of General's securities necessary to approve this Agreement, the
Transactions and the General Merger and the other transactions contemplated
hereby.

      4.3 Representations and Warranties of Berkshire. Berkshire represents and
warrants to General, except as otherwise Previously Disclosed, as follows:

               (a) Organization, Standing and Corporate Power. Each of
Berkshire, Holding Company and the subsidiaries of Berkshire is duly organized,
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in
which it is incorporated and has the requisite corporate power and authority to
carry on its business as now being conducted. Each of Berkshire, Holding Company
and the other subsidiaries of Berkshire is duly qualified or licensed to do
business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its
business or the ownership or leasing of its properties makes such qualification
or licensing necessary, other than in such jurisdictions where the failure to be
so qualified or licensed (individually or in the aggregate) would not have a
material adverse effect with respect to Berkshire.

                                      -24-




               (b) Subsidiaries. The only direct or indirect subsidiaries of
Berkshire (other than Holding Company and the Merger Subsidiaries) are listed in
Section 4.3(b) of the Berkshire Disclosure Schedule or on Exhibit 21 to
Berkshire's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
1997. All the outstanding shares of capital stock of each such listed subsidiary
which is a corporation have been validly issued and are fully paid and
nonassessable and, except as set forth in Section 4.3(b) of the Berkshire
Disclosure Schedule or such Exhibit 21, are owned (of record and beneficially)
by Berkshire, by another subsidiary (wholly owned) or by Berkshire and another
such subsidiary (wholly owned), free and clear of all Liens.

               (c) Capital Structure. The authorized capital stock of Berkshire
consists of 1,500,000 shares of Berkshire Class A Common Stock, 50,000,000
shares of Berkshire Class B Common Stock, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred
stock, no par value per share ("Berkshire Preferred Stock"). Subject to such
changes as may occur after May 1, 1998, and subject in the case of clauses (i)
and (iii) to adjustment as a result of conversions of Berkshire Class A Common
Stock into Berkshire Class B Common Stock, there were, as of May 1, 1998: (i)
1,192,905 shares of Berkshire Class A Common Stock, 1,448,918 shares of
Berkshire Class B Common Stock, and no shares of Berkshire Preferred Stock
issued and outstanding; (ii) 163,583 shares of Berkshire Class A Common Stock
held by Berkshire in its treasury; (iii) 35,787,150 shares of Berkshire Class B
Common Stock reserved for issuance upon conversion of Berkshire Class A Common
Stock; (iv) no shares of Berkshire Class B Common Stock reserved for issuance
upon exercise of authorized but unissued options under Berkshire's 1996 Stock
Option Plan; and (v) 15,669 shares of Berkshire Class B Common Stock issuable
upon exercise of outstanding options under Berkshire's 1996 Stock Option Plan.
Except as set forth in this Section 4.3(c), no shares of capital stock or other
equity securities of Berkshire are issued, reserved for issuance or outstanding.
All outstanding shares of capital stock of Berkshire are, and all shares of
Holding Company Common Stock which may be issued pursuant to this Agreement will
be when issued, duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable
and not subject to preemptive rights. All shares of Holding Company Common Stock
issued pursuant to this Agreement will, when so issued, be registered under the
Securities Act for such issuance and registered under the Exchange Act, be
registered or exempt from registration under any applicable state securities
laws, and be listed on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance. Except
as set forth in this Section 4.3(c), there are no outstanding bonds, debentures,
notes or other indebtedness or other securities of Berkshire having the right to
vote (or convertible into, or exchangeable for, securities having the right to
vote) on any matters on which stockholders of Berkshire may vote. Except as set
forth in this Section 4.3(c), and except as set forth in the Agreement with
respect to Holding Company and the Merger Subsidiaries, there are no outstanding
securities, options, warrants, calls, or rights obligating Berkshire or any of
its subsidiaries to issue, deliver or sell, or cause to be issued, delivered or
sold, additional shares of capital stock or other equity securities of Berkshire
or any of its subsidiaries or obligating Berkshire or any of its subsidiaries to
issue, grant, extend or enter into any such security, option, warrant, call, or
right.

                                      -25-



               (d) Authority; Noncontravention. Berkshire has all requisite
corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and the Stock Option
Agreement and, subject to the Berkshire Stockholder Approval with respect to the
consummation of the Transactions and the Berkshire Merger, to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The execution and delivery of this
Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement by Berkshire and the consummation by
Berkshire of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of Berkshire subject,
in the case of the Transactions and the Berkshire Merger, to the Berkshire
Stockholder Approval. This Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement have been
duly executed and delivered by, and each constitutes a valid and binding
obligation of, Berkshire, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.
The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement do
not, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby
and compliance with the provisions hereof and thereof will not, conflict with,
or result in any breach or violation of, or default (with or without notice or
lapse of time, or both) under, or give rise to a right of termination,
cancellation or acceleration of or "put" right with respect to any obligation or
to loss of a material benefit under, or result in the creation of any Lien upon
any of the properties or assets of Berkshire or any of its subsidiaries under,
(i) the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of Berkshire or the comparable
charter or organizational documents of any subsidiary of Berkshire, (ii) any
loan or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease or other
agreement, instrument, permit, concession, franchise or license applicable to
Berkshire or any subsidiary of Berkshire or their respective properties or
assets or (iii) subject to the governmental filings and other matters referred
to in the following sentence, any judgment, order, decree, statute, law,
ordinance, rule, regulation or arbitration award applicable to Berkshire or any
subsidiary of Berkshire or their respective properties or assets, other than, in
the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), any such conflicts, breaches, violations,
defaults, rights, losses or Liens that individually or in the aggregate could
not have a material adverse effect with respect to Berkshire or could not
prevent, hinder or materially delay the ability of Berkshire to consummate the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement. No consent, approval, order or
authorization of, or registration, declaration or filing with, or notice to, any
Governmental Entity is required by or with respect to Berkshire or any
subsidiary of Berkshire in connection with the execution and delivery of this
Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement by Berkshire or the consummation by
Berkshire of any of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, except for
(i) the filing of a premerger notification and report form under the HSR Act,
(ii) the filing with the SEC of (y) the Form S-4 and the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus and (z) such reports or schedules under the Exchange Act as
may be required in connection with this Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement
and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, (iii) the filing of the
Certificates of Merger for the Mergers with the Secretary of State of the State
of Delaware and appropriate documents with the relevant authorities of other
states in which the Berkshire is qualified to do business, (iv) the filing of
appropriate documents with, and approval of, the respective commissioners of
insurance of the states of Delaware, Ohio, Connecticut, and North Dakota, and of
such notices as may be required under the insurance laws of other jurisdictions
in which Berkshire or any of its subsidiaries is domiciled or does business or
is licensed or authorized as an insurance

                                      -26-



company, and (v) such other consents,
approvals, orders, authorizations, registrations, declarations, filings or
notices as may be required under the "takeover" or "blue sky" laws of various
states.

               (e) SEC Documents; Undisclosed Liabilities. Berkshire has filed
all required reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents with the
SEC since January 1, 1996 (collectively, and in each case, including all
exhibits and schedules thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein,
the "Berkshire SEC Documents"). As of their respective dates, the Berkshire SEC
Documents complied in all material respects with the requirements of the
Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as the case may be, and the rules and
regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder applicable to such Berkshire SEC
Documents, and none of the Berkshire SEC Documents (including any and all
financial statements included therein) as of such date contained any untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The consolidated
financial statements of Berkshire included in the Berkshire SEC Documents comply
as to form in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and
the published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto, have been
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (except, in
the case of unaudited consolidated quarterly statements, as permitted by Form
10-Q of the SEC) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved
(except as may be indicated in the notes thereto) and fairly present the
consolidated financial position of Berkshire and its consolidated subsidiaries
as of the dates thereof and the consolidated results of operations and changes
in cash flows for the periods then ended (subject, in the case of unaudited
quarterly statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments). Since December 31,
1997, neither Berkshire nor any of its subsidiaries has incurred any liabilities
or obligations of any nature (whether accrued, absolute, contingent or
otherwise) except (i) as and to the extent set forth on the audited balance
sheet of Berkshire and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 1997 (including the
notes thereto), (ii) as incurred in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement, (iii) as incurred
after December 31, 1997 in the ordinary course of business and consistent with
past practice, (iv) as described in the SEC Documents filed since December 31,
1997 (the "Recent Berkshire SEC Documents"), or (v) as would not, individually
or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect with respect to Berkshire.

               (f) Information Supplied. None of the information supplied or to
be supplied by Berkshire or Holding Company for inclusion or incorporation by
reference in (i) the Form S-4 will, at the time the Form S-4 is filed with the
SEC, and at any time it is amended or supplemented or at the time it becomes
effective under the Securities Act, contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and (ii) the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus will, at the date the Proxy Statement/Prospectus is first
mailed to General's stockholders and the Berkshire's stockholders or at the time
of General Stockholders Meeting and the Berkshire Stockholders Meeting, contain
any untrue statement of a material

                                      -27-



fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances
under which they are made, not misleading. The Form S-4 and Proxy
Statement/Prospectus will comply as to form in all material respects with the
requirements of the Securities Act and Exchange Act and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder, except that no representation or warranty is
made by Berkshire or Holding Company with respect to statements made or
incorporated by reference therein based on information supplied by General for
inclusion or incorporation by reference therein.

               (g) Absence of Certain Changes or Events. Except as disclosed in
the Recent Berkshire SEC Documents, since December 31, 1997, Berkshire has
conducted its business only in the ordinary course consistent with past
practice, and there is not and has not been (i) any material adverse change with
respect to Berkshire; (ii) any condition, event or occurrence which,
individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a
material adverse effect or give rise to a material adverse change with respect
to Berkshire; or (iii) any condition, event or occurrence which could reasonably
be expected to prevent, hinder or materially delay the ability of Berkshire to
consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Stock Option
Agreement.

               (h) Compliance with Laws. The conduct of the business of each of
Berkshire and each of its subsidiaries complies with all statutes, laws,
regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees or arbitration awards
applicable thereto, except for violations or failures so to comply, if any,
that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have
a material adverse effect with respect to Berkshire.

               (i) State Antitakeover Laws Not Applicable; No Other
Restrictions. No state takeover statute or similar statute or regulation of the
State of Delaware (or, to the knowledge of Berkshire after due inquiry, of any
other state or jurisdiction) applies or purports to apply to this Agreement or
the transactions contemplated hereby. No provision of the Certificate of
Incorporation, Bylaws or other governing instruments of Berkshire or any of its
subsidiaries would, directly or indirectly, restrict or impair (i) the ability
of Holding Company to vote, or otherwise to exercise the rights of a stockholder
with respect to, securities of Berkshire and its subsidiaries that may be
acquired or controlled by Holding Company by virtue of this Agreement or the
transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) the rights granted hereunder, or permit
any stockholder to acquire securities of Berkshire or any of its subsidiaries on
a basis not available to Holding Company in the event that Holding Company were
to acquire securities of Berkshire.

               (j) Interim Operations of Holding Company and the Merger
Subsidiaries. Holding Company and the Merger Subsidiaries were formed on June
16, 1998 solely for the purposes of engaging in the transactions contemplated
hereby, have engaged in no other business activities and have conducted their
respective operations only as contemplated hereby.

                                      -28-




               (k) Brokers. No broker, investment banker, financial advisor or
other person is entitled to or may be paid any broker's, finder's, financial
advisor's or other similar fee or commission in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of
Berkshire or Holding Company.

               (l) Board Recommendation. The Board of Directors of Berkshire, at
a meeting duly called and held, has by unanimous vote of those directors present
(who constituted a quorum) (i) determined that this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated hereby, including the Transactions and the Berkshire
Merger, are fair to and in the best interests of the stockholders of Berkshire,
and (ii) resolved to recommend that the holders of the shares of Berkshire
Common Stock approve this Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein,
including the Transactions and the Berkshire Merger.

               (m) Required Berkshire Vote. The Berkshire Stockholder Approval,
being the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by
holders of the outstanding shares of Berkshire Common Stock, voting together as
a single class, is the only vote of the holders of any class or series of
Berkshire's securities necessary to approve this Agreement, the Transactions and
the Berkshire Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby.

                                    ARTICLE 5

                        COVENANTS RELATING TO CONDUCT OF

                            BUSINESS PRIOR TO MERGER

      5.1 Conduct of Business of General. From the date of this Agreement to the
Effective Time (except as otherwise specifically required by the terms of this
Agreement), General shall, and shall cause its subsidiaries to, act and carry on
their respective businesses in the usual, regular and ordinary course of
business consistent with past practice and, to the extent consistent therewith,
use its best efforts to preserve intact their current business organizations,
keep available the services of their current officers and employees and preserve
their relationships with insureds, reinsurers, customers, suppliers, insurance
brokers and agents, and others having business dealings with them to the end
that their goodwill and ongoing businesses shall not be impaired in any material
respect at the Effective Time. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing,
from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time and except as otherwise
Previously Disclosed or expressly contemplated by this Agreement, General shall
not, and shall not permit any of its subsidiaries to, without the prior written
consent of Berkshire:

              (a) (i) declare, set aside or pay any dividends on, or make any
other distributions in respect of, any of its capital stock, other than (A)
dividends and distributions by a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of
General to its parent, (B) regular quarterly cash dividends on General Common
Stock not in excess of $0.59 per share, with usual record

                                      -29-



and payment dates for such dividends in accordance with General's past dividend
practice, and (C) regular annual cash dividends on General Preferred Stock not
in excess of $6.20 per share (or not in excess of the amount of the "Common
Stock Equivalent Dividend" (as defined in Section 2(A) of the Certificate of
Designations of General Preferred Stock (the "Certificate of Designations")) if
General is required to pay such amount pursuant to Section 2(A) of the
Certificate of Designations), with the usual record and payment date for such
dividends in accordance with the Certificate of Designations, (ii) split,
combine or reclassify any of its capital stock or issue or authorize the
issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution
for shares of its capital stock, or (iii) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire
any shares of capital stock of General or any of its subsidiaries or any other
securities thereof or any rights, warrants or options to acquire any such shares
or other securities, except, in the case of clause (iii), for (x) the
acquisition of shares of General Common Stock from holders of General Stock
Options in full or partial payment of the exercise price payable by such holder
or tax liability arising in connection therewith (including by way of exercise
of cash settlement rights pursuant to the terms of any General Stock Option),
upon exercise of General Stock Options outstanding on the date of this Agreement
in accordance with their present terms and (y) the redemption of General
Preferred Stock as contemplated by Section 3.6 hereof;

              (b) authorize for issuance, issue, deliver, sell, pledge or
otherwise encumber any shares of its capital stock or the capital stock of any
of its subsidiaries, any other voting securities or any securities convertible
into, or any rights, warrants or options to acquire, any such shares, voting
securities or convertible securities or any other securities or equity
equivalents (including without limitation stock appreciation rights), or
contractual obligation valued or measured by the value or market price of
General Common Stock (other than the issuance of General Common Stock upon the
exercise of General Stock Options outstanding on the date of this Agreement and
in accordance with their present terms, such issuance, together with the
acquisitions of shares of General Common Stock permitted under clause (a) above,
being referred to herein as "Permitted Changes");

              (c) amend its Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws or other
comparable charter or organizational documents;

              (d) acquire or agree to acquire by merging or consolidating with,
or by purchasing a substantial portion of the stock or assets of, or by any
other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, joint venture,
association, or other business organization or division thereof;

              (e) sell, lease, license, mortgage or otherwise encumber or
subject to any Lien or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets that
are material, individually or in the aggregate, to General and its subsidiaries
taken as a whole, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice;

                                      -30-




              (f) (i) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any
such indebtedness of another person, issue or sell any debt securities or
warrants or other rights to acquire any debt securities of General or any of its
subsidiaries, guarantee any debt securities of another person, enter into any
"keep well" or other agreement to maintain any financial statement condition of
another person or enter into any arrangement having the economic effect of any
of the foregoing, except for short-term borrowings incurred in the ordinary
course of business consistent with past practice, or (ii) make any loans,
advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other person, other
than to General or any direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of General;

              (g) acquire or agree to acquire any assets that are material,
individually or in the aggregate, to General and its subsidiaries taken as a
whole, or make or agree to make any capital expenditures except in the ordinary
course of business consistent with past practice;

              (h) pay, discharge or satisfy any claims (including claims of
stockholders), liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, asserted or
unasserted, contingent or otherwise), except for the payment, discharge or
satisfaction, of (i) liabilities or obligations in the ordinary course of
business consistent with past practice or in accordance with their terms as in
effect on the date hereof, (ii) liabilities reflected or reserved against in, or
contemplated by, the most recent consolidated audited financial statements (or
the notes thereof) of General included in the Recent General SEC Documents, or
waive, release, grant, or transfer any rights of material value or modify or
change in any material respect any existing license, lease, contract or other
document, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice;

              (i) adopt or amend in any material respect (except as may be
required by law or by this Agreement) any bonus, profit sharing, compensation,
stock option, pension, retirement, deferred compensation, employment or other
employee benefit plan, agreement, trust, fund or other arrangement (including
any General Benefit Plan) for the benefit or welfare of any employee, director
or former director or employee or, other than increases for individuals in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, increase the
compensation or fringe benefits of any director, employee or former director or
employee; pay any benefit not required by any existing plan, arrangement or
agreement, grant any new or modified severance or termination arrangement or
increase or accelerate any benefits payable under its severance or termination
pay policies in effect on the date hereof, other than any such increase or
acceleration provided for under such policies as in effect on the date of this
Agreement;

              (j) change any material accounting principle used by it, except
for such changes as may be required to be implemented following the date of this
Agreement pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles or rules and
regulations of the SEC promulgated following the date hereof;

                                      -31-




              (k) take any action that would, or is reasonably likely to, result
in any of its representations and warranties in this Agreement becoming untrue,
or in any of the conditions to the Mergers set forth in Article 7 not being
satisfied;

              (l) except in the ordinary course of business and consistent with
past practice, make any material tax election or settle or compromise any
material federal, state, local or foreign income tax liability; and

              (m) authorize any of, or commit or agree to take any of, the
foregoing actions.

                                    ARTICLE 6

                              ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS

      6.1 Preparation of Form S-4 and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus;
Stockholder Meetings.

              (a) Promptly following the date of this Agreement, Berkshire and
General shall cooperate and prepare, and Berkshire shall cause Holding Company
to file with the SEC, the Form S-4, in which a proxy statement will be included
as a prospectus (the "Proxy Statement/ Prospectus") and Berkshire and General
shall each file such Proxy Statement/Prospectus as a proxy statement with the
SEC. Each of General and Berkshire shall use its reasonable best efforts to have
the Form S-4 declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as
practicable after such filing. Each of General and Berkshire will use its
respective reasonable best efforts to cause the Proxy Statement/Prospectus to be
mailed to their respective stockholders as promptly as practicable after the
Form S-4 is declared effective under the Securities Act. Berkshire shall also
cause Holding Company to take any action (other than qualifying to do business
in any jurisdiction in which it is not now so qualified) required to be taken
under any applicable state securities laws in connection with the issuance of
Holding Company Common Stock in the Mergers, and General shall furnish all
information concerning General and the holders of General Common Stock and
rights to acquire General Common Stock pursuant to the Stock Plans as may be
reasonably requested in connection with any such action.

              (b) General will, as promptly as practicable following the date of
this Agreement, duly call, give notice of, convene and hold a meeting of its
stockholders (the "General Stockholders Meeting") for the purpose of approving
this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. General
will, through its Board of Directors, recommend to its stockholders approval of
the foregoing matters, as set forth in Section 4.2(s). Such recommendation,
together with a copy of the opinion referred to in Section 4.2(r), shall

                                      -32-



be included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus. General will use reasonable
efforts to hold such meeting as soon as practicable after the date hereof.

              (c) Berkshire will, as promptly as practicable following the date
of this Agreement, duly call, give notice of, convene and hold a meeting of its
stockholders (the "Berkshire Stockholders Meeting") for the purpose of approving
this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Berkshire
will, through its Board of Directors, recommend to its stockholders approval of
the foregoing matters, as set forth in Section 4.3(l). Such recommendation shall
be included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Berkshire will use reasonable
efforts to hold such meeting as soon as practicable after the date hereof.

              (d) General will cause its transfer agent to make stock transfer
records relating to General available to the extent reasonably necessary to
effectuate the intent of this Agreement.

      6.2 Letter of General's Accountants. General shall use its best efforts to
cause to be delivered to Berkshire and Holding Company a letter from Coopers &
Lybrand L.L.P., General's independent public accountants, dated a date within
two business days before the date on which the Form S-4 shall become effective
and addressed to Berkshire and Holding Company, in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to Berkshire and customary in scope and substance for letters
delivered by independent public accountants in connection with registration
statements similar to the Form S-4.

      6.3     Berkshire Access to Information.

              (a) General shall, and shall cause its subsidiaries, officers,
employees, counsel, financial advisors and other representatives to, afford to
Berkshire and its representatives reasonable access during normal business
hours during the period prior to the Effective Time to its properties, books,
contracts, commitments, personnel and records and, during such period, shall,
and shall cause its subsidiaries, officers, employees and representatives to,
furnish promptly to Berkshire (i) a copy of each report, schedule, registration
statement and other document filed by it during such period pursuant to the
requirements of Federal or state securities laws and (ii) all other information
concerning its business, properties, financial condition, operations and
personnel as Berkshire may from time to time reasonably request. No
investigation pursuant to this Section 6.3 shall affect any representations or
warranties of General herein or the conditions to the obligations of the parties
hereto.


              (b) General shall report on operational matters and promptly
advise Berkshire orally and in writing of any change or event having, or which,
insofar as can reasonably be foreseen, could have, a material adverse effect on
General and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

                                      -33-




      6.4 Best Efforts. Each of the parties agrees to use its best efforts to
take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and to do, or cause to be done, and to
assist and cooperate with the other parties in doing, all things necessary,
proper or advisable to consummate and make effective, in the most expeditious
manner practicable, the Transactions, the Mergers and the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement and the Stock Option Agreement. Berkshire and
General will use their best efforts and cooperate with one another (i) in
promptly determining whether any filings are required to be made or consents,
approvals, waivers, permits or authorizations are required to be obtained under
any applicable law or regulation or from any governmental authorities or third
parties in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and
the Stock Option Agreement and (ii) in promptly making any such filings, in
furnishing information required in connection therewith and in timely seeking to
obtain any such consents, approvals, waivers, permits or authorizations.

      6.5     Indemnification.

              (a) General shall, and from and after the Effective Time Holding
Company shall, indemnify, defend, protect and hold harmless each person who is
now, or has been at any time prior to the date of this Agreement or who becomes
such prior to the Effective Time, an officer or director of General or any of
its subsidiaries (the "Indemnified Parties") against (i) all losses, claims,
damages, costs, expenses, liabilities or judgments or amounts that are paid in
settlement with the approval of the indemnifying party (which approval shall not
be unreasonably withheld) of or in connection with any claim, action, suit,
proceeding or investigation based in whole or in part on or arising in whole or
in part out of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of
General or any of its subsidiaries whether pertaining to any matter existing or
occurring at or prior to the Effective Time and whether asserted or claimed
prior to, or at or after, the Effective Time ("Indemnified Liabilities"), and
(ii) all Indemnified Liabilities based in whole or in part on, or arising in
whole or in part out of, or pertaining to this Agreement, the Stock Option
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby; provided,
however, that, in the case of General, such indemnification shall only be to the
fullest extent a corporation is permitted under the DGCL to indemnify its own
directors and officers, and in the case of Holding Company, such indemnification
shall not be limited by the DGCL but such indemnification shall not be
applicable to any claims made against any Indemnified Party if a judgment or
other final adjudication established that (A) his or her acts or omissions were
committed in bad faith or were the result of active and deliberate dishonesty
and were material to the cause of action so deliberated or (B) arising out of,
based upon or attributable to the gaining in fact of any financial profit or
other advantage to which he or she was not legally entitled. General or Holding
Company, as the case may be, will pay all expenses of each Indemnified Party in
advance of the final disposition of any such action or proceeding, to the
fullest extent permitted by law upon receipt of any undertaking contemplated by
Section 145(e) of the DGCL. Without limiting the foregoing, in the event any
such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation is brought against any
Indemnified Party (whether arising before or after the Effective Time), (i) the
Indemnified Parties may retain counsel satisfactory to them and
General (or them, General and Holding Company after the

                                      -34-



Effective Time), (ii) General (or, after the Effective Time, the Holding
Company) shall pay all reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel for the
Indemnified Parties promptly as statements therefor are received, and (iii)
General (or, after the Effective Time, Holding Company) will use all reasonable
efforts to assist in the vigorous defense of any such matter, provided that
neither General nor Holding Company shall be liable for any settlement of any
claim effected without its written consent, which consent, however, shall not be
unreasonably withheld. Any Indemnified Party wishing to claim indemnification
under this Section 6.5, upon learning of any such claim, action, suit,
proceeding or investigation, shall notify General and Holding Company (but the
failure so to notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any
liability which it may have under this Section 6.5 except to the extent such
failure prejudices such party), and shall deliver to General (or after the
Effective Time, Holding Company) the undertaking contemplated by Section 145(e)
of the DGCL. The Indemnified Parties as a group may retain only one law firm to
represent them with respect to each such matter unless there is, under
applicable standards of professional conduct, a conflict on any significant
issue between the positions of any two or more Indemnified Parties.

              (b) The provisions of this Section 6.5 are intended to be for the
benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, each Indemnified Party, his or her
heirs and representatives.

      6.6 Expenses. Whether or not the Transactions is consummated, all costs
and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated hereby shall be paid by the party incurring such expenses, except
that the expenses in connection with printing and mailing the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus and the Form S-4, as well as all SEC filing fees relating
to the transactions contemplated herein, shall be shared equally between
Berkshire and General.

      6.7 Public Announcements. Berkshire and General will consult with each
other before issuing, and provide each other the opportunity to review and
comment upon, any press release or other public statements with respect to the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including the Transactions and the
Mergers, and shall not issue any such press release or make any such public
statement prior to such consultation, except as may be required by applicable
law, court process or by obligations pursuant to any listing agreement with any
national securities exchange or as are agreed upon in advance. The parties agree
that the initial press release or releases to be issued with respect to the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be mutually agreed upon prior
to the issuance thereof.

      6.8 Affiliates. Prior to the Closing Date, General shall deliver to
Holding Company a letter identifying all persons who are, at the time this
Agreement is submitted for approval to the stockholders of General, "affiliates"
of General for purposes of Rule 145 under the Securities Act. General shall use
its best efforts to cause each such person to deliver to Holding Company on or
prior to the Closing Date a written agreement substantially in the form attached
as Exhibit E hereto.

                                      -35-




      6.9 Stock Exchange Listing. Berkshire shall use its best efforts to cause
the shares of Holding Company Common Stock to be issued in the Transactions to
be approved for listing on the NYSE, subject to notice of issuance, prior to the
Closing Date.

      6.10 Takeover Statutes. If any "fair price," "moratorium," "control share
acquisition" or other form of antitakeover statute or regulation shall become
applicable to the transactions contemplated hereby, the parties hereto and the
members of their respective Boards of Directors shall grant such approvals and
take such actions as are reasonably necessary so that the transactions
contemplated hereby may be consummated as promptly as practicable on the terms
contemplated hereby and otherwise act to eliminate or minimize the effects of
such statute or regulation on the transactions contemplated hereby.

      6.11    No Solicitation.

            (a) General shall not, nor shall it permit any of its subsidiaries
to, nor shall it authorize or permit any of its directors, officers or employees
or any investment banker, financial advisor, attorney, accountant or other
representative retained by it or any of its subsidiaries to, directly or
indirectly through another person, (i) solicit, initiate or encourage (including
by way of furnishing information), or take any other action designed to
facilitate, any inquiries or the making of any proposal which constitutes a
General Takeover Proposal (as defined in Section 6.11(e)) or (ii) participate
in any discussions or negotiations regarding any General Takeover Proposal;
provided, however, that if the Board of Directors of General determines in good
faith, after consultation with outside counsel, that it is necessary to do so in
order to act in a manner consistent with its fiduciary duties to General's
stockholders under applicable law, General may, in response to any General
Superior Proposal (as defined in Section 6.11(e)) made prior to the General
Stockholder Approval, which proposal was not solicited by it and which did not
otherwise result from a breach of this Section 6.11(a), and subject to providing
prior written notice of its decision to take such action to Berkshire and
compliance with Section 6.11(c), (x) furnish information with respect to General
and its subsidiaries to any person making a General Superior Proposal pursuant
to a customary confidentiality agreement (as determined by General based on the
advice of its outside counsel) and (y) participate in discussions or
negotiations regarding such General Superior Proposal.

            (b) Except as expressly permitted by this Section 6.11, neither the
Board of Directors of General nor any committee thereof shall (i) withdraw or
modify, or propose publicly to withdraw or modify, in a manner adverse to
Berkshire, the approval or recommendation by such Board of Directors or such
committee of the Transactions or this Agreement, (ii) approve or recommend, or
propose publicly to approve or recommend, any General Takeover Proposal, or
(iii) cause General to enter into any General Acquisition Agreement (as defined
in Section 6.11(e)). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors of
General, to the extent that it determines in good faith, after consultation with
outside counsel, that in light of a General Superior Proposal it is necessary to
do so in order to act in a manner consistent with its fiduciary duties to
General's stockholders under applicable

                                      -36-



law, may terminate this Agreement solely in order to concurrently enter into a
General Acquisition Agreement with respect to any General Superior Proposal, but
only at a time that is after the second business day following Berkshire's
receipt of written notice advising Berkshire that the Board of Directors of
General is prepared to accept a General Superior Proposal, specifying the
material terms and conditions of such General Superior Proposal and identifying
the person making such General Superior Proposal, all of which information will
be kept confidential by Berkshire.

            (c) In addition to the obligations of General set forth in
paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 6.11, General shall immediately advise
Berkshire orally and in writing of any request for information or any General
Takeover Proposal, the material terms and conditions of such request or General
Takeover Proposal and the identity of the person making such request or General
Takeover Proposal. General will keep Berkshire reasonably informed of the status
and details (including amendments or proposed amendments) of any such request or
General Takeover Proposal.

            (d) Nothing contained in this Section 6.11 shall prohibit General
from taking and disclosing to its stockholders a position contemplated by Rule
14e-2(a) promulgated under the Exchange Act or from making any disclosure to
General's stockholders if, in the good faith judgment of the Board of Directors
of General, after consultation with outside counsel, failure so to disclose
would be inconsistent with its obligations under applicable law; provided,
however, that, neither General nor its Board of Directors nor any committee
thereof shall withdraw or modify, or propose publicly to withdraw or modify, its
position with respect to this Agreement or the Transactions or approve or
recommend, or propose publicly to approve or recommend, a General Takeover
Proposal.

            (e) For purposes of this Agreement:

                  (i) "General Takeover Proposal" means any inquiry, proposal or
      offer from any person relating to any direct or indirect acquisition or
      purchase of a business that constitutes 20% or more of the net revenues,
      net income or assets of General and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or
      20% or more of any class of equity securities of General, any tender offer
      or exchange offer that if consummated would result in any person
      beneficially owning 20% or more of any class of any equity securities of
      General, or any merger, consolidation, business combination,
      recapitalization, reorganization, liquidation, dissolution or similar
      transaction involving General (or any General subsidiary whose business
      constitutes 20% or more of the net revenues, net income or assets of
      General and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole), other than the
      transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement.

                  (ii) "General Superior Proposal" means any proposal made by a
      third party to acquire, directly or indirectly, including pursuant to a
      tender offer, exchange offer, merger, consolidation, business combination,
      recapitalization, reorganization,

                                      -37-



      liquidation, dissolution or similar transaction, for consideration to
      General's stockholders consisting of cash and/or securities, all of the
      shares of General's capital stock then outstanding or all or substantially
      all the assets of General, on terms which the Board of Directors of
      General determines in its good faith judgment to be more favorable to
      General's stockholders than the Transactions and for which financing, to
      the extent required, is then committed or which, in the good faith
      judgment of the Board of Directors of General, is reasonably capable of
      being obtained by such third party.

                  (iii) "General Acquisition Agreement" means any letter of
      intent, agreement in principle, acquisition agreement or other similar
      agreement related to any General Takeover Proposal.

      6.12 Certain Agreements. Neither General nor any subsidiary of General
will waive or fail to enforce any provision of any confidentiality or standstill
or similar agreement to which it is a party without the prior written consent of
Berkshire.

      6.13  Employee Benefits.

            (a) Except as Previously Disclosed, Berkshire and General agree that
General Benefit Plans shall, to the extent practicable, remain in effect without
material amendment until the Effective Time and that thereafter the Holding
Company will maintain, subject to such changes and modifications as may be
necessary or desirable to facilitate compliance by Holding Company and its
subsidiaries with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and the terms
thereof, substantially similar plans (other than the Stock Plans) for a period
of at least three years after the Effective Time; provided, that none of
Berkshire, Holding Company nor General shall be required to issue any shares of
its equity securities (other than pursuant to Stock Options assumed under
Section 3.4(d)(i) or as otherwise Previously Disclosed) in connection with such
plans.

            (b) Berkshire will and will cause the Holding Company to honor
without material modification for a period of at least three years after the
Effective Time all employee severance plans (or policies) and employment and
severance agreements of General or any of its subsidiaries in existence on the
date hereof.

            (c) Except as Previously Disclosed, Berkshire and General will use
their reasonable best efforts to agree on compensation plans for the officers
and employees of General after the Effective Time to provide them incentive
compensation for a period of at least three years following the Effective Time
that in the aggregate is reasonably comparable (without giving any effect to any
payments to them resulting from the Transactions) to that historically provided
by the Stock Plans, except that none of Berkshire, Holding Company nor General
shall be required to issue any shares of its equity securities (other than
pursuant to

                                      -38-



Stock Options assumed under Section 3.4(d)(i) or as otherwise
Previously Disclosed) in connection with such compensation plans.

      6.14  Tax Matters.

            (a) The parties hereto shall file as soon as practicable following
the date hereof a private letter ruling request (the "Ruling Request") with the
IRS seeking each of the three rulings set forth on Exhibit D hereto (the "351(e)
Ruling," the "No Gain or Loss Ruling," and the "368(c) Ruling," as further
described on Exhibit D, collectively the "Rulings"), and agree to cooperate with
each other in seeking, and use reasonable best efforts to obtain, such Rulings
by the IRS as soon as practicable thereafter.

            (b) If the Partial Cash Election has not been made, the parties
hereto shall cooperate with each other to (i) cause the Mergers to be treated as
transfers of property to Holding Company by the holders of Berkshire Common
Stock and General Common Stock governed by Section 351(a) or 351(b) of the Code
and (ii) obtain the opinions of counsel required to be delivered pursuant to
Sections 7.2(c)(i) and 7.3(c) hereof and the Rulings (other than a Ruling that
the IRS has informed Berkshire it will not grant). If the Partial Cash Election
has been made, the parties shall cooperate with each other to (i) cause the
General Merger not to qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section
368 of the Code and (ii) obtain the opinions of counsel required to be delivered
pursuant to Section 7.2(c)(ii). If the Partial Cash Election has been made and
one or both of the opinions referred to in Section 7.2(c)(ii) are not delivered,
the parties shall cooperate with each other to seek to restructure the
transactions contemplated hereby in order to allow such opinions to be
delivered; provided, however, that in no event shall the cash portion of the
merger consideration for such restructured transaction exceed 3% of the total
merger consideration. In connection with the foregoing opinions, each of
Berkshire, Holding Company, General and the Merger Subsidiaries, as appropriate,
shall (x) deliver to Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen &
Katz, as appropriate, customary representation letters in form and substance
reasonably satisfactory to such counsel and (y) use its reasonable best efforts
to obtain representation letters from appropriate stockholders and deliver such
letters to such counsel.

                                    ARTICLE 7

                              CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

      7.1 Conditions to Each Party's Obligation To Effect the Transactions. The
respective obligation of each party to effect the Transactions is subject to the
satisfaction or waiver on or prior to the Closing Date of the following
conditions:

             (a)  General Stockholder Approval.  General Stockholder Approval
shall have been obtained.

                                      -39-




             (b) Berkshire Stockholder Approval. The Berkshire Stockholder
Approval shall have been obtained.

             (c) NYSE Listing. The shares of Holding Company Common Stock
issuable to General's and Berkshire's stockholders pursuant to this Agreement
shall have been approved for listing on the NYSE, subject to notice of issuance.

             (d) HSR Act. The waiting period (and any extension thereof)
applicable to the Mergers under the HSR Act shall have been terminated or shall
have expired.

             (e) No Injunctions or Restraints. No temporary restraining order,
preliminary or permanent injunction or other order issued by any court of
competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing the
consummation of the Transactions or any of the Mergers shall be in effect;
provided, however, that the parties hereto shall use their best efforts to have
any such injunction, order, restraint or prohibition vacated.

             (f) Form S-4. The Form S-4 shall have become effective under the
Securities Act and shall not be the subject of any stop order or proceedings
seeking a stop order, and any material "blue sky" and other state securities
laws applicable to the issuance of the Holding Company Common Stock shall have
been complied with.

             (g) Rulings. One of the following shall have occurred: (i)
Berkshire shall have received written notice of the issuance of the 351(e)
Ruling and the No Gain or Loss Ruling, or (ii) if the IRS will not grant the
351(e) Ruling as a result of the Treasury Department having withdrawn the
Proposed Regulations, Berkshire shall have received written notice of the
issuance of the No Gain or Loss Ruling or the 368(c) Ruling, or (iii) Berkshire
shall have made or be deemed to have made the Partial Cash Election, or (iv)
Berkshire shall have declined to make the Partial Cash Election.

             (h) Consents, etc. Berkshire and General shall have received
evidence, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to each, that such
licenses, permits, consents, approvals, authorizations, qualifications and
orders of governmental authorities and other third parties as are necessary in
connection with the transactions contemplated hereby have been obtained, except
such licenses, permits, consents, approvals, authorizations, qualifications and
orders which are not, individually or in the aggregate, material to Berkshire or
General or the failure of which to have been received would not (as compared to
the situation in which such license, permit, consent, approval, authorization,
qualification or order had been obtained) materially dilute the aggregate
benefits to the parties of the Transactions.

      7.2 Conditions to Obligation of Berkshire. The obligation of Berkshire to
effect the Transactions is further subject to the following conditions:

                                      -40-




             (a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and
warranties of General set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct, in
each case as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though
made on and as of the Closing Date (except that representations and warranties
that speak as of a specified date shall be true and correct as of such date);
provided that for purposes of determining the satisfaction of the foregoing,
such representations and warranties shall be deemed true and correct if the
failure or failures of such representations and warranties to be so true and
correct (excluding the effect of any qualification set forth therein relating to
"materiality", "material adverse change" or "material adverse effect") have not
had and could not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the
aggregate, a material adverse effect on General or on the ability of General to
consummate the transactions herein contemplated or to perform its obligations
hereunder. Berkshire shall have received a certificate signed on behalf of
General by the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer of
General to such effect.

             (b) Performance of Obligations of General. General shall have
performed the obligations required to be performed by it under this Agreement at
or prior to the Closing Date (except for such failures to perform as have not
had or could not reasonably be expected, either individually or in the
aggregate, to have a material adverse effect with respect to General or the
ability of General to consummate the transactions herein contemplated or perform
its obligations hereunder), and Berkshire shall have received a certificate
signed on behalf of General by the chief executive officer and the chief
financial officer of General to such effect.

             (c)  Tax Matters.

                  (i) If there has been no Partial Cash Election, (I) Treasury
      Regulation Section 1.351-1(c) as in effect on the date hereof (or as may
      be amended prior to the Closing Date either (x) in a manner effecting only
      the diversification test of Treasury Regulation Section 1.351-1(c)(1)(i)
      and not the test of Treasury Regulation Section 1.351-1(c)(1)(ii) or (y)
      solely to conform the Final Regulations to the amendments made to Section
      351(e)(1) of the Code by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997) (the "Final
      Regulations") shall be in effect, (II) either (A) Berkshire shall have
      received the 351(e) Ruling and the No Gain or Loss Ruling or (B) the
      Proposed Regulations shall have been withdrawn and Berkshire shall have
      received either the No Gain or Loss Ruling or the 368(c) Ruling, and (III)
      Berkshire shall have received the opinion of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP,
      counsel to Berkshire, based upon reasonably requested representation
      letters and dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the Berkshire
      Merger will be treated as a transfer of property to Holding Company by the
      holders of Berkshire Common Stock governed by Section 351(a) or 351(b) of
      the Code.

                  (ii) If there has been a Partial Cash Election, Berkshire
      shall have received the opinions of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, counsel to
      Berkshire, and Wachtell, Lipton Rosen & Katz, counsel to General, based
      upon reasonably requested representation letters and dated the Closing
      Date, that the transactions will not qualify

                                      -41-



      as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368 of the Code, the
      Merger Consideration will be taxable to the stockholders of General, and
      the Transactions will not be a taxable transaction to either Berkshire or
      its stockholders.

             (d) Redemption of General Preferred Stock. All shares of General
Preferred Stock shall have been redeemed in accordance with the terms of the
Certificate of Designations, the DGCL and applicable state and federal
securities laws.

      7.3 Conditions to Obligation of General. The obligation of General to
effect the Transactions is further subjected to the following conditions:

             (a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and
warranties of Berkshire set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct,
in each case as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as
though made on and as of the Closing Date (except that representations and
warranties that speak as of a specified date shall be true and correct as of
such date); provided that for purposes of determining the satisfaction of the
foregoing, such representations and warranties shall be deemed true and correct
if the failure or failures of such representations and warranties to be so true
are correct (excluding the effect of any qualification set forth therein
relating to "materiality", "material adverse change" or "material adverse
effect") have not had and could not reasonably be expected to have, individually
or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on Berkshire or on the ability of
Berkshire to consummate the transaction herein contemplated or to perform its
obligations hereunder. General shall have received a certificate signed on
behalf of Berkshire by the chief executive officer and the chief financial
officer of Berkshire to such effect.

             (b) Performance of Obligations of Berkshire. Berkshire shall have
performed the obligations required to be performed by it under this Agreement at
or prior to the Closing Date (except for such failures to perform as have not
had or could not reasonably be expected, either individually or in the
aggregate, to have a material adverse effect with respect to Berkshire or the
ability of Berkshire to consummate the transactions herein contemplated or
perform its obligations hereunder), and General shall have received a
certificate signed on behalf of Berkshire by the chief executive officer and the
chief financial officer of Berkshire to such effect.

             (c) Tax Opinion. If there has been no Partial Cash Election and
Berkshire shall have received any of the Rulings, General shall have received
the opinion of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, counsel to General, based upon
reasonably requested representation letters and dated the Closing Date, to the
effect that the General Merger will be treated as a transfer of property to
Holding Company by the holders of General Common Stock governed by Section
351(a) or 351(b) of the Code.

                                      -42-




                                    ARTICLE 8

                        TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND WAIVER

      8.1 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated and abandoned at any
time prior to the Effective Time, whether before or after approval of the
Transactions by the stockholders of General and Berkshire:

            (a)   by mutual written consent of Berkshire and General; or

            (b) by either Berkshire or General if any Governmental Entity shall
have issued an order, decree or ruling or taken any other action permanently
enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting one or both of the Mergers or
the Transactions and such order, decree, ruling or other action shall have
become final and nonappealable; or

            (c) by either Berkshire or General if the Transactions shall not
have been consummated on or before June 1, 1999 (other than due to the failure
of the party seeking to terminate this Agreement to perform its obligations
under this Agreement required to be performed at or prior to the Effective
Time); or

            (d) by either Berkshire or General, if any required approval of the
stockholders of General shall not have been obtained by reason of the failure to
obtain the required vote upon a vote held at a duly held meeting of stockholders
or at any adjournment thereof; or

            (e) by either General or Berkshire, if any required approval of the
stockholders of Berkshire shall not have been obtained by reason of the failure
to obtain the required vote upon a vote held at a duly held meeting of
stockholders or at any adjournment thereof; or

            (f) by Berkshire, (i) if General shall have (A) withdrawn, modified
or amended in any respect adverse to Berkshire or Holding Company its approval
or recommendation of this Agreement or the Transactions, (B) failed as soon as
practicable to mail the Proxy Statement to its stockholders or failed to include
in such statement such recommendation, (C) recommended any General Takeover
Proposal from a person other than Berkshire or (D) resolved to do any of the
foregoing, or (ii) if (A) General shall have exercised a right specified in the
proviso to Section 6.11(a) with respect to any General Superior Proposal and
shall, directly or through agents or representatives, continue discussions with
any third party concerning such General Superior Proposal for more than 10
business days after the date of receipt of such General Superior Proposal, or
(B) (x) a General Takeover Proposal that is publicly disclosed shall have been
commenced, publicly proposed or communicated to General which contains a
proposal as to price (without regard to whether such proposal specifies a
specific price or a range of potential prices) and (y) General shall not have
rejected

                                      -43-



such proposal within 10 business days of its receipt or, if sooner, the date its
existence first becomes publicly disclosed; or

            (g) by General, if General exercises the right of termination
specified in Section 6.11(b) with respect to a General Superior Proposal; or

            (h) by Berkshire, if General fails to perform any of its material
obligations under this Agreement and such failure has not been cured within
thirty days after receipt by General of written notice of such failure from
Berkshire; or

            (i) by General, if Berkshire fails to perform any of its material
obligations under this Agreement and such failure has not been cured within
thirty days after receipt by Berkshire of written notice of such failure from
General.

      8.2   Effect of Termination.

            (a) In the event of termination of this Agreement by either General
or Berkshire as provided in Section 8.1, this Agreement shall forthwith become
void and have no effect, without any liability or obligation on the part of
Berkshire or General, other than pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.6 and
this Section 8.2. Nothing contained in this Section shall, however, relieve any
party for any breach of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements
set forth in this Agreement prior to any such termination.

            (b) In the event that this Agreement is terminated by General
pursuant to Section 8.1(g) or, after the date hereof but prior to any
termination of this Agreement, General or General's Board of Directors or any
committee thereof shall have taken any action to make the Rights Agreement
inapplicable (through termination or otherwise) to any person other than
Berkshire or Holding Company, then, concurrently with any such termination or
action, General shall pay Berkshire a fee equal to $400 million by wire transfer
of same day funds, and General shall reimburse Berkshire its out-of-pocket
expenses related to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby
promptly upon request therefor.

            (c) In the event that (A) this Agreement is terminated by Berkshire
pursuant to Section 8.1(f) or (B) a General Takeover Proposal shall have been
made to General or any of its subsidiaries or stockholders or any person shall
have publicly announced an intention (whether or not conditional) to make a
General Takeover Proposal and thereafter this Agreement is terminated by either
Berkshire or General pursuant to Section 8.1(d), and, in the case of either
clause (A) or clause (B), within 18 months after the date of such termination
General enters into any General Acquisition Agreement relating to any General
Takeover Proposal, then General shall promptly, but in no event later than two
business days after the date such is entered into, pay Berkshire a fee equal to
$400 million by wire transfer of same day funds, and General shall reimburse
Berkshire its out-of-pocket expenses related to this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated hereby promptly upon request therefor.

                                      -44-




            (d) General acknowledges that the agreements contained in Section
8.2(b) and (c) are an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, and that the amounts to be paid pursuant to Section 8.2(b) and (c)
constitute liquidated damages and not a penalty.

      8.3 Amendment. This Agreement may be amended by the parties at any time
before or after required approval of the Transactions by the stockholders of
General and of Berkshire; provided, however, that after such approvals, there
shall be made no amendment that by law requires further approval by such
stockholders without the further approval of such stockholders. This Agreement
may not be amended except by an instrument in writing signed on behalf of each
of the parties.

      8.4 Extension; Waiver. At any time prior to the Effective Time, the
parties may (a) extend the time for the performance of any of the obligations or
other acts of the other parties, (b) waive any inaccuracies in the
representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or in any document
delivered pursuant to this Agreement or (c) subject to the proviso of Section
8.3, waive compliance with any of the agreements or conditions contained in this
Agreement. Any agreement on the part of a party to any such extension or waiver
shall be valid only if set forth in an instrument in writing signed on behalf of
such party. The failure of any party to this Agreement to assert any of its
rights under this Agreement or otherwise shall not constitute a waiver of such
rights.

                                    ARTICLE 9

                               GENERAL PROVISIONS

      9.1 Nonsurvival of Representations and Warranties. None of the
representations and warranties in this Agreement or in any instrument delivered
pursuant to this Agreement shall survive the Effective Time. This Section 9.1
shall not limit any covenant or agreement of the parties which by its terms
contemplates performance after the Effective Time.

      9.2 Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands and other
communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed
given if delivered personally or sent by overnight courier (providing proof of
delivery) to the parties at the following addresses (or at such other address
for a party as shall be specified by like notice):


                                      -45-



            (a)   if to Berkshire, to:

                        Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
                        1440 Kiewit Plaza
                        Omaha, NE  68131
                        Attn: Warren E. Buffett

                  with a copy to:

                        Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
                        355 South Grand Avenue, 35th Floor
                        Los Angeles, California 90071-1560
                        Attn:  R. Gregory Morgan

            (b)   if to General, to:

                        General Re Corporation
                        695 East Main Street
                        Stamford, CT  06904
                        Attn:  Charles F. Barr, General Counsel

                  with a copy to:

                        Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
                        51 West 52nd Street
                        New York, New York  10019
                        Attn:  Edward D. Herlihy

      9.3 Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement:

            (a) an "affiliate" of any person means another person that directly
or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by,
or is under common control with, such first person;

            (b) "material adverse change" or "material adverse effect" means,
when used in connection with General or Berkshire, any change or effect that
either individually or in the aggregate with all other such changes or effects
is materially adverse to the business, assets, properties, condition (financial
or otherwise) or results of operations of such party and its subsidiaries taken
as a whole; provided, however, that, (i) a decline in general economic
conditions affecting General or Berkshire or events or conditions, including
property catastrophe losses, generally affecting the industry in which General
or Berkshire operate shall not be deemed to be a "material adverse change" or to
have a "material adverse effect" with respect to either such party or its
subsidiaries; and (ii) in no event shall changes in the market

                                      -46-



prices of portfolio securities owned by Berkshire or its subsidiaries or General
or its subsidiaries be deemed to be a "material adverse change" or to have a
"material adverse effect" with respect to Berkshire or its subsidiaries or
General or its subsidiaries, respectively;

            (c) "person" means an individual, corporation, partnership, joint
venture, association, trust, unincorporated organization or other entity; and

            (d) a "subsidiary" of any person means another person, an amount of
the voting securities, other voting ownership or voting partnership interests of
which is sufficient to elect at least a majority of its board of directors or
other governing body (or, if there are no such voting interests, 50% or more of
the equity interest of which) is owned directly or indirectly by such first
person; provided that General's Employee Stock Savings and Ownership Plan, shall
not be considered a subsidiary of General for purposes of this Agreement.

      9.4 Interpretation. A reference made in this Agreement to an Article,
Section, Exhibit or Schedule, shall be to an Article or Section of, or an
Exhibit or Schedule to, this Agreement unless otherwise indicated. The table of
contents and headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes
only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
Whenever the words "include," "includes" or "including" are used in this
Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words "without
limitation."

      9.5 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and
shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each of
the parties and delivered to the other parties.

      9.6 Entire Agreement; No Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement and the
Stock Option Agreement together constitute the entire agreement between the
parties, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, both written and
oral, between the parties with respect to the subject matter of such agreements.
Except as provided in Section 6.5, this Agreement is not intended to confer upon
any person other than the parties any rights or remedies.

      9.7 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in
accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware regardless of the laws that
might otherwise govern under applicable principles of conflicts of laws thereof.

      9.8 Assignment. Except as stated herein with respect to Holding Company
and the Merger Subsidiaries, neither this Agreement nor any of the rights,
interests or obligations under this Agreement shall be assigned, in whole or in
part, by operation of law or otherwise, by any of the parties without the prior
written consent of the other parties; provided, however, that the rights and
obligations of Holding Company may be assigned under this agreement to

                                      -47-



any direct wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire. Any assignment in violation of
the preceding sentence shall be void. Subject to the preceding two sentences,
this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable
by, the parties and their respective successors and assigns.

      9.9 Enforcement. The parties agree that irreparable damage would occur in
the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement or the Stock Option
Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were
otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the parties shall be entitled
to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement and the
Stock Option Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of
this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement in any court of the State of
Delaware or of the United States located in the State of Delaware in the event
any dispute arises out of this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement or any of
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement,
and each party agrees (a) it will not attempt to deny or defeat personal
jurisdiction or venue in any such court by motion or other request for leave
from any such court and (b) it will not bring any action relating to this
Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement in any court other than any such
court.

      9.10 Severability. Whenever possible, each provision or portion of any
provision of this Agreement will be interpreted in such manner as to be
effective and valid under applicable law but if any provision or portion of any
provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in
any respect under any applicable law or rule in any jurisdiction, such
invalidity, illegality or unenforceability will not affect any other provision
or portion of any provision in such jurisdiction, and this Agreement will be
reformed, construed and enforced in such jurisdiction as if such invalid,
illegal or unenforceable provision or portion of any provision had never been
contained herein, so long as the economic and legal substance of the
transactions contemplated hereby are not affected in a manner materially adverse
to any party hereto.

                                      -48-





            IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Berkshire and General have caused this Agreement
to be signed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized, all as of
the date first written above.

                                    BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC.

                                    By:  /s/ Warren E. Buffett
                                         ---------------------
                                            Warren E. Buffett
                                    Its:   Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

                                    GENERAL RE CORPORATION

                                    By:  /s/ Ronald E. Ferguson
                                         ----------------------
                                            Ronald E. Ferguson
                                    Its:   Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

EX-99

                                                                  EXHIBIT 99.1


                             STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

      THIS STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT (the "Agreement") is entered into as of June
19, 1998 by and between General Re Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
"Grantee"), and Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Grantor").

      WHEREAS, the Grantee and the Grantor are entering into an Agreement and
Plan of Mergers, dated as of the date hereof (the "Merger Agreement"), which
provides, among other things, for the merger of a subsidiary of NBH, Inc., a
Delaware corporation, into Grantor (such merger, along with the other
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the "Transactions");

      WHEREAS, as a condition and inducement to Grantee's willingness to enter
into the Merger Agreement, the Grantee has requested that the Grantor grant to
the Grantee an option to purchase up to 15,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par
value $0.50 per share, of the Grantor (the "Common Stock"), upon the terms and
subject to the conditions hereof; and

      WHEREAS, in order to induce the Grantee to enter into the Merger
Agreement, the Grantor is willing to grant the Grantee the requested option.

      NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants
and agreements set forth herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:

      1.    The Option; Exercise; Adjustments; Payment of Spread.

            (a) Contemporaneously herewith the Grantee and the Grantor are
      entering into the Merger Agreement. Subject to the other terms and
      conditions set forth herein, the Grantor hereby grants to the Grantee an
      irrevocable option (the "Option") to purchase up to 15,000,000 (as may be
      adjusted as provided herein) shares of Common Stock (together with rights
      attached thereto to purchase Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock
      of the Company issued pursuant to the Rights Agreement (the "Rights
      Agreement") dated as of September 11, 1991 between the Company and Bank of
      New York, as rights agent) (the "Shares") at a cash purchase price equal
      to $283.71 per share (the "Purchase Price"). The Option may be exercised
      by the Grantee, in whole or in part, at any time, or from time to time,
      following the occurrence of one of the events set forth in Section 2(d)
      hereof, and prior to the termination of the Option in accordance with the
      terms of this Agreement.

            (b) In the event the Grantee wishes to exercise the Option, the
      Grantee shall send a written notice to the Grantor (the "Stock Exercise
      Notice") specifying a date for the closing of such purchases (subject to
      the HSR Act (as defined below) and applicable insurance regulatory
      approvals) not later than 10 business days and not earlier than three
      business days following the date such notice is given. In the event of any
      change in the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock by
      reason of any stock dividend, stock split, split-up, recapitalization,
      reorganization or other change in the corporate or capital structure of
      the Grantor, the number and/or kind of Shares subject to this Option and
      the purchase price per Share shall be appropriately adjusted to restore
      the Grantee to its rights hereunder, including its right to purchase
      Shares




      representing 19.9% of the capital stock of the Grantor entitled to
      vote generally for the election of the directors of the Grantor which is
      issued and outstanding immediately prior to the exercise of the Option at
      an aggregate purchase price equal to the Purchase Price multiplied by
      15,000,000. In the event that any additional shares of Common Stock are
      issued after the date of this Agreement (other than pursuant to an event
      described in the preceding sentence), the number of Shares subject to this
      Option shall be increased by 19.9% of the number of the additional shares
      of Common Stock so issued (and such additional Shares shall have a
      purchase price per share equal to the Purchase Price). Notwithstanding
      anything in this Agreement, the number of shares subject to this Option
      shall never exceed 19.9% of the outstanding shares of the Grantor.

            (c) At any time when the Option is exercisable pursuant to the terms
      of Section 1(a) hereof, the Grantee may elect, in lieu of exercising the
      Option to purchase Shares as provided in Section 1(a) hereof, to send a
      written notice to the Grantor (the "Cash Exercise Notice") specifying a
      date not later than 20 business days and not earlier than 10 business days
      following the date such notice is given on which date the Grantor shall
      pay to the Grantee an amount in cash equal to the Spread (as hereinafter
      defined) multiplied by all or such portion of the Shares subject to the
      Option as Grantee shall specify in such notice. As used herein "Spread"
      shall mean the excess, if any, over the Purchase Price of the higher of
      (y) if applicable, the highest price per share of Common Stock (including
      any brokerage commissions, transfer taxes and soliciting dealers' fees)
      paid or proposed to be paid by any person pursuant to any Grenada Takeover
      Proposal (as defined in the Merger Agreement) (the "Alternative Purchase
      Price") or (z) the closing price of the shares of Common Stock on the NYSE
      Composite Tape on the last trading day immediately prior to the date of
      the Cash Exercise Notice (the "Closing Price"). If the Alternative
      Purchase Price includes any property other than cash, the Alternative
      Purchase Price shall be the sum of (i) the fixed cash amount, if any,
      included in the Alternative Purchase Price plus (ii) the fair market value
      of such other property. If such other property consists of securities with
      an existing public trading market, the average of the closing prices (or
      the average of the closing bid and asked prices if closing prices are
      unavailable) for such securities in their principal public trading market
      on the five trading days ending five days prior to the date of the Cash
      Exercise Notice shall be deemed to equal the fair market value of such
      property. If such other property consists of something other than cash or
      securities with an existing public trading market and, as of the payment
      date for the Spread, agreement on the value of such other property has not
      been reached, the Alternative Purchase Price shall be deemed to equal the
      Closing Price. Upon the Grantee's exercise of its right to receive cash
      pursuant to this Section 1(c), the obligations of the Grantor to deliver
      Shares pursuant to Section 3 shall be terminated with respect to such
      number of Shares for which the Grantee shall have been paid the Spread.

      2. Conditions to Delivery of Shares. The Grantor's obligation to deliver
Shares upon exercise of the Option is subject only to the conditions that:

            (a) No preliminary or permanent injunction or other order issued by
      any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction in the United States
      prohibiting the delivery of the Shares shall be in effect; and

                                      -2-



            (b) Any applicable waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino
      Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the "HSR Act") shall have expired or
      been terminated; and

            (c) Any other consent, approval, order, notification, or
      authorization, the failure of which to obtain or make would make the
      issuance of the Shares illegal, shall have been obtained or made and be in
      full force and effect; and

            (d) (i) any person (other than Grantee or any of its subsidiaries)
      shall have acquired beneficial ownership (as such term is defined in Rule
      13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
      Act")) or the right to acquire beneficial ownership of, or any "group" (as
      such term is defined under the Exchange Act) shall have been formed which
      beneficially owns or has the right to acquire beneficial ownership of,
      shares of Common Stock aggregating 20% or more of the then outstanding
      Common Stock; (ii) the Merger Agreement shall have been terminated by
      Grantor pursuant to Section 8.1(g) of the Merger Agreement; or (iii)
      either (A) a Grenada Takeover Proposal shall have been made to Grantor or
      any of its subsidiaries or any of its stockholders or any person shall
      have publicly announced an intention (whether or not conditional) to make
      a Grenada Takeover Proposal with respect to Grantor or any of its
      subsidiaries and thereafter the Merger Agreement shall have been
      terminated by either Grantee or Grantor pursuant to Section 8.1(d) of the
      Merger Agreement, or (B) the Merger Agreement shall have been terminated
      by Grantee pursuant to Section 8.1(f) of the Merger Agreement, and, in the
      case of either clause (A) or clause (B), within 18 months of the date of
      such termination Grantee enters into any Grenada Acquisition Agreement (as
      defined in the Merger Agreement). As used in this Agreement, "person"
      shall have the meaning specified in Sections 3(a)(9) and 13(d)(3) of the
      Exchange Act.

      3.    The Closing.

            (a) Any closing hereunder shall take place on the date specified by
      the Grantee in its Stock Exercise Notice or Cash Exercise Notice, as the
      case may be, at 9:00 A.M., local time, at the offices of Wachtell, Lipton,
      Rosen & Katz, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, New York, or, if the
      conditions set forth in Section 2(a), (b) or (c) have not then been
      satisfied, on the second business day following the satisfaction of such
      conditions, or at such other time and place as the parties hereto may
      agree (the "Closing Date"). On the Closing Date, (i) in the event of a
      closing pursuant to Section 1(b) hereof, the Grantor will deliver to the
      Grantee a certificate or certificates, representing the Shares in the
      denominations designated by the Grantee in its Stock Exercise Notice and
      the Grantee will purchase such Shares from the Grantor at the price per
      Share equal to the Purchase Price or (ii) in the event of a closing
      pursuant to Section 1(c) hereof, the Grantor will deliver to the Grantee
      cash in an amount determined pursuant to Section 1(c) hereof. Any payment
      made by the Grantee to the Grantor, or by the Grantor to the Grantee,
      pursuant to this Agreement shall be made by

                                      -3-



      wire transfer to a bank designated by the party receiving such funds.

            (b) The certificates representing the Shares shall bear an
      appropriate legend relating to the fact that such Shares have not been
      registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities
      Act").

      4. Representations and Warranties of the Grantor. The Grantor represents
and warrants to the Grantee that (a) the Grantor is a corporation duly
organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of
Delaware and has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and
perform this Agreement; (b) the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the
Grantor and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have
been duly authorized by the Board of Directors of the Grantor and this Agreement
has been duly executed and delivered by a duly authorized officer of the Grantor
and constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Grantor, enforceable in
accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent
transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability
relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general principles of equity;
(c) the Grantor has taken all necessary corporate action to authorize and
reserve the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Option and the Shares, when
issued and delivered by the Grantor upon exercise of the Option and paid for by
Grantee as contemplated hereby, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully
paid and non-assessable and free of preemptive rights; (d) the execution and
delivery of this Agreement by the Grantor and, except as otherwise required by
the HSR Act and applicable insurance laws and for such filings as are required
by the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. ("NYSE"), the consummation by it of the
transactions contemplated hereby do not require the consent, waiver, approval or
authorization of or any filing with any person or public authority and will not
violate, result in a breach of or the acceleration of any obligation under, or
constitute a default under, any provision of Grantor's certificate of
incorporation or bylaws, or any material indenture, mortgage, lien, lease,
agreement, contract, instrument, order, law, rule, regulation, judgment,
ordinance, or decree, or restriction by which the Grantor or any of its
subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets is bound; (e) no
"fair price," "moratorium," "control share acquisition," "interested
shareholder" or other form of antitakeover statute or regulation, including
without limitation, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or
similar provision contained in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of
Grantor, is or shall be applicable to any of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement, and the Board of Directors of the Company has taken all action
to approve the transactions contemplated hereby to the extent necessary to avoid
any such application (including, without limitation, the Board of Directors of
the Company having determined pursuant to Article IX of the Company's Restated
Certification of Incorporation that the purchase price under Sections 7 and 8
hereof will not violate or require any shareholder vote under Article X
thereof); and (f) the Grantor has taken all corporate action necessary so that
the grant and any subsequent exercise of the Option by the Grantee or other
exercise by the Grantee of any its rights hereunder will not result in the
separation or exercisability of the rights under the Rights Agreement or in any
nullification of rights under the Rights Agreement held by the Grantee or any of
its Affiliates or Associates (as defined in the Rights Agreement).

      5. Representations And Warranties of The Grantee. The Grantee represents
and warrants to the Grantor that (a) the execution and delivery of this
Agreement by the Grantee and the consummation by it of the transactions
contemplated hereby have been duly authorized

                                      -4-



by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Grantee and this Agreement
has been duly executed and delivered by a duly authorized officer of the Grantee
and constitutes a valid and binding obligation of Grantee; and (b) the Grantee
is acquiring the Option and, if and when it exercises the Option, will be
acquiring the Shares issuable upon the exercise thereof for its own account and
not with a view to distribution or resale in any manner which would be in
violation of the Securities Act.

      6. Listing of Shares; Filings; Governmental Consents. Subject to
applicable law and the rules and regulations of the NYSE, when the Option
becomes exercisable hereunder, the Grantor will promptly file an application to
list the Shares on the NYSE and will use all reasonable best efforts to obtain
approval of such listing and to effect all necessary filings by the Grantor
under the HSR Act and the applicable insurance laws of each state and foreign
jurisdiction; provided, however, that if the Grantor is unable to effect such
listing on the NYSE by the Closing Date, the Grantor will nevertheless be
obligated to deliver the Shares upon the Closing Date. Each of the parties
hereto will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain consents of all third
parties and governmental authorities, if any, necessary to the consummation of
the transactions contemplated.

      7. Repurchase of Shares. If within 18 months after the date the Merger
Agreement was terminated pursuant to the terms thereof (the "Merger Termination
Date"), neither the Grantee nor any other person has acquired more than fifty
percent (excluding the Shares) of the shares of outstanding Common Stock, the
Grantor will then have the right to purchase (the "Repurchase Right") all, but
not less than all, of the Shares acquired upon exercise of this Option of which
the Grantee is the beneficial owner on the date the Grantor gives written notice
of its intention to exercise the Repurchase Right, at the greater of (i) the
Purchase Price or (ii) the average of the last sales prices for shares of Common
Stock on the 30 trading days ending on the date the Grantor gives written notice
of its intention to exercise the Repurchase Right. If the Grantor does not
exercise the Repurchase Right within thirty days following the date the
Repurchase Right becomes exercisable, the Repurchase Right will expire and
cannot thereafter be exercised. In the event the Grantor wishes to exercise the
Repurchase Right, the Grantor shall send a written notice to the Grantee
specifying a date (not later than 20 business days and not earlier than 10
business days following the date such notice is given) for the closing of such
purchase.

      8. Sale of Shares. At any time prior to the date that is 18 months after
the Merger Termination Date, the Grantee shall have the right to sell (the "Sale
Right") to the Grantor all, but not less than all, of the Shares acquired upon
exercise of this Option of which the Grantee is the beneficial owner on the date
the Grantee gives written notice of its intention to exercise the Sale Right, at
the greater of (i) the Purchase Price, or (ii) the average of the last sales
prices for shares of Common Stock on the 30 trading days ending on the date the
Grantee gives written notice of its intention to exercise the Sale Right. If the
Grantee does not exercise the Sale Right prior to the date the Sale Right
becomes exercisable, the Sale Right will expire and cannot thereafter be
exercised. In the event the Grantee wishes to exercise the Sale Right, the
Grantee shall send a written notice to the Grantor specifying a date not later
than 20 business days and not earlier than 10 business days following the date
such notice is given for the closing of such sale.

      9.    Registration Rights.

                                      -5-



            (a) In the event that the Grantee shall desire to sell any of the
      Shares within three years after the purchase of such Shares pursuant
      hereto, and such sale requires, in the opinion of counsel to the Grantee,
      which opinion shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Grantor and its
      counsel, registration of such Shares under the Securities Act, the Grantor
      will cooperate with the Grantee and any underwriters in registering such
      Shares for resale, including, without limitation, promptly filing a
      registration statement which complies with the requirements of applicable
      federal and state securities laws, and entering into an underwriting
      agreement with such underwriters upon such terms and conditions as are
      customarily contained in underwriting agreements with respect to secondary
      distributions; provided that the Grantor shall not be required to have
      declared effective more than two registration statements hereunder and
      shall be entitled to delay the filing or effectiveness of any registration
      statement for up to 90 days if the offering would, in the judgment of the
      Board of Directors of the Grantor, require premature disclosure of any
      material corporate development or material transaction involving the
      Grantor or interfere with any previously planned securities offering by
      the Grantor.

            (b) If the Common Stock is registered pursuant to the provisions of
      this Section 9, the Grantor agrees (i) to furnish copies of the
      registration statement and the prospectus relating to the Shares covered
      thereby in such numbers as the Grantee may from time to time reasonably
      request and (ii) if any event shall occur as a result of which it becomes
      necessary to amend or supplement any registration statement or prospectus,
      to prepare and file under the applicable securities laws such amendments
      and supplements as may be necessary to keep available for at least 90 days
      a prospectus covering the Common Stock meeting the requirements of such
      securities laws, and to furnish the Grantee such numbers of copies of the
      registration statement and prospectus as amended or supplemented as may
      reasonably be requested. The Grantor shall bear the cost of the
      registration, including, but not limited to, all registration and filing
      fees, printing expenses, and fees and disbursements of counsel and
      accountants for the Grantor, except that the Grantee shall pay the fees
      and disbursements of its counsel, and the underwriting fees and selling
      commissions applicable to the shares of Common Stock sold by the Grantee.
      The Grantor shall indemnify and hold harmless (i) Grantee, its affiliates
      and its officers and directors and each person who controls Grantee within
      the meaning of the Securities Act or Exchange Act and (ii) each
      underwriter and each person who controls any underwriter within the
      meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (collectively, the
      "Underwriters") ((i) and (ii) being referred to as "Indemnified Parties")
      against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, to which the
      Indemnified Parties may become subject, insofar as such losses, claims,
      damages, liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) and expenses arise
      out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
      of any material fact contained or incorporated by reference in any
      registration statement or prospectus filed pursuant to this paragraph, or
      arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state
      therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
      the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that the Grantor
      will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss,
      liability, claim, damage or expense arises out of or is based upon an
      untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in or omission or alleged
      omission from any such documents in reliance upon and in conformity with
      written information furnished to the Grantor by the Indemnified

                                      -6-



      Parties expressly for use or incorporation by reference therein.

            (c) The Grantee and the Underwriters shall indemnify and hold
      harmless the Grantor, its affiliates and its officers and directors and
      each person who controls Grantee within the meaning of the Securities Act
      or Exchange Act against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
      expenses to which the Grantor, its affiliates and its officers and
      directors may become subject, insofar as such losses, claims, damages,
      liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) and expenses arise out of or
      are based upon any untrue statement of any material fact contained or
      incorporated by reference in any registration statement filed pursuant to
      this paragraph, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged
      omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or
      necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to
      the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged
      untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon
      and in conformity with written information furnished to the Grantor by the
      Grantee or the Underwriters, as applicable, specifically for use or
      incorporation by reference therein.

      10. Expenses. Each party hereto shall pay its own expenses incurred in
connection with this Agreement, except as otherwise specifically provided
herein.

      11. Specific Performance. The Grantor acknowledges that if the Grantor
fails to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement immediate and
irreparable harm or injury would be caused to the Grantee for which money
damages would not be an adequate remedy. In such event, the Grantor agrees that
the Grantee shall have the right, in addition to any other rights it may have,
to specific performance of this Agreement. Accordingly, if the Grantee should
institute an action or proceeding seeking specific enforcement of the provisions
hereof, the Grantor hereby waives the claim or defense that the Grantee has an
adequate remedy at law and hereby agrees not to assert in any such action or
proceeding the claim or defense that such a remedy at law exists. The Grantor
further agrees to waive any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond
in connection with obtaining any such equitable relief.

      12. Notice. All notices, requests, demands and other communications
hereunder shall be deemed to have been duly given and made if in writing and if
served by personal delivery upon the party for whom it is intended or delivered
by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or if sent by
facsimile transmission, upon receipt of oral confirmation that such transmission
has been received, to the person at the address set forth below, or such other
address as may be designated in writing hereafter, in the same manner, by such
person:

            If to the Grantee:

                  Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
                  1440 Kiewit Plaza
                  Omaha, NE  68131
                  Attn:  Warren E. Buffett
                  Fax:   (402) 346-3375

            With a copy to:

                                      -7-



                  Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
                  355 South Grand Avenue
                  Los Angeles, CA 90071
                  Attn:  R. Gregory Morgan, Esq.
                  Fax:  (213) 687-3702

            If to the Grantor:

                  General Re Corporation
                  695 East Main Street
                  Stamford, CT  06904
                  Attn:  Charles F. Barr, General Counsel
                  Fax:   (203) 328-5090

            With a copy to:

                  Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz
                  51 West 52nd Street
                  New York, New York 10019
                  Attn:  Edward D. Herlihy
                  Fax:  (212) 403-2000

      13. Parties in Interest. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and
be binding upon the parties named herein and their respective successors and
assigns. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer
upon any person other than the Grantor or the Grantee, or their successors or
assigns, any rights or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement.

      14. Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Agreement, together with the Merger
Agreement and the other documents referred to therein, contains the entire
agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof
and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements and understandings, oral
or written, with respect to such transactions. This Agreement may not be
changed, amended or modified orally, but may be changed only by an agreement in
writing signed by the party against whom any waiver, change, amendment,
modification or discharge may be sought.

      15. Assignment. No party to this Agreement may assign any of its rights or
obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other
party hereto, except that the Grantee may assign its rights and obligations
hereunder to any of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries, but no
such transfer shall relieve the Grantee of its obligations hereunder if such
transferee does not perform such obligations.

      16. Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and
shall not affect the construction of this Agreement.

                                      -8-



      17. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of
counterparts, each of which, when executed, shall be deemed to be an original
and all of which together shall constitute one and the same document.

      18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware (without regard to principles
of conflicts of law).

      19. Termination. The right to exercise the Option granted pursuant to this
Agreement shall terminate at the earliest of (i) the Effective Time (as defined
in the Merger Agreement) (ii) if the Option is not exercised within 120 days
after first becoming exercisable and (iii) if not then exercisable, 30 days
after termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms (the
dates referred to in clause (ii) and (iii) being hereinafter referred to as the
"Termination Date"); provided that, if the Option cannot be exercised or the
Shares cannot be delivered to Grantee upon such exercise because the conditions
set forth in Section 2(a), (b) or (c) hereof have not yet been satisfied, the
Termination Date shall be extended until 30 days after such impediment to
exercise or delivery has been removed. All representations and warranties
contained in this Agreement shall survive delivery of and payment for the
Shares.

      20.   Profit Limitation.

            (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or the
      Merger Agreement, in no event shall the Grantee's Total Profit (as
      hereinafter defined) exceed $600 million and, if it otherwise would exceed
      such amount, the Grantee shall repay such excess amount to Grantor in cash
      (or the purchase price for purposes of Section 7 or 8, as applicable,
      shall be reduced) so that Grantee's Total Profit shall not exceed $600
      million after taking into account the foregoing actions.

            (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, this
      Option may not be exercised for a number of Shares as would, as of the
      date of the Stock Exercise Notice, result in a Notional Total Profit (as
      defined below) of more than $600 million and, if exercise of the Option
      otherwise would exceed such amount, the Grantee, at its discretion, may
      increase the Purchase Price for that number of Shares set forth in the
      Stock Exercise Notice so that the Notional Total Profit shall not exceed
      $600 million; provided, that nothing in this sentence shall restrict any
      exercise of the Option permitted hereby on any subsequent date at the
      Purchase Price set forth in Section 1(a) hereof.

            (c) As used herein, the term "Total Profit" shall mean the aggregate
      amount (before taxes) of the following: (i) (x) the amount of cash
      received by Grantee pursuant to Section 8.2 of the Merger Agreement and
      Section 1(c) hereof, less (y) any repayment of such cash to Grantor, (ii)
      (x) the amount received by Grantee pursuant to the Grantor's repurchase of
      Shares pursuant to Sections 7 or 8 hereof, less (y) the Grantee's purchase
      price for such Shares, and (iii) (x) the net cash amounts received by
      Grantee pursuant to the sale of Shares (or any other securities into or
      for which such Shares are converted or exchanged) to any unaffiliated
      party, less (y) the Grantee's purchase price for such Shares.

                                      -9-



            (d) As used herein, the term "Notional Total Profit" with respect to
      any number of Shares as to which Grantee may propose to exercise this
      Option shall be the Total Profit determined as of the date of the Stock
      Exercise Notice assuming that this Option were exercised on such date for
      such number of Shares and assuming that such Shares, together with all
      other Shares acquired upon exercise of the Option and held by Grantee and
      its affiliates as of such date, were sold for cash at the closing market
      price for the Common Stock as of the close of business on the preceding
      trading day (less customary brokerage commissions).

      21. Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this
Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or
unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and
restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall
in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated.

                                      -10-




      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Grantee and the Grantor have caused this Agreement
to be duly executed and delivered on the day and year first above written.

                                    GENERAL RE CORPORATION

                                    By:  /s/ Ronald E. Ferguson
                                         ----------------------
                                          Ronald E. Ferguson
                                          Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

                                    BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC.

                                    By:  /s/ Warren E. Buffett
                                         ---------------------
                                          Warren E. Buffett
                                          Chairman and Chief Executive Officer


                                      -11-

EX-99

                                                                  EXHIBIT 99.2


                                VOTING AGREEMENT

      THIS VOTING AGREEMENT (the "Agreement") is entered into as of June 19,
1998, by and between General Re Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and Warren E. Buffett ("Shareholder").

      WHEREAS, as of the date hereof Shareholder owns beneficially and of record
478,232 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $5.00 per share ("Berkshire
Common Stock"), of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Berkshire")
(all such shares and any shares hereafter acquired by Shareholder prior to the
termination of this Agreement, but excluding any such shares hereafter given as
gifts to family members or charities, being referred to herein as the "Shares");

      WHEREAS, concurrently herewith, Berkshire and the Company are entering
into an Agreement and Plan of Mergers (as such Agreement may hereafter be
amended from time to time, the "Merger Agreement"), pursuant to which, upon the
terms and subject to the conditions thereof, each of Berkshire and the Company
will merge with separate subsidiaries of NBH, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Holding Company"), with the result that Berkshire and the Company will become,
by virtue of such mergers, wholly owned subsidiaries of Holding Company; and

      WHEREAS, as a condition to the willingness of the Company to enter into
the Merger Agreement, the Company has requested that Shareholder agree, and, in
order to induce the Company to enter into the Merger Agreement, Shareholder has
agreed, to vote the Shares as set forth herein.

      NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the mutual
representations warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein, the
parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:

                                    ARTICLE I

      1.1 Transfer of Shares. Until the close of business on the date of the
special meeting of shareholders of Berkshire (including any adjournments
thereof, the "Berkshire Special Meeting") called to consider and vote upon the
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement (the "Transactions"),
including the Berkshire Merger (as defined in the Merger Agreement), Shareholder
will not (a) sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of any of the Shares, (b) deposit
the Shares into a voting trust or enter into a voting agreement or arrangement
with respect to the Shares (other than this Agreement), or grant any proxy with
respect thereto (other than a proxy naming Shareholder as one of the
proxyholders), (c) enter into any contact, option or other arrangement or
undertaking with respect to the direct or indirect sale, assignment, transfer or
other disposition of any of the Shares, or (d) convert any of the Shares into
shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.1667 per share, of Berkshire.

      1.2 Voting of Shares; Further Assurances. Shareholder will vote the Shares
(i) in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement and approval of the
Berkshire Merger and the Transactions and (ii) in favor of any other matter
necessary to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement and considered and voted upon at the Berkshire Special Meeting.

                                      -1-



                                   ARTICLE II

      2.1 Notices. All notices and other communications given or made pursuant
hereto shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given or made
as of the date delivered, mailed or transmitted, and shall be effective upon
receipt, if delivered personally, mailed by registered or certified mail
(postage prepaid, return receipt requested) to the parties at the following
addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be specified by like
changes of address) or sent by electronic transmission to the fax number
specified below:

            (a)   If to the Company:

                     General Re Corporation
                     695 East Main Street
                     Stamford Connecticut

                     Attn: Charles F. Barr, General Counsel
                               Fax: (203) 328-5090

                  with a copy to:

                     Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz
                     51 West 52nd Street
                     New York, NY 10019
                     Attn: Edward D. Herlihy
                     Fax:  (212) 403-2000

            (b) If to Shareholder:

                     Warren E. Buffett
                     1440 Kiewit Plaza
                     Omaha, NE  68131
                     Fax:  (402) 346-3875

                                      -2-




                  with a copy to:

                     Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
                     355 South Grand Avenue
                     Los Angeles, CA  90071
                     Attn: R. Gregory Morgan
                     Fax:  (213) 687-3702

      2.2 Headings. The headings contained in this Agreement are for reference
purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of
this Agreement.

      2.3 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is
invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public
policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless
remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of
the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially
adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision
is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall
negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original
intent of the parties as closely as possible to the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law in an acceptable manner to the end that the provisions hereof are
fulfilled to the extent possible.

      2.4 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the Merger Agreement
and the other agreements contemplated thereby, constitute the entire agreement
of the parties and supersedes all prior agreements and undertakings, both
written and oral, between the parties, or any of them, with respect to the
subject matter hereof.

      2.5 Certain Events. Shareholder agrees that this Agreement and the
obligations hereunder shall be binding upon any person to which legal or
beneficial ownership (as such term is applied under Rule 13d-3 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of the Shares shall pass, whether by operation
of law or otherwise. Notwithstanding any transfer of Shares, the transferor
shall remain liable for the performance of all obligations under this Agreement
of the transferor.

      2.6 Assignment. This Agreement shall not be assigned by operation of law
or otherwise.

      2.7 Parties in Interest. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure
solely to the benefit of each party hereto, and nothing in this Agreement,
express or implied, intended to or shall confer upon any person any right,
benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.

      2.8 Specific Performance. The parties hereto agree that irreparable
damages would occur in the event any provision of this Agreement was not
performed in accordance with the terms hereof and that the parties shall be
entitled to specific performance of the terms hereof, in addition to any other
remedy at law or in equity.

      2.9 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in
accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to
principles of conflicts of laws.

      2.10 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, and

                                      -3-



by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when
executed shall be deemed to be an original but all of which, taken together,
shall constitute one and the same agreement.

      2.11 Termination. This Agreement shall terminate automatically immediately
upon termination of the Merger Agreement.

                                      -4-




      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the
date first above written.

                                    GENERAL RE CORPORATION

                                    By:  /s/ Ronald E. Ferguson
                                         ----------------------
                                          Ronald E. Ferguson
                                          Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

                                    /s/ Warren E. Buffett
                                    ---------------------
                                     Warren E. Buffett

EX-99

                                                                  EXHIBIT 99.3


                                VOTING AGREEMENT

      THIS VOTING AGREEMENT (the "Agreement") is entered into as of June 19,
1998, by and between General Re Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and Charles T. Munger ("Shareholder").

      WHEREAS, as of the date hereof Shareholder owns beneficially and of record
18,390 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $5.00 per share ("Berkshire
Common Stock"), of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Berkshire")
(all such shares and any shares hereafter acquired by Shareholder prior to the
termination of this Agreement, but excluding any such shares hereafter given as
gifts to family members or charities, being referred to herein as the "Shares");

      WHEREAS, concurrently herewith, Berkshire and the Company are entering
into an Agreement and Plan of Mergers (as such Agreement may hereafter be
amended from time to time, the "Merger Agreement"), pursuant to which, upon the
terms and subject to the conditions thereof, each of Berkshire and the Company
will merge with separate subsidiaries of NBH, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Holding Company"), with the result that Berkshire and the Company will become,
by virtue of such mergers, wholly owned subsidiaries of Holding Company; and

      WHEREAS, as a condition to the willingness of the Company to enter into
the Merger Agreement, the Company has requested that Shareholder agree, and, in
order to induce the Company to enter into the Merger Agreement, Shareholder has
agreed, to vote the Shares as set forth herein.

      NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the mutual
representations warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein, the
parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:

                                    ARTICLE I

      1.1 Transfer of Shares. Until the close of business on the date of the
special meeting of shareholders of Berkshire (including any adjournments
thereof, the "Berkshire Special Meeting") called to consider and vote upon the
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement (the "Transactions"),
including the Berkshire Merger (as defined in the Merger Agreement), Shareholder
will not (a) sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of any of the Shares, (b) deposit
the Shares into a voting trust or enter into a voting agreement or arrangement
with respect to the Shares (other than this Agreement), or grant any proxy with
respect thereto (other than a proxy naming Shareholder as one of the
proxyholders), (c) enter into any contact, option or other arrangement or
undertaking with respect to the direct or indirect sale, assignment, transfer or
other disposition of any of the Shares, or (d) convert any of the Shares into
shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.1667 per share, of Berkshire.

      1.2 Voting of Shares; Further Assurances. Shareholder will vote the Shares
(i) in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement and approval of the
Berkshire Merger and the Transactions and (ii) in favor of any other matter
necessary to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement and considered and voted upon at the Berkshire Special Meeting.

                                      -1-



                                   ARTICLE II

      2.1 Notices. All notices and other communications given or made pursuant
hereto shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given or made
as of the date delivered, mailed or transmitted, and shall be effective upon
receipt, if delivered personally, mailed by registered or certified mail
(postage prepaid, return receipt requested) to the parties at the following
addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be specified by like
changes of address) or sent by electronic transmission to the fax number
specified below:

            (a)   If to the Company:

                     General Re Corporation
                     695 East Main Street
                     Stamford Connecticut

                     Attn: Charles F. Barr, General Counsel
                               Fax: (203) 328-5090

                  with a copy to:

                     Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz
                     51 West 52nd Street
                     New York, NY 10019
                     Attn: Edward D. Herlihy
                     Fax:  (212) 403-2000

            (b) If to Shareholder:

                     Charles T. Munger
                     355 S. Grand Avenue
                     Los Angeles, CA  90017
                     Fax: 213-680-3677

                                      -2-




                  with a copy to:

                     Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
                     355 South Grand Avenue
                     Los Angeles, CA  90071
                     Attn: R. Gregory Morgan
                     Fax:  (213) 687-3702

      2.2 Headings. The headings contained in this Agreement are for reference
purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of
this Agreement.

      2.3 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is
invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public
policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless
remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of
the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially
adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision
is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall
negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original
intent of the parties as closely as possible to the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law in an acceptable manner to the end that the provisions hereof are
fulfilled to the extent possible.

      2.4 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the Merger Agreement
and the other agreements contemplated thereby, constitute the entire agreement
of the parties and supersedes all prior agreements and undertakings, both
written and oral, between the parties, or any of them, with respect to the
subject matter hereof.

      2.5 Certain Events. Shareholder agrees that this Agreement and the
obligations hereunder shall be binding upon any person to which legal or
beneficial ownership (as such term is applied under Rule 13d-3 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of the Shares shall pass, whether by operation
of law or otherwise. Notwithstanding any transfer of Shares, the transferor
shall remain liable for the performance of all obligations under this Agreement
of the transferor.

      2.6 Assignment. This Agreement shall not be assigned by operation of law
or otherwise.

      2.7 Parties in Interest. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure
solely to the benefit of each party hereto, and nothing in this Agreement,
express or implied, intended to or shall confer upon any person any right,
benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.

      2.8 Specific Performance. The parties hereto agree that irreparable
damages would occur in the event any provision of this Agreement was not
performed in accordance with the terms hereof and that the parties shall be
entitled to specific performance of the terms hereof, in addition to any other
remedy at law or in equity.

      2.9 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in
accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to
principles of conflicts of laws.

      2.10 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, and
                                      -3-



by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when
executed shall be deemed to be an original but all of which, taken together,
shall constitute one and the same agreement.

      2.11 Termination. This Agreement shall terminate automatically immediately
upon termination of the Merger Agreement.





      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the
date first above written.

                                    GENERAL RE CORPORATION

                                    By: /s/ Ronald E. Ferguson
                                    --------------------------
                                          Ronald E. Ferguson
                                          Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

                                    /s/ Charles T. Munger
                                    ---------------------
                                     Charles T. Munger

EX-99

                                                                  EXHIBIT 99.4


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.                               General Re Corporation
1440 Kiewit Plaza                                     Financial Centre
Omaha, Nebraska  68131                                Stamford, Connecticut
06904

         BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. AND GENERAL RE CORPORATION TO MERGE

Omaha, Nebraska and Stamford, Connecticut, June 19, 1998 -- Berkshire Hathaway
Inc. and General Re Corporation announced today that they have reached a
definitive agreement to merge.

Under the agreement, General Re shareholders will have the option at closing of
accepting either 0.0035 Class A shares or 0.105 Class B shares of Berkshire. The
transaction is expected to be tax-free to General Re shareholders. Based on
Thursday's closing prices, the value of the consideration to be received by
General Re shareholders is approximately $276.50 per General Re share. The total
consideration for the transaction will be approximately $22 billion. The merger
will be accounted for by Berkshire as a purchase.

Pro forma for the transaction, Berkshire would have had GAAP net worth of
approximately $56 billion, as of March 31, 1998, the highest of any company in
the United States, and a market capitalization today of approximately $120
billion.

Ron Ferguson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Re, will join
Berkshire's Board of Directors. General Re will operate independently of
Berkshire's other insurance and reinsurance operations.

It is anticipated that the transaction, which is subject, among other things, to
regulatory approvals and the approvals of the two companies' shareholders, will
be completed in the fourth quarter.

Under the terms of the agreement, General Re has agreed to grant Berkshire
options to purchase, subject to certain terms, up to 19.9% of the outstanding
General Re shares at the transaction price, subject to a cash limit of 3% of the
aggregate consideration.

Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire, commented: "The merger will bring more
than $80,000 of investments to Berkshire for each Class A or Class A-equivalent
share issued. That's beneficial, being nearly double the existing level, or, put
another way, the merger brings more than $24 billion of additional investments
to Berkshire.

"But the main attraction of the merger is synergy, a word that heretofore has
never been used in listing the reasons for a Berkshire acquisition. In this
transaction, however, there are at least four areas of powerful synergy, which
Charles Munger, Berkshire's Vice Chairman, and I believe justify the premium
price that Berkshire is paying.

"First, this transaction removes constraints on earnings volatility that have
caused General Re, in the past, to decline certain attractive business and, in
other cases, to lay off substantial amounts of the business that it does write.
Because of both its status as a public company and its desire to maintain its
AAA credit rating, General Re has, understandably, been unable to operate in a
manner that could produce large swings in reported earnings. As part of
Berkshire, this constraint will disappear, which will enhance both General Re's
long-term profitability and its ability to write more business. Furthermore,
General Re will be free to reduce its reliance on the retrocessional market over
time, and thereby have substantial additional funds available for investment.




"Second, General Re has substantial opportunities to develop its global
reinsurance franchise. As part of Berkshire, General Re will be able to make
investments to grow its international business as quickly as it sees fit.

"Additionally, General Re will gain tax flexibility as a result of the merger.
In managing insurance investments, it is a distinct advantage to know that large
amounts of taxable income will consistently recur. Most insurance companies are
in no position to make this assumption. Any Berkshire insurance subsidiary can
fashion its investment strategy without worry as to the presence of taxable
income in the future due to Berkshire's large and diverse streams of taxable
income.

"Finally, Berkshire's insurance subsidiaries never need to worry about having
abundant capital. Therefore, they can follow whatever asset strategy makes the
most sense, unconstrained by the effect on the capital of the Company of a sharp
market decline. Periodically, this flexibility has proven of enormous advantage
to Berkshire's insurance subsidiaries.

"These synergies will be coupled with General Re's pristine worldwide
reputation, long-standing client relationships and powerful underwriting, risk
management and distribution capabilities. This combination virtually assures
both Berkshire and General Re shareholders that they will have a better future
than if the two companies operated separately."

Ron Ferguson stated: "I am very enthusiastic about our merger with Berkshire.
The combined entity is a unique and extraordinary business model that provides
us with the long-term commitment, the financial resources and the optimal
platform to serve our clients and, thus, grow our franchise. General Re's future
has never been brighter."

                               * * * * * * * *

Berkshire is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of
diverse business activities. The most important of these is the property and
casualty insurance business conducted on both a direct and reinsurance basis
through a number of subsidiaries.

                               * * * * * * * *

General Re Corporation is a holding company for global reinsurance and related
risk management operations. It owns General Reinsurance Corporation and National
Reinsurance Corporation, the largest professional property/casualty reinsurance
group domiciled in the United States, and also holds a controlling interest in
Kolnische Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG (Cologne Re), a major international
reinsurer. Together, General Re and Cologne Re transact reinsurance business as
"General & Cologne Re".

In addition, General Re writes excess and surplus lines insurance through
General Star Management Company, provides alternative risk solutions through
Genesis Underwriting Management Company, provides reinsurance brokerage services
through Herbert Clough, Inc., manages aviation insurance risks through United
States Aviation Underwriters, Inc., and acts as a business development
consultant and reinsurance intermediary through Ardent Risk Services, Inc.
General Re also operates as a dealer in the swap and derivatives market through
General Re Financial Products Corporation, and provides specialized investment
services to the insurance industry through General Re-New England Asset
Management, Inc.

                               * * * * * * * *

This press release contains forward looking statements with respect to
management beliefs about the financial condition, results of operations and
business of Berkshire and General Re after the merger, including statements
relating to the: (a) benefits of removing constraints on General Re's earnings
volatility, (b) growth of General Re's international business, (c) potential
benefits to General Re from greater tax flexibility, (d) benefits of an
unconstrained investment strategy, and (e) increased returns on General Re's




investments. These forward looking statements involve certain risks and
uncertainties, including the various risks and uncertainties described in
General Re's 1997 Form 10-K and first quarter 1998 Form 10-Q. Factors that may
cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such
forward looking statements also include, among others, the following
possibilities: (a) General Re's underwriting experience deteriorates, (b)
General Re's investment returns are less than expected, and (c) General Re's
premium growth is less than expected.

For additional information, please contact:

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.                   General Re Corporation

Marc Hamburg     402.346.1400             Kate Stallfort 203.328.5780
                                          Deborah Nelson 203.328.6448