Guaranty Insurance Acquires Calif.-based Walter Mortensen Insurance

Guaranty Insurance Services Inc., the second-largest insurance agency in Texas, announced that it has acquired Walter Mortensen Insurance of Bakersfield, California. This move doubles the agency’s size in California.

With eight offices in California’s Central Valley, 100 employees and annual revenues of $13.5 million, the addition of Walter Mortensen Insurance (WMI) is significant. “WMI was founded in 1919 and has an outstanding reputation in the markets it serves,” said Hal Shults, President and CEO of Guaranty Insurance Services, “together we will be able to offer more extensive insurance and financial services to our clients in the California market, complemented by the banking and lending operations of our parent, Guaranty Bank.”

This acquisition is Guaranty Insurance’s largest acquisition to date and another step in a growth trend by the agency in both Texas and California. In February 2002, Guaranty Insurance bought James Econn and Company Insurance of Los Angeles. In February 2004, Guaranty acquired TCT Insurance Group, one of the largest agencies in the in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex.

“The partnership with Guaranty Insurance Services Inc. affords our agency the resources to expand our marketing abilities and provide additional services to our clients,” said Ron Burcham, President and CEO of WMI. “Most importantly, we are dealing with a partner that has the same business philosophy that we have implemented to build our agency over the past 86 years.”

Topics California Mergers & Acquisitions