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PacWest Alliance, Shaw Group
The Shaw Group of Eureka, Calif., and its affiliates: Anderson, Robinson & Starkey Inc.; Shaw & Petersen Insurance Inc.; PS Insurance Inc. dba Shaw Insurance Services; and Harbers Insurance Agency Inc. are the newest members to join PacWest Alliance Insurance Services Inc.
PacWest Alliance Insurance Services Inc. is a California-based insurance cluster that provides a managed environment for its members to maximize growth and profit while maintaining complete independence and ownership.
PacWest Alliance represents more than $160 million in written premium and provides Personal & Business Insurance protection for its 50,000-plus clients.
Steve Brooks, Tri County
Steve Brooks, president of Steve Brooks Insurance Services based in Westlake Village, Calif., and Eric Bossuk, president of Tri County Insurance based in Calabasas, Calif., announced that the two companies have merged.
Bossuk will serve as CEO and chairman of the new company, and Brooks will be president. The merged company plans to announce a name change in the near future.
“Through this merger, increased options will be made available to our more than 12,000 clients. Together we will add at least five new insurers,” Bossuk said.
As part of the merger, Brooks and Bossuk are creating a financial services division that will provide health, life, disability and retirement products.
Tri County Insurance has served greater Los Angeles in the areas of auto, home, property, business, life and health insurance since 1989. It is one of only eight agencies in California recognized as a Best Practices Agency by the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America.
Steve Brooks Insurance Services has been named one of the fastest growing companies in the Tri-County areas of Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara. Steve Brooks Insurance Services was also named one of the Top Ten Insurance Brokers in the region for the past two years.
Lawson-Hawks, J6 Insurance Services
Mountain View, Calif.-based Lawson-Hawks Insurance Associates Inc., a regional independent insurance broker, acquired J6 Insurance Services Inc. of Rocklin, Calif., in an asset purchase arrangement. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
John Miller, CEO of Lawson Hawks Insurance, said, “While we have extended our Sacramento presence greatly in the last five years, the acquisition of J6 provides us not only with a formidable addition to our current construction and environmental risk management practice groups, but brings to LHI some very experienced and knowledgeable professional staff and brokers.”
Steve Jordan, President and CEO of J6, said he expects the acquisition to help “to substantially increase our program and affinity placement and servicing capabilities, while attracting larger middle-market client affiliations.”
Western Security Surplus
Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers (WSS) announced that it consolidated its brokerage division and headquarters into one location in Pasadena, Calif. The new address is: Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers Inc., 251 South Lake Avenue, Suite 520, Pasadena, CA 91101. Phone and fax remain the same. Web site: www.wssib.com.
Aon Risk, Allied North America
Aon Risk Services, the risk management and insurance brokerage business of Aon Corp., said it has agreed to acquire Allied North America, one of the largest independent surety and construction insurance brokerage firms in the United States. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Bill Marino,chairman of Allied, will assume the role of president of Aon’s global construction business and vice chairman of Aon Construction Services Group, post-acquisition.
Steve McGill, chairman and CEO of Aon Risk Services, said the deal “reinforces” Aon’s already-strong position in the construction sector.
“Through the increased broking capability provided by Allied North America, we are enhancing our global construction powerhouse as well as our abilities to better serve our clients and grow our business around the world,” added Gregory C. Case, president and CEO of Aon Corp.
A.M. Best deemed Aon the No. 1 insurance broker based on brokerage revenues in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
The parties said that their combination will result in a construction entity with more than $3 billion in premium volume and 750 construction experts in more than 26 offices globally. They said the new partnership can boast more than 3,000 contractors and project owners, with a retention rate of 97 percent, and will offer products across all major lines including in public-private partnerships, builders’ risk, residential, and technical services.
Allied North America is based in Jericho, N.Y. It was founded in 1979 with a focus on the construction sector. With more than $850 million in property/casualty premiums in 2008, it ranks seventh in Insurance Journal’s list of top privately held independent insurance agencies.