Marshall & Swift Merger with E.H. Boeckh and DDS Completed

Marshall & Swift, a publisher and source of building cost data and services to the insurance industry, announced the completion of its merger with E.H. Boeckh, a supplier of building cost information, and Digital Documentation Systems (DDS), founded to pioneer technologically advanced software for the insurance claims industry.

According to Robert Dowdell, CEO of Marshall & Swift, now known as Marshall & Swift/Boeckh (MS/B), the newly formed company should rank as the nation’s top building cost information, service and estimating systems provider serving the property/casualty industry. He added that the merging of combined resources of the three firms will allow for the growth and expansion of a broader range of products and services to better meet the needs of insurance companies in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Among the key services and programs now available to the industry from MS/B are:

• Standardized systems of replacement cost valuations;
• A host of alternative property estimating and outsourcing solutions including tele-estimating, physical home inspection services, book of business management, and property underwriting decisions modeling;
• 24/7 access to all MS/B home replacement cost data via the Internet;
• Warehousing of insurers’ property characteristics data.

Marshall & Swift’s systems and data have long helped property writers in the valuation of residential and commercial properties for both insurance underwriting and claims. In addition, Marshal & Swift cost data has become the standard for the appraisal and assessor markets. Marshall & Swift has offices in Los Angeles and Princeton, N.J.

With headquarters in New Berlin, Wis., and Toronto, Can., E.H. Boeckh has been a leading provider of local building cost information and estimating systems in the U.S. and Canada for 70 years, creating customized solutions for the property/casualty insurance industry, property inspection companies, claims adjustment firms, property appraisers and consumers.

In June 1999, E.H. Boeckh entered into a strategic licensing agreement with Hawkins, Tex.-based Digital Documentation Systems to offer comprehensive solutions for the estimating of property claims.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Property Market