Eastern Insurance Acquires Smith Buckley & Hunt in Massachusetts

Eastern Insurance Group has acquired Smith Buckley & Hunt, an insurance agency based in Brockton, Mass.

Smith Buckley & Hunt was founded in 1875 and the Smith Family has owned the agency since 1922. The principals of the agency are MacKenzie Smith, James S. Smith and Christopher Sheppard.

Smith Buckley & Hunt’s office at 500 Forest Street in Brockton will remain open and re-branded as an Eastern Insurance location later this year. Upon completion of the transaction, Eastern Insurance will have 24 locations in New England.

Following the merger, James Smith will remain with Eastern Insurance, serving as senior vice president of commercial insurance. Sheppard will continue as a senior vice president of sales.

For Eastern Insurance, the acquisition increases its customer base south of Boston, where it already has 10 locations. The move also further strengthens Eastern Bank’s overall position in southeastern Massachusetts. In 2012, Eastern Bank acquired The Community Bank, which was headquartered in Brockton. Eastern Insurance has completed more than 34 insurance agency acquisitions since 1994.

Eastern Insurance, headquartered in Natick, Mass., is a subsidiary of Eastern Bank.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Massachusetts