Business Moves

Hylant Group, Swartzel Affiliated

Ohio-based insurance brokerage, Hylant Group, and property/casualty insurance services provider Swartzel Affiliated Insurance Agency have merged.

The companies’ announcement said the combined organizations will form one of the largest full service insurance firms in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Swartzel was founded in 1932 and has expanded over the past 78 years.

Founded in 1935, Hylant Group is a full-service insurance brokerage with 12 offices in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, and employs more than 600 employees. Hylant is a member of the Worldwide Broker Network.

Marsh & McLennan, RJF Agencies

Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), a subsidiary of insurance broker Marsh Inc., has acquired RJF Agencies Inc., one of the largest independent insurance agencies in the upper Midwest. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1986, RJF has annual revenue of approximately $25 million and roughly 150 employees. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., RJF provides property/casualty insurance and employee benefits to middle market companies in a wide range of industries. The firm has specialty practices in manufacturing, condominium and townhome associations, management liability, and contractors, among others.

All of RJF’s employees and leadership team, including Bill Jeatran, CEO, and Tim Fleming, president, will join MMA.

RJF will serve as MMA’s upper Midwest hub and is the latest in a number of acquisitions MMA has made since beginning a national expansion in 2009.

Most recently, MMA announced the acquisitions of Trion Group Inc., a large privately held employee benefits specialist based in Conshohocken, Pa., and Strategic Benefit Solutions Inc., a premier benefits brokerage and consulting firm based in Alpharetta, Ga.

MMA said it now has approximately $285 million in annual revenue. It was established in 2008 to meet the needs of midsize businesses in the United States. MMA operates independently from Marsh to offer commercial property, casualty, personal lines and employee benefits insurance products and services.

NCA Group, T.M. Mayfield & Co., Gentry & Assoc.

Indianapolis, Ind.-based property loss adjusting and claims management services provider National Catastrophe Adjusters Inc. (NCA Group) has acquired T.M. Mayfield & Co. of North Carolina and Gentry & Associates Claims Services Inc. in San Antonio, Texas.

The addition of T.M. Mayfield significantly expands NCA Group’s commercial loss adjusting capabilities and daily claims services offering along the Eastern Seaboard.

Founded in 1925 and headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., T.M. Mayfield has 12 office locations in North Carolina and South Carolina, plus resident adjusters in Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

T.M. Mayfield personnel will continue to operate under the T.M. Mayfield name and the company will maintain its current branch offices.

Gentry & Associates represents NCA Group’s third acquisition in 2011. The addition of Gentry & Associates provides NCA Group with a daily loss adjusting platform in the Texas, along with significant additional catastrophe exposure and resources in the state.

Founded in 1998 by L. Marsh Gentry, Gentry & Associates works with many Lloyd’s of London syndicates as well as a number of regional and national property insurance carriers within the United States. The firm has expertise in handling all aspects of commercial and personal lines property claims for both daily and catastrophic events.

Gentry & Associates personnel will continue to operate under the Gentry & Associates name and the company will maintain its current branch offices under the leadership of Marsh Gentry.

Austin Mutual, Cooperative Mutual

Minnesota-based Austin Mutual Insurance Company, a regional property and casualty insurer, completed its merger with Cooperative Mutual Insurance Co. located in Omaha, Neb. The previously announced merger of the companies will result in projected combined assets of $178 million, with direct written premiums of $254 million. The merger has met both policyholder and regulatory approval.

Under the terms of the merger, policyholders of Cooperative Mutual are now policyholders of Austin Mutual, and the combined assets of both companies back their policies. All operations of Cooperative Mutual have been transferred to Austin Mutual.

Austin will retain Cooperative’s management, national distribution system, workforce, and the Omaha-based agribusiness office. All future policies and contracts will carry the name of Austin Mutual Insurance Co.

As part of the merger, Jeffrey Kusch will continue to lead Austin Mutual as chairman, president and CEO. The company will continue to offer the lines of business offered through Cooperative Mutual to customers in active agribusiness territories.

Conifer Holdings, Mid-Continent

Michigan-based insurance holding company Conifer Holdings (Conifer) announced the closing of its acquisition of Mid-Continent Insurance Co. Inc. (Mid-Continent) from the Fetterolf Group Inc. and Woodbine Holdings L.P. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Mid-Continent was formed in 1969 and is a property and casualty insurance company domiciled in Pennsylvania that provides niche insurance products in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Indiana.

Mid-Continent has annual revenues of approximately $15 million. A.M. Best has rated Mid-Continent Insurance “B+” (Good). Conifer Holdings Inc. is an insurance holding company serving the needs of specialized property and casualty risks.

Wholly-owned Conifer Insurance Co. is a Michigan domiciled insurance company founded in 1987.

Wells Fargo, JFK Consulting Group

Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA Inc., headquartered in Chicago, acquired JFK Consulting Group LLC, an employee benefits brokerage and consulting firm located in Overland Park, Kan. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Serving customers primarily in Kansas and Missouri, JFK Consulting Group provides employee benefit brokerage and consulting services to a wide variety of customers, including small and mid-market fully-insured plans, large self-funded corporate plans, public sector employers, and association plans.

Ohio Mutual, Casco Indemnity

Ohio Mutual Insurance Group (OMIG), headquartered in Bucyrus, Ohio, has completed its acquisition of Maine-based Casco Indemnity Company. The transaction officially closed on Jan. 1, 2011.

Casco Indemnity will be operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, maintaining the current Casco facility in Saco, Maine.

Regional Casco operations will be supervised by Casco associate Jack Donilon, named regional assistant vice president, who will report to Randy O’Conner, vice president of Underwriting and Sales for Ohio Mutual.

Casco claims operations will be supervised by Claims Manager Dave Hardy, who will report to Ohio Mutual Vice President of Claims Mike Brogan.

Former Casco President Bill Swetland has elected to retire and focus his energies on other personal and professional interests.

Casco Indemnity Company was formed in 1985 by a consortium of seven New England insurers, and currently offers commercial auto, personal auto, and personal umbrella insurance in six states (Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, South Carolina) through a network of 140 independent agents, supported by about 20 associates based in Saco, Maine.

Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, founded in 1901 and based in Bucyrus, Ohio, has partnered with nearly 300 independent agencies to distribute quality property and casualty insurance products throughout Ohio, Connecticut, Indiana, and Rhode Island.

Topics Ohio Michigan Maine