Business Moves

Aon

Aon Corp. stockholders voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposal to approve the previously announced change in corporate domicile of the parent company of the Aon group of companies from Delaware to the United Kingdom at a special stockholder meeting held on March 16.

The company said that 98 percent of the votes cast by stockholders were for the approval of the proposed transaction, representing more than 82 percent of the total outstanding voting stock of Aon Corp.

The company said it expects the transaction to close on or around April 2, 2012, subject to satisfaction of certain regulatory approvals and other closing conditions set forth in the merger agreement.

Arthur J. Gallagher, Wischmeyer Benefit Partners

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Wischmeyer Benefit Partners in Dallas, Texas. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1988, Wischmeyer Benefit Partners (WBP) offers a range of employee benefit consultation and insurance brokerage services for corporate, executive and individual clients throughout the southern United States. The firm specializes in group medical, dental, life, disability and long term care insurance programs.

Mark Wischmeyer and his associates will continue to operate in their current location under the direction of John Neumaier, South Central regional executive vice president of Gallagher’s employee benefit consulting and brokerage operations.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Ill.

SUNZ Insurance

Florida-based SUNZ Insurance received its certificate of authority to begin offering workers’ compensation coverage in Oklahoma.

SUNZ, which specializes in underwriting workers’ compensation policies for professional employer organizations (PEOs) and staffing companies, said it expects the expansion into Oklahoma to attract new clients and to support growth of existing clients in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri.

Established in 2005 as a single-state insurer, SUNZ has expanded into 15 additional states covering the Southeastern United States. SUNZ expects to file to expand to an additional 10 states in 2012.

Palomar, Martin Grace

Palomar Insurance Corp., a Montgomery, Ala.-headquartered insurance brokerage, acquired Martin Grace Benefit Group Inc. in Birmingham.

Martin Grace is an employee benefit and insurance consulting firm.

Tony Craft, CEO of Palomar, said the acquisition is in keeping with his firm’s strategy of strengthening its employee benefit offerings.

Palomar, founded in 1954, has operations in Atlanta, as well as in Birmingham and Troy, Ala.

Norman-Spencer Agency

The Norman-Spencer Agency, based in Dayton, Ohio, is rebranding all of the agency’s property and casualty products to market them under the Norman-Spencer Agency brand.

During the past five years, Norman-Spencer has made several acquisitions in the marine, construction, professional liability and specialty areas, including Western Marine Insurance Services, JC Stevens and Crane Insurance Solutions. These companies and their products now will be marketed under the Norman-Spencer Agency brand.

The Marine Insurance Services division of Norman-Spencer will offer proprietary products such as the AquaPac Boat/Yacht Insurance Program and an exclusive package program for boat dealers and marinas.

In the construction industry market, JC Stevens and Crane Insurance Solutions and their products designed for the crane and boom truck industry will now operate as Norman-Spencer Agency.

Arthur J. Gallagher, Human Resource Management Systems

Insurance broker and risk management services firm Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Human Resource Management Systems LLC (HRMS) in Naperville, Ill. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Established in 1997, HRMS is an employee benefit insurance broker that offers a range of group employee benefit products and consulting services to their clients throughout the United States. The firm specializes in group health, life, long and short term disability, dental, retirement planning, human resource services and program administration.

Dan Rigby and his associates will continue to operate in their current location under the direction of William Ziebell, North Central regional executive vice president of Gallagher’s employee benefit consulting and brokerage operations.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is headquartered in Itasca, Ill.

Topics USA A.J. Gallagher Aon