2018 M&A News

Applied Systems Acquires Benefits Software Firm Dynamis

Fresh off its announcement of Google becoming a minority investor, insurance agency technology provider Applied Systems announced it has acquired Dynamis Software Corp., a Milwaukee-based provider of employee benefits software. This acquisition expands Applied System’s employee benefits offerings. The firm …

Gallagher Acquires UK Commercial Broker Portmore

Global insurance broker, risk management services and consulting firm Gallagher announces the acquisition of Portmore Insurance Brokers Ltd. and Portmore Insurance Brokers (Wiltshire) Ltd. in the UK. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Based in Southampton, England, Portmore was …

Google Invests in Insurance Agency Software Firm Applied Systems

Giant Google’s investment arm has purchased a minority stake in Applied Systems, a provider of insurance technology and cloud-based software for independent agencies. The investment in Applied Systems is being made through CapitalG, the growth equity investment fund of Google’s …

The Hilb Group Acquires Massachusetts’ DBR Group

The Hilb Group LLC has acquired Massachusetts-based DBR Group Inc. The transaction became effective October 1, 2018. Founded in 2004, DBR is an employee benefit and actuarial consulting firm providing a range of benefits consulting and brokerage services to organizations …

SASCO Insurance Services Merges with New Jersey’s Otterstedt Insurance Agency

SASCO Insurance Services of Hackettstown, N.J., has recently merged with Otterstedt Insurance Agency Inc., headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. SASCO Insurance has been providing customized insurance coverage plans for commercial and personal lines clients since 1984. Otterstedt has served a …

Marsh McLennan Acquisition of JLT Clears Key U.S. Antitrust Hurdle

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Justice Department have concluded their competitive review of the proposed acquisition of London-based re/insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (JLT) by New York-headquartered Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC) and granted permission for the transaction …

EPIC Acquires New York’s Total Management Corporation

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, a national retail insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm, has acquired the assets, employees and operations of Total Management Corporation (TMC). Based in Melville, N.Y., with a second office in Manhattan, TMC has created …

Cincinnati Financial to Acquire London Specialty Underwriter from Munich Re

In a bid to diversify its earnings and expand its markets beyond the U.S., Cincinnati Financial Corp. has agreed to acquire MSP Underwriting Limited, a London-based global specialty underwriter and subsidiary of Munich Re. The proposed all-cash transaction is for …

Insurance Agency M&A Activity Continues at ‘Impressive’ Level: OPTIS

There were 463 announced insurance agency mergers and acquisitions during the first three quarters of the year, the second-highest nine-month total. According to OPTIS Partners’ M&A database, the total trails only 2017 when 466 transactions were reported. There were 174 …

Run-Off Firm Catalina Raises $700M, Forms Shareholder Restructure with Apollo, RenRe

Catalina Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd., a legacy runoff property and casualty re/insurance specialist, announced it has completed a US$700 million equity capital raise and concluded its shareholder restructuring after receiving regulatory approvals. As a result of this transaction, Apollo Global Management …