Business Moves

Kemper Corp.

Kemper Corp. is realigning its property/casualty business. This realignment will result in one property/casualty segment for financial reporting purposes, beginning with the first quarter 2014.

The new Kemper property/casualty segment will consist of the following:

• Kemper Personal and Commercial Lines, which will include private passenger and commercial auto, home and other lines;
• Kemper Specialty California, which will focus on Kemper’s largest non-standard private passenger auto market;
• Kemper Direct, operating in run-off mode; and
• Shared services, which will support the property/casualty segment, including legal, claims, technology, human resources, project management and finance.

Denise Lynch, Kemper’s Property & Casualty Group executive, will continue to lead the new segment. Reporting directly to Lynch will be Brian Delfino, Kemper Personal and Commercial Lines general manager, Tim Bruns, Kemper Specialty California general manager, as well as the general managers of Kemper Direct and the shared services functional leaders. Additionally, Pete Hansen will become senior vice president for property & casualty claims.

Andrea James, Kemper Preferred’s president for the past year, left the company effective Feb. 14.

Marsh & McLennan, Barney & Barney, The Bond Network

Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC has acquired San Diego, Calif.-based Barney & Barney LLC. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Barney & Barney is a provider of insurance, risk management and employee benefits to businesses and individuals. The firm has a reported annual revenue of $100 million and 500 employees, all of whom will join MMA.

Barney & Barney will serve as MMA’s Western regional hub under the leadership of Barney & Barney CEO Paul Hering.

MMA, a subsidiary of Marsh, was established in 2008 to meet the needs of midsize businesses in the U.S. MMA, which has acquired numerous agencies since its founding, said Barney & Barney is its largest acquisition.

In a separate announcement, MMA said it has acquired The Bond Network, a surety bonding agency based in Charlotte, N.C. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1985 by H. Thomas Dawkins, The Bond Network generates $1.1 million in annual revenue and offers commercial, contract, and special risk surety bonds to private contractors throughout The Carolinas. Dawkins and the rest of the agency will operate out of MMA’s mid-Atlantic region.

McGowan, Klein Insurance Services

The McGowan Cos., based in Fairview Park, Ohio, has purchased the assets of Klein Insurance Services Inc. in Montclair, N.J. KIS will operate under the McGowan Program Administrators brand.

Established in 1991, KIS provides property and umbrella insurance programs to the hospitality industry. The McGowan Cos. said KIS fits well with McGowan’s growth strategy in the hospitality segment.

KIS assets in New Jersey will form the heart of McGowan’s new “MPA – Hospitality” division.

Blackmoor, Connecticut Underwriters

Blackmoor General Agency of Horsham, Pa., has acquired the Pennsylvania branch of Connecticut Underwriters, an independent excess and surplus lines broker in Middletown, Conn. The business and staff of the Pennsylvania office of Connecticut Underwriters will be transferred to Blackmoor.

Blackmoor said it will accept all new and renewal businesses previously placed through Connecticut Underwriters’ Pennsylvania office, with no interruption of service. Blackmoor General Insurance Agency is an MGA/wholesale broker, with offices in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

NSM Insurance Group, PUA

NSM Insurance Group acquired Professional Underwriters Agency Inc., a managing general agent specializing in professional liability, located in Oak Brook, Ill.

PUA was founded more than 30 years ago as a professional liability market for architects and engineers.

NSM Insurance Group underwrites more than 20 admitted and non-admitted insurance programs nationally in specific niche markets such as collector cars, coastal condominium associations, social service, hospitality, professional liability for lawyers and dentists, construction and workers’ compensation.

NSM Insurance Group operates from nine offices across the country in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Arizona and California, and is aggressively seeking to acquire additional program managers and niche specific insurance businesses.

Guarantee Insurance Co.

Guarantee Insurance Co., a monoline workers’ compensation insurance subsidiary of Florida-based Patriot National Insurance Group Inc., is expanding into Texas.

Patriot National said the addition of Texas increases Guarantee’s presence in the Midwestern states and further supports the company’s expansion plan throughout the United States.

Guarantee said it has always been focused on building dedicated agency relationships and providing workers’ compensation solutions to insurance buyers.

AssuredPartners, AirSure

AssuredPartners Inc. has completed the acquisition of Golden, Colo.-based AirSure Limited LLC.

AirSure specializes in insurance coverage, employee benefits and risk management services for businesses in the aviation industry, including commercial operations, corporate aircraft services and helicopters. AirSure Limited reports revenues of roughly $13 million.

AirSure has additional operations in Plano, Texas. The acquisition marks Lake Mary, Fla.-based AssuredPartners’ entrance into the Colorado and Texas markets. As part of the acquisition, 35 AirSure Limited employees will join AssuredPartners.

Operations will continue out of the Golden, Colo. and Plano, Texas office locations, under the local leadership of Bill Behan, CEO of AirSure.

AirSure will become the eighth AssuredPartners platform entity, joining Neace Lukens, headquartered in Louisville, Ky.; SKCG, headquartered in White Plains, N.Y.; Jamison, headquartered in West Orange, N.J.; Dawson Cos., headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio; SRA, headquartered in Kansas City, Kan.; AHM, headquartered in St. Louis, Mo.; and Commercial Insurance Services, headquartered in Charleston, W. Va.

AssuredPartners Inc. is a portfolio company of Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR. It acquires and invests in insurance brokerage businesses, including property/casualty, employee benefits, surety, and managing general agents and wholesalers.

Universal P&C

Florida-based Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Co. has applied to expand into Indiana, Minnesota and Delaware.

UPCIC is one of the leading writers of homeowners insurance in Florida and a fully licensed operator in North Carolina, South Carolina, Hawaii, Georgia, Massachusetts and Maryland.

“Geographic diversification comprises a core component of our strategy to drive growth and increase shareholder value. By leveraging our experience as a leading writer of homeowners insurance in Florida, we have extended UPCIC’s footprint and profitable business model to seven markets in total over the past five years,” said Sean P. Downes, the chairman, president and CEO.

“We believe this is an opportune time to seek entry into new markets,” Downes said.

Program Brokerage Corp., Sirles

Program Brokerage Corp., a wholesale subsidiary of insurance broker Hub International Limited, said it has acquired the assets of Sirles Insurance Group Inc., a South Carolina-based commercial insurance brokerage firm. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

In connection with this acquisition, David H. Sirles, president and CEO of Sirles, will be joining PBC as a vice president, reporting to Scott Bell, senior vice president, according to the announcement.

Founded in 2003, Sirles offers property/casualty insurance with a niche in serving the pest control, lawn care and artisan contracting industries.

This acquisition represents the expansion of PBC’s footprint into the Southeastern U.S. and will strengthen its existing pest control and lawn care programs, the company said. Program Brokerage Corp. is the endorsed insurance brokerage for the National Pest Management Association.

Leavitt Group

The Leavitt Group has merged five of its agencies in southern Utah and Nevada.

The merger includes Dixie Leavitt Agency, Hunt-Leavitt Insurance Agency, Leavitt Group Benefits Services of Southern Utah, Bringhurst-Leavitt Insurance Agency and Valley-Leavitt Insurance Agency.

The combined agency’s managing principal is Adam Christensen, and the agency will rebrand as Leavitt Group Insurance. All seven offices will remain in their same locations with the same phone numbers.

The merger will not affect current accounts, and clients will continue to work with those service representatives with whom they are familiar, according to an announcement.

The Utah offices included in the merger are in: Cedar City; St. George; Hurricane; and Kanab. The Nevada offices included in the merger are in: Ely; Mesquite; and Overton.

The Leavitt Group insurance agencies account for more than 125 offices in 15 states.

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