Business Moves

Holborn, W.J. Lehrke

Reinsurance brokers Holborn Corp. of New York and W.J. Lehrke Co. of Edina, Minn., have agreed to merge. Details were not disclosed.

The combined firm is operating under the Holborn name, and all current Lehrke personnel will consolidate with those in Holborn’s Minneapolis office headed by Tom Frank, according to the announcement.

Holborn Corp., which was founded in 1920, became exclusively owned by its employees in 1998. Frank T. Harrison is CEO.

USI Insurance, Cohen-Seltzer

USI Insurance Services completed its acquisition of Cohen-Seltzer Inc., in Fort Washington, Penn. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

A third generation family-owned insurance agency formed in 1926, Cohen-Seltzer Inc., provides risk management programs and financial products for both commercial and personal lines of business.

USI said it is combining its existing USI Plymouth Meeting, Penn., office with Cohen-Seltzer. USI said the move will extend its reach as one of the largest middle-market insurance brokerage firms in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Lockton

Lockton has expanded its commercial insurance operations, opening an office in the central business district of Fort Worth, Texas.

The new Lockton office is located at 777 Main Street downtown.

Frank Scardino is president of Lockton’s North Texas Property and Casualty Operations and Kendall Empey serves as chief operating officer.

Lockton

Lockton opened a new operation in Milwaukee, Wis., appointing two veteran employee benefits consultants as senior executives. John O’Connor and Bill Crowley have joined Lockton as senior vice presidents in Lockton’s new Milwaukee office.

The new operation will have a temporary location downtown at 250 East Wisconsin Avenue, 18th Floor, in Milwaukee. Lockton expects to move into permanent office space in downtown Milwaukee in late summer.

O’Connor has been with Aon Hewitt and its predecessor consulting firm Hewitt Associates for more than 24 years. At Lockton, O’Connor will be responsible for business development and client strategy.

Crowley has been a principal and client manager in Mercer’s Milwaukee office for the past six years. He has more than 20 years working as an employee benefits and human resources advisor.

Regions

Regions Insurance has established an office in Columbia, S.C. and hired insurance executive Frank Norris to lead the office, its first in South Carolina.

Norris and his team join Regions Insurance from Frank B. Norris and Co., a Columbia-based insurance and risk management brokerage. Norris founded Frank B. Norris & Co. in 1984. Specialties include residential homebuilders and trade contractors. The team also brings expertise in property, including East Coast and Caribbean resorts.

The Columbia office is the third addition to Regions Insurance over the past six months as part of the firm’s efforts to expand throughout the Southeast. In November Regions Insurance opened its first office in Atlanta, Ga., serving clients throughout the state. In January Regions Insurance expanded its employee benefits practice in Memphis, Tenn.

Regions Insurance is an affiliate of Regions Bank.

Leavitt Group, United Valley

United Valley Insurance Services and Leavitt Group Enterprises have agreed to a merger, giving the two firms a collective 150 insurance agencies and counting under one owner.

Under the agreement, signed on June 26, United Valley remains a separate organization that is wholly-owned by Cedar City, Utah-based Leavitt Group Enterprises.

Leavitt Group owns controlling interest in all of its 70 affiliates, while United Valley has 80 independent agencies it owns and serves. The United Valley agencies will continue to be maintained separately and function separately, according to the owners.

The agreement is subject to applicable conditions, including shareholder approval. Both boards have approved the merger. Closure is anticipated in August.

No cuts to personnel are planned due to the merger, according to Neal Stanley, United Valley’s chief operating officer.

Mike McCreary, president of United Valley, is expected to serve on Leavitt Groups’ board of directors. United Valley shareholders will receive an undisclosed amount of cash in the merger.