Business Moves – Southeast

WNS Global, South Carolina

An Indian company is slated to open a new facility to process insurance claims and provide insurers other financial and accounting services that could create up to 750 new jobs in South Carolina.

WNS Global Services said it will open the new facility in Columbia in July after investing $4.25 million for an office that will include a call center, a claims adjusting operation, and other financial support functions.

WNS Senior Vice President Jon Hurley said the center would initially hire some 300 workers, but it expects to be at full employment at around 750 workers within two years. He said the company is already talking to several large insurers about using its services.

The Mumbai-based WNS has offices in New York and New Jersey, but the Columbia facility will be the first dedicated to providing insurers and other financial institutes with the ability to handle a high volume workload.

WNS currently employs more than 25,000 workers at 25 centers worldwide.

Hurley said the company is moving its operations from India due to rising salaries and costs. Given the company’s expanding U.S. customer base, he said it will be more cost efficient to provide these services in the United States.

Applied Systems, Compu-Quote

Insurance software firm Applied Systems Inc. has acquired Compu-Quote Inc., a Canadian comparative insurance rating company.

“The acquisition of Compu-Quote establishes Applied Systems as the leading provider of software to the Canadian insurance market,” said Reid French, CEO, Applied Systems, which is based in University Park, Illinois. Compu-Quote will become part of Applied Systems Canada.

USI, Impact Benefit Management

New York-based insurance broker USI Insurance Services has acquired Impact Benefit Management Services, LLC of Roswell, Georgia.

USI said the acquisition is expected to contribute approximately $2.5 million in revenues an annual basis. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Impact provides benefits administration, employee communications and plan management services for brokers, insurance carriers and employers.

The company will be combined in with the Benefits Administration Service Center of Univers Workplace Solutions, USI’s benefit communication and enrollment operation.

Univers says it is the largest independent provider of this specialized type of insurance service for small, mid-size and large employers throughout the United States.

Neace Lukens, First Carolina Risk

Louisville, Kentucky-based Neace Lukens is acquiring the independent risk management and insurance broker, First Carolina Risk Management Advisors. The Charleston, S.C.-based First Carolina offers risk management, employee benefits, and personal lines insurance for commercial and individual consumers. It specializes in the manufacturing, construction, real estate, retail and services industries.

First Carolina’s day-to-day functions will be handled by the broker’s previous owners Jed Suddeth and Besty Porter, who will continue to oversee the broker’s 20 employees.

The First Carolina deal marks the second this month for Neace Lukens, which has been aggressively buying up brokers and agencies after being acquired by the Lake Mary, Fla.-based AssuredPartners in September 2011.

State Auto RED, Rockhill

The specialty division of the State Auto Insurance Group is consolidating its Risk Evaluation and Design (RED) subsidiary and its Rockhill Specialty Program Division into a single operating structure.

The RED team, based in Chapel Hill, N.C., will be led by Gregory T. Doyle, Rockhill’s senior vice president for programs. Doyle will be relocating to North Carolina to lead the consolidated program operations of Rockhill and RED. Prior to joining State Auto, Doyle held senior level positions with CastlePoint Holdings and the BMS Group.

RED is a managing general underwriter that markets alternative risk transfer and program business for small businesses. The Rockhill unit markets products in the excess and surplus business and small surety business.

Brown & Brown, Insurcorp

Florida-based Brown & Brown Inc. has acquired certain assets of Insurcorp and Maalouf Benefit Resources, which recently combined under the name Insurcorp.

Following the transaction, Insurcorp’s operations will be combined with those of Brown & Brown Insurance of Nevada’s existing Las Vegas office, which will operate under the leadership of Brian Cruden.

Insurcorp provides employee benefits retail brokerage and consulting services to employers in Nevada and surrounding states. It also offers property/ casualty products. Insurcorp has annual revenues of approximately $5 million.

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