2009 P/C Insurance Mergers, Acquisitions Large and Small

December 20, 2009

Large insurers AIG, Farmers and The Hartford made moves in 2009, as did large brokers Marsh, Aon, Willis, Gallagher, Brown & Brown, Hub and Wells Fargo. So, too, did, many regional insurers and Main Street agencies. Here are the headlines as of Dec. 15 from the year’s U.S. property/casualty mergers and business moves.
Brown & Brown Inc., Preferred Insurance
Florida-based Brown & Brown Inc. has acquired the assets of Phoenix, Ariz.-based Preferred Insurance Services LLC, with annual revenues of approximately $1.3 million.

January
Brown & Brown, Gallagher Associates
January 5, 2009
Florida-based insurance agency Brown & Brown, Inc. has purchased the assets of Gallagher Associates in Blackwood, New Jersey. Gallagher, with revenues of $2 million, sells in southern New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Monarch, Bishop Agency
January 5, 2009
Monarch Insurance Services Inc., a 26 year-old Hawaii-based company, has purchased Bishop Insurance Agency, a division of American Savings Bank.

HCC, VMGU Insurance
January 6, 2009
Houston-based specialty insurer HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. has acquired VMGU Insurance Agency, an underwriter of the lumber, building materials, forest products and woodworking industries. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Auto Insurance Specialists, Mercury General
January 7, 2009
Aon Corp. has completed the sale of AIS Management, LLC, the parent company of Auto Insurance Specialists, LLC, to Mercury General Corp. Aon received $120 million in cash. AIS is an independent broker and major producer of automobile insurance in California. It reported $400 million in premiums written during 2007.

KPD Agency, Jones Kendall Sauer
January 8, 2009
KPD, an Oregon based insurance and risk management company, has merged with Portland’s Jones Kendall Sauer. KPD has offices in Portland and Springfield, Ore.

FCCI, Brierfield
January 8, 2009
FCCI Insurance Group (FCCI), a Sarasota, Florida-based commercial property and casualty insurer writing in excess of $500 million written premium in 14 states, has purchased Mississippi Insurance Managers. The transaction gives FCCI the remaining 20 percent of Brierfield Insurance Co., a P/C carrier with offices in Jackson, Mississippi.

AFCO Credit, Cananwill (Aon)
January 9, 2009
AFCO Credit Corp. will buy the domestic operations and assets of the premium finance business of Cananwill from Aon Corp. AFCO is a subsidiary of Branch Banking and Trust Co., the of Winston-Salem, N.C.

Markel, Child Welfare Insurance Services
January 14, 2009
Markel Insurance Co. has acquired the property and casualty insurance renewal rights of Child Welfare Insurance Services effective Dec. 31, 2008. Child Welfare Insurance Services has been a producing broker for Markel since 2000.

Colt Park, Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle
January 21, 2009
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle Inc. has merged with Colt Park Insurance Agency of Brighton, Mich.

Bankers Insurance, HVWM Group
January 22, 2009
Bankers Insurance, LLC has acquired the Hutton Vincent Williamson McLean Insurance Group, based in Asheville, N.C.

Diablo Valley Insurance, Gingrich Insurance
January 29, 2009
Diablo Valley Insurance Agency Inc. of Walnut Creek, Calif., acquired the assets of Gingrich Insurance Brokers of Orinda, Calif., which has annual revenues of $900,000.

February
EPIC, VRT Insurance Services
February 2, 2009
EPIC (Edgewood Partners Insurance Center) has agreed to acquire substantially all the assets of VRT Insurance Services Inc. VRT Insurance Services Inc. is owned by David Alvarado, its key producers and Belvedere Capital, a private equity firm based in San Francisco. The firm specializes in construction, real estate, information technology and municipalities.

Tower Group, CastlePoint Holdings
February 5, 2009
Tower Group Inc. has completed its acquisition of CastlePoint Holdings Ltd. in a transaction valued at $531 million based on Tower’s current market price. The additional capital from CastlePoint will support the growth of Tower’s primary insurance business, organically and through acquisitions. The combined gross premiums written are projected to be in a range between $1.1 and $1.2 billion for 2009.

State Auto Mutual, Rockhill
February 10, 2009
State Automobile Mutual Insurance Co. of Columbus, Ohio, has completed its purchase of Rockhill Insurance Group of Kansas City, Mo. Rockhill writes $120 million in specialty property and casualty premium through four subsidiaries.

PGI Commercial, Underwriters & Brokers
February 11, 2009
Bermuda-based PGI Commercial has acquired the assets of Underwriters & Brokers, Inc. of Troy, Michigan. PGIC said it will merge the firm with its existing Michigan office.

Beazley, The Hartford’s First State
February 17, 2009
London-based insurer and reinsurer Beazley Group is acquiring Boston-based First State Management Group, an underwriting manager specializing in excess and surplus lines commercial property insurance, for $35.4 million in cash. First State is a subsidiary of The Hartford Financial Service Group. The acquisition will significantly increase Beazley’s presence as an insurer of mid-sized U.S. commercial property business that does not normally come to Lloyd’s. First State underwrites about $150 million of gross premium a year.

Unitrin, Direct Response
February 18, 2009
Trinity Universal Insurance Co., a Unitrin, Inc. subsidiary, has completed its acquisition of Direct Response Corp. and its subsidiaries in a cash transaction valued at approximately $200 million. Conn.-based Direct Response sells personal automobile insurance directly to consumers under both the Response Insurance and Teachers Insurance Plan brands. It recorded premiums of about $156 million.

March
Brown & Brown, One Source of Indiana
March 3, 2009
Giant insurance broker Brown & Brown Inc. has acquired an Indiana-based agency with $1.3 million in revenues, One Source Insurance, Inc. of Noblesville.

AmWINS, American Stop Loss, Health Benefit Solutions, National Insurance Wholesalers
March 5, 2009
Charlotte, North Carolina-based wholesale brokerage AmWINS Group, Inc. has acquired three medical stop loss wholesalers in three separate regions. The firms acquired are American Stop Loss Insurance of Worcester, Mass.; Brokerage Services, Health Benefit Solutions of Benicia, Calif.; and Insurance and National Insurance Wholesalers of Houston, Texas.

Ascension, Bartlett Agency
March 5, 2009
Kansas City-headquartered Ascension Insurance, Inc. has acquired Dennis Bartlett agency of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Bartlett agency specializes in medical malpractice coverage and will join Employers Mutual, Inc., a member of the Ascension group of companies based in Stuart, Florida.

Insurance Specialty, Wastepac
March 12, 2009
Atlanta-based Insurance Specialty Group LLC has acquired Wastepac, a provider of insurance coverage to the waste hauling and sanitation industry. Wastepac will continue to operate under its own brand as part of Insurance Specialty Group.

April
Munich Re, Hartford Steam Boiler (AIG)
April 2, 2009
Munich Re successfully concluded the acquisition of specialty insurer HSB Group from U.S. insurer American International Group for $739 million (?555 million). The deal was originally announced last December.

Auto Club Insurance in Michigan, MEEMIC
April 3, 2009
Auto Club Insurance Association, a Dearborn, Mich.-based insurer, has acquired MEEMIC Insurance Co. and its insurance agency affiliate, MEEMIC Insurance Services Corp., which sell to Michigan educators. ACIA offers personal lines insurance through 725 captive and 1,000 independent agents.

Guy Carpenter, John B. Collins Associates
April 9, 2009
Guy Carpenter & Co. LLC completed the acquisition of John B. Collins Associates Inc., the fifth largest reinsurance intermediary in the U.S. and seventh largest in the world.

Key & Piskuran Insurance, Higginbotham Co.
April 15, 2009
Key & Piskuran Insurance Agency LLC, a commercial property/casualty insurance broker in Arlington, Texas, has joined forces with Higginbotham & Associates, a Fort Worth-based broker with statewide operations. Key & Piskuran, which primarily serves public entities, will expand its practice by accessing Higginbotham’s employee benefits capabilities.

Fortegra, Bliss & Glennon (Willis HRH)
April 16, 2009
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Fortegra Financial Corp. has completed the acquisition of Bliss & Glennon Inc. from Willis HRH Inc. Willis said the wholesale unit did not fit with its focus on retail brokerage.

Wells Fargo, North Coast Surety
April 23, 2009
Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc. has acquired the assets of North Coast Surety Insurance Services and North Coast Surety Technologies. Based in Novato, Calif., North Coast has provided surety bonds for public works contractors since 1994.

Phenix Mutual, Motorists
April 28, 2009
Concord, New Hampshire-based Phenix Mutual Fire Insurance Co. will become an affiliate of The Motorists Insurance Group. Phenix, which operates in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and South Carolina, had $26.5 million in written premium last year.

Hub International Florida, ABCO
April 29, 2009
Hub International Limited is selling Hub International Florida, including wholesaler ABCO Insurance Underwriters, ABCO Premium Finance, and a specialized commercial lines book of business, to Hector Fortun, the former owner of the brokerage that Hub bought in 2006. Hub will retain its personal lines business in Florida.

May
City National Bank, Patton, Dickens & Clark
May 5, 2009
Charleston, West Virginia-based City National Bank and its insurance division, CityInsurance Professionals, have acquired two local insurance agencies: the Patton Insurance Agency in Nitro and the Dickens & Clark Insurance in Teays Valley.

Bollinger, Gail Steinberg & Co.
May 7, 2009
New Jersey-based insurance brokerage Bollinger Inc. has acquired Gail Steinberg & Co. Inc. of New York, New York, which provides employee benefits products to small and mid-sized companies. The firm will relocate to Bollinger’s office in Manhattan.

Arthur J. Gallagher, Sellers Group
May 11, 2009
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired the Sellers Group LLC, an employee benefit broker in The Woodlands, Texas.

Brown & Brown, Irving Weber Associates
May 12, 2009
Brown & Brown, Inc. has agreed to acquire a Long Island-based insurance agency, Irving Weber and Associates. With revenues of $4 million, Irving Weber specializes in in the fabricare industry.

DCAP, Commercial Mutual Insurance Co.
May 14, 2009
DCAP Group Inc. is ditching its franchise insurance business as part of a move to exit the retail insurance business and become a property/casualty insurer. New York State approved a plan to convert Kingston, New York-based Commercial Mutual Insurance Co. to a stock company that will be 100 percent owned by DCAP. In April, DCAP sold its 16-location brokerage business in New York, and began seeking a buyer for its Atlantic Agency in Pennsylvania. DCAP said the New York agencies — operating as Barry Scott Agency and DCAP Accurate Agency — were sold to NII BSA LLC of Montvale, New Jersey for around book value.

Arthur J. Gallagher, Nourse
May 19, 2009
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Nourse Insurance Brokers Inc. in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Northeast Bank, Goodrich Associates
May 20, 2009
Northeast Bank Insurance Group has expanded its presence in Southern Maine, adding Goodrich Insurance Associates of Berwick to the list of eight agencies it has acquired.

Hub International, Rettenmier Benefits Group
May 27, 2009
Hub International Ltd.’s Northwest operating unit has acquired the assets of Rettenmier Benefits Group Inc., in Everett, Wash.

June
Palisades, NBIC
June 3, 2009
Palisades Safety and Insurance Management Corp. and Narragansett Bay Insurance Co. have entered into an agreement allowing NBIC to offer coastal home insurance renewal quotes to former customers of Proformance Insurance Co., which Palisades acquired last year.

Wells Fargo, Grady & Associates
June 4, 2009
Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc., part of Wells Fargo & Co., agreed to acquire Grady & Associates, a single office, retail insurance broker in Las Vegas.

Universal Insurance Holdings, ICAT
June 8, 2009
Universal Insurance Holdings of North America completed its purchase of the residential named hurricane program and business in Hawaii from ICAT Specialty Insurance Co. (ISIC) of Boulder, Colorado. ISIC’s Florida commercial business will be transitioned on renewal from ISIC to ICAT’s Lloyd’s of London Syndicate 4242.

Keystone, East Coast Risk Management
June 9, 2009
Pennsylvania-based franchisor Keystone Insurers Group has purchased an equity interest in East Coast Risk Management in North Huntington, Pa., in a deal that will provide the group’s franchised locations with an expanded suite of services.

Arthur J. Gallagher, Taylor Insurance Agency
June 10, 2009
Illinois-based international insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Walker Taylor Agency of Wilmington, North Carolina, a retail broker specializing in life sciences, technology, coastal property and other complex casualty business.

ProMutual, FinCor
June 10, 2009
Massachusetts-based Medical Professional Mutual Insurance Co., known as ProMutual, will acquire medical liability insurer FinCor and its five subsidiaries.

AIU, Transatlantic Holdings
June 11, 2009
AIU Holdings, Inc. sold a portion of its investment in Transatlantic Holdings, Inc, receiving cash of approximately $500 million. AIU said the transaction demonstrates progress toward the sale of AIU Holdings’ interests in TRH, and advances its strategy to sell non-core, affiliated investments.

Monterey, John O. Bronson Co.
June 12, 2009
Monterey Insurance Agencies of Monterey, Calif., has merged with John. O. Bronson Co., an independent insurance agency founded in 1888.

Tower Group, Specialty Underwriters
June 22, 2009
New York-based Tower Group, Inc. has agreed to purchase Illinois-based specialty insurer Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance, Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $107 million.

Ascension, Renaissance Agencies, Portal Group, Personal Insurance Administrators
June 23, 2009
Kansas City, Mo.-based Ascension Insurance Inc. is acquiring three insurance agencies in California. The companies include Renaissance Agencies Inc. of Santa Monica, Calif.; Portal Group Holdings Inc. of Walnut Creek, Calif.; and Personal Insurance Administrators Inc. of Agoura Hills, Calif.

Lawson-Hawks, Truckee Insurance
June 25, 2009
Mountain View, Calif.-based Lawson-Hawks Insurance Associates Inc., a regional independent insurance in Mountain View, Calif., has acquired Truckee, California Insurance Agency.

Apex Global, Corrigan Jordan
June 29, 2009
Dallas-based Apex Global Partners has acquired the Corrigan Jordan Insurance Agency, a privately owned insurance and risk management brokerage also headquartered in Dallas.

July
AIG, 21st Century, Farmers
July 1, 2009
American International Group, Inc. has closed the sale of 21st Century Insurance Group, its U.S. personal auto insurance business, to Farmers Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Zurich, for $1.9 billion. Farmers Group also assumed 21st Century’s outstanding debt of $100 million. The deal includes 18 insurance companies and 10 related non-insurance entities.

American Safety, Victore
July 2, 2009
Bermuda-based American Safety Insurance Holdings Ltd. reported that its American Safety Casualty Insurance Co. subsidiary has acquired, for cash, Victore Insurance Co., an Oklahoma surety bond provider.

Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle, Robco
July 7, 2009
Orange, Calif-based Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle Business and Insurance Solutions has acquired Robco Insurance Services Inc. located in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Focus, Capacity Insurance in Florida
July 8, 2009
Focus Holdings, LLC in Sunrise, Florida, closed on its acquisition of Capacity Insurance Co. , a Florida domestic commercial lines insurer. Focus is also known by the name of its subsidiary, MacNeill Group, Inc.

Ameriana, Chapin-Hayworth
July 9, 2009
Ameriana Bancorp’s subsidiary, Ameriana Insurance Agency, has acquired Chapin-Hayworth Insurance Agency Inc., a property/casualty insurance agency in New Castle, Ind.

Ascension, Haas & Dodd
July 15, 2009
Missouri-based Ascension Insurance, Inc. has acquired Haas & Dodd Insurance, Inc. of Atlanta, Ga. It is Ascension’s second acquisition in the Atlanta market.

Burns & Wilcox, Cambridge General
July 29, 2009
Farmington Hills, Mich.-based wholesaler Burns & Wilcox has completed a transaction with Cambridge General Agency and has assumed its book of insurance business. In addition, Burns & Wilcox hired a number of Cambridge’s employees.

FPIC, Advocate, MD
July 31, 2009
Jacksonville, Florida-based medical liability insurer FPIC Insurance Group Inc. will acquire Advocate, MD Financial Group Inc. of Austin, Texas for $33.6 million. With $25.4 million in premiums, Advocate, MD is the fourth largest liability insurer in Texas.

August
Arthur J. Gallagher, Gresham
August 4, 2009
National insurance brokerage Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired two New England offices of Atlanta-based Gresham & Associates Inc. for an undisclosed sum. The offices — which are in Portland, Maine and Cranston, Rhode Island — are wholesale insurance brokerages for the Northeast.

UMB, Chapman-Sander
August 7, 2009
UMB Financial Corp. affiliate UMB Scout Insurance Services Inc. is acquiring Chapman-Sander, an agency in St. Louis, Mo., in an all-cash deal.

Demetriou, H. Al Roth
August 13, 2009
New York-based Demetriou General Agency Inc. has acquired H. Al Roth Agency in Manhattan for an undisclosed sum. Demetriou said two other acquisitions are being concluded.

First Horizon, Sandlin
August 27, 2009
First Horizon Insurance Group, Inc., a subsidiary of First Tennessee Bank, agreed to acquire the insurance business of Sandlin Insurance Agency in Germantown, Tennessee.

AmTrust, CyberComp (Swiss Re)
August 27, 2009
New York-based AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. has agreed to acquire CyberComp, the Internet workers’ compensation unit of Swiss Re, in a renewal rights transaction. CyberComp distributes through 13 regional wholesale agencies and 600 retail agencies. Its written premium totals about $100 million.

Brown & Brown, Roussel Agency
August 31, 2009
Florida-based insurance agency Brown & Brown has acquired the group employee benefits division of Roussel & Associates of Brentwood, Tennessee, which has revenues of $1.7 million.

September
Markel International, Elliott Special Risks
September 1, 2009
Markel International has agreed to acquire Elliott Special Risks, a managing general agent in Canada from Newport Partners Income Fund.

McQueary Henry Bowles, Holmes Murphy
September 4, 2009
Dallas, Texas-based McQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP and the Texas division of Holmes Murphy & Associates will merge to form a new entity known as MHBT Holmes Murphy.

AmWINS, Willis HRH
September 9, 2009
Charlotte, North Carolina-based national wholesale insurance broker AmWINS Group, Inc. has acquired The Managing Agency Group- Employee Benefits, a division of insurance broker Willis HRH.

Hunter Agency, Loiselle Agency
September 11, 2009
Two Rhode Island insurance agencies– Hunter Insurance and Loiselle Insurance Agency– have created the Trusted Insurance Alliance and are seeking other independent agencies to join.

Zephyr, Kingsway
September 11, 2009
Toronto-based Kingsway Financial Services Inc. has agreed to sell Zephyr Insurance Co., Inc. to Zephyr Acquisition Co., an acquisition vehicle of Ocean Harbor Holding Inc. and MP Holdings LLC, a Hawaiian based investor group. Zephyr insures Hawaii homeowners against catastrophic loss due to hurricanes.

BB&T Insurance, Oswald Trippe Agency
November 3, 2009
Raleigh, North Carolina-based BB&T Insurance Services has expanded its southwest Florida operation with the acquisition of Oswald Trippe and Co. Inc. of Fort Myers.

QBE, CIGNA
September 16, 2009
New York-based QBE has acquired the CIGNA special risk, student and sports accident insurance book of business. QBE is retaining CIGNA’s current managing general agents and third party administrators.

Marsh, International Advisory Services Ltd.
September 18, 2009
Marsh Inc. has completed the acquisition of International Advisory Services Ltd. (IAS), the largest independent manager of captive insurance companies in Bermuda.

Norfolk & Dedham, Rockingham
Two East Coast-based mutual insurance companies have formed a mutual alliance that they say allows them to achieve efficiencies and spread of risk without actually merging their companies. The companies are Norfolk & Dedham Group in Massachusetts and the Rockingham Group in New York.

October
The NIA Group, J. Lindsay Fuller
October 1, 2009
New Jersey-based brokerage The NIA Group has acquired J. Lindsay Fuller, CLU Inc. and USC Administrative Services, an employee benefits operation based in Moorestown, New Jersey.

MeyersDining Insurance, CBIZ
October 1, 2009
Cleveland, Ohio-based employee benefits and accounting services firm CBIZ, Inc. has acquired MeyersDining, LLC, an insurance agency located in Boulder, Colorado that has 14 employees and recorded $2.3 million in revenue during the past 12 months.

Gallagher & Co., Fox Lawson & Associates
October 2, 2009
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Fox Lawson & Associates LLC in St. Paul, Minn., a compensation and human resources consulting firm.

Guy Carpenter, Rattner Mackenzie
October 5, 2009
Global reinsurance specialist Guy Carpenter & Co., LLC agreed to buy London-based reinsurance broker Rattner Mackenzie Limited from HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., in Houston, Texas.

Woodruff-Sawyer, Carpenter Moore
October 6, 2009
California insurance agency Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. has acquired the Western region direct practice of Carpenter Moore from NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. The business includes directors and officers insurance for more than 60 clients based primarily on the West coast.

Ebix, E-Z Data
October 6, 2009
Insurance software firm Ebix, Inc. has acquired California-based insurance agency software firm E-Z Data, Inc. for $50,350,000.

Aquiline, Conning (Swiss Re)
October 14, 2009
Private equity firm Aquiline Capital Partners LLC, which is run by Jeffrey Greenberg, has acquired insurance consulting and asset management provider Conning & Co. from Swiss Reinsurance Co. Ltd.

Tower Group, AequiCap
October 15, 2009
Insurer Tower Group, Inc. has acquired the renewal rights to the workers’ compensation business of AequiCap Program Administrators, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The business is expected to contribute approximately $40 million in premiums.

AmTrust, ACAC, GMAC P/C Insurance
October 21, 2009
AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. is making a $42.5 million investment in American Capital Acquisition Corp. in connection with the acquisition by ACAC of GMAC’s U.S. consumer property/ casualty insurance business.

William Gallagher, RPG Administrators
October 26, 2009
William Gallagher Associates has acquired RPG Insurance Administrators Inc. of Medfield, Massachusetts for an undisclosed sum. RPG specializes in risk management services to medium- and large-sized health care organizations.

Harleysville Mutual, Delta Lloyd
October 27, 2009
Pennsylvania-based Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co. will assume the book of flood business of Delta Lloyds Insurance Co. of Houston, Texas.

Gallagher, Triad Agency
October 27, 2009
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Triad Insurance Agency, Inc., in Honolulu, Hawaii from The Bank of Hawaii.

Aon, Carpenter Moore
October 27, 2009
Global insurance broker Aon Corp. has agreed to acquire Carpenter Moore Insurance Services, Inc., a provider of executive liability risk management services and a wholly owned subsidiary of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

Donegal Mutual, Southern Mutual
October 30, 2009
Pennsylvania-based Donegal Mutual Insurance Co. and Georgia-based Southern Mutual Insurance Co. have finalized an affiliation that brings Southern Mutual into Donegal’s insurance pool and gives the Georgia insurer additional products to sell.

November
Trillium, Geneva Insurance
November 5, 2009
Arizona-based Trillium Management Services Inc. will acquire Geneva Insurance Co. Inc. of Indianapolis, Ind., which sells personal automobile insurance with a concentration on nonstandard auto insurance in Indiana.

Hub International, Mones
November 9, 2009
Chicago-based insurance broker Hub International Limited has acquired Mones & Associates Insurance Brokers Inc., one of the largest insurance brokers in Canada from Aviva Canada Inc.

Dean & Draper, Wilco, Always Safe
November 12, 2009
Houston’s Dean & Draper Insurance Agency LP has acquired Wilco Insurance Agency Inc. and Always Safe Insurance Agency Inc. Combined, Wilco and Always Safe bring more than $10 million in premiums to Dean & Draper.

Marsh & McLennan, Insurance Alliance Texas
November 12, 2009
New York-based Marsh & McLennan Agency has acquired Insurance Alliance, one of the largest independent insurance agencies in Texas. Marsh said the transaction marks the first of a series of planned acquisitions. Houston-based Insurance Alliance has annual revenue of $15 million.

Arthur J. Gallagher, Shuford Insurance
November 23, 2009
International insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Shuford Insurance Agency, Inc. in Concord, North Carolina. The agency specializes in motorsports, construction and manufacturing and for personal lines coverage.

The Buckner Co., Flying J
November 24, 2009
Salt Lake City-based The Buckner Co. has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Flying J Insurance Services, which serves the trucking industry and writes about $25 million in premiums.

NIP, Retirement Capital Group
November 25, 2009
Texas-based risk management firm, NIP Inc., has acquired Retirement Capital Group, an executive compensation and benefit plan provider headquartered in San Diego, Calif.

Patterson-McKenna, Bollinger
November 25, 2009
New Jersey-based Patterson-McKenna Insurance Agency Inc. has joined Bollinger Insurance brokerage. The agency also includes a personal insurance services and a marine division.

December
Grain Dealers Mutual, Main Street America
December 1, 2009
The Main Street America Group, based in Jacksonville, Fla., announced that Indiana-domiciled Grain Dealers Mutual Insurance Co. has become an affiliate.

Securus Group, Dunlop Agency
December 2, 2009
Pennsylvania insurance agencies, The Securus Group and The Dunlop Agency, have merged. The merged agency, now known as The Securus Dunlop Group, is headquartered in Lancaster.

Shepherd Insurance, DeTrude & Co.
December 3, 2009
Carmel, Ind.-based Shepherd Insurance Agency has acquired employee benefits services firm, DeTrude & Co., also a central Indiana-based firm.

Lawson-Hawks, J6 Insurance Services
December 4, 2009
Mountain View, Calif.-based Lawson-Hawks Insurance Associates Inc., a regional independent insurance broker, has acquired J6 Insurance Services, Inc of Rocklin, Calif. in an asset purchase arrangement.

The Hanover, OneBeacon
December 4, 2009
Worcester, Mass.-based The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. has entered into a renewal rights agreement with OneBeacon Insurance Group as part of its goal to expand in western states. The Hanover expects to acquire access to as much as $400 million in OneBeacon small and middle market commercial business at renewal, including industry programs and middle market niches. The transaction will also add nearly 20 established programs.

Aon, Allied North America
December 7, 2009
Aon Risk Services has agreed to acquire Allied North America, a large independent surety and construction insurance brokerage firm.

Steve Brooks, Tri County Merge
December 8, 2009
California’s Steve Brooks Insurance Services based in Westlake Village and Tri County Insurance in Calabasas will be merging Jan.1, 2010.

Wells Fargo Insurance, Risk Management Solutions, Orca Bay Benefits
December 8, 2009
Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Inc. has acquired iLeader Risk Management Solutions in Tampa, Fla., and Orca Bay Benefits, LLC, in Mercer Island, Wash.

Aon Risk Services, FCC Global Insurance
December 15, 2009
Aon Risk Services has agreed to acquire FCC Global Insurance Services, the in-house captive brokerage subsidiary of FCC. FCC Global Insurance Services is a subsidiary of Fomento De Construcciones Y Contratas, S.A. of Spain. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. As a result, ARS will become the exclusive global insurance broker for FCC for 10 years.

Topics California Florida Mergers & Acquisitions Carriers Auto USA Texas New York Agencies Profit Loss Excess Surplus Underwriting Reinsurance Agribusiness New Jersey Massachusetts Pennsylvania Michigan North Carolina Property Insurance Wholesale Kansas A.J. Gallagher Property Casualty London Tennessee Hawaii Maine Canada Risk Management Aon AIG Casualty Swiss Re Indiana

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