Agents & Brokers News

Marsh & McLennan Acquires Southeast Brokerage J. Smith Lanier & Co.

Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), the middle market agency subsidiary of Marsh, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire West Point, Ga.-based J. Smith Lanier & Co., one of the nation’s largest, privately held insurance brokerage firms. Terms of …

2017 Cyber Risks to Intensify as Hackers Become More Cunning: Report

Top cyber threats during 2017 are expected to include nation state cyber espionage, a rise in data integrity attacks and an increase in attacks harnessing Internet of Things (IoT) devices, according to a report published by Stroz Friedberg, an Aon …

Aon Launches Solution to Help Firms Manage Brexit Risks, Opportunities

Aon plc has launched “Brexit Navigator,” a tailor-made solution designed to help organizations quantify the impact of Brexit risk exposures, and redesign their risk management and risk financing structures. Brexit Navigator is supported by an interactive tool that presents scenario-based …

Canada’s CMW & Capri Insurance Services Announce Merger

CMW Insurance Services Ltd. and Capri Insurance Services Ltd. announced they merged on Jan. 1, 2017 to create “one of the largest insurance brokerages and risk management firms in Western Canada.” The two independent and employee-owned British Columbia-based companies have …

Is Soft Market Bottoming? A.M. Best Points to Some Promising Signs

Some observers believe the bottom of the reinsurance market may be in sight because brokers are having greater difficulty filling out underpriced programs and further concessions in terms are difficult to obtain, according to a report published by A.M. Best. …

Decline in Reinsurance Prices Slowed at January Renewal: Carpenter

Reinsurance pricing continued trending downward at the Jan. 1, 2017 renewal — across most classes of business and geographies, but the pace of that decline is slowing, according to Guy Carpenter & Co. Although several sectors experienced increased loss activity, …

H.W. Kaufman’s Cranbrook Underwriters Relocates London Office

Cranbrook Underwriters, an H.W. Kaufman Financial Group company, announced the relocation of its London offices to One Minster Court, Mincing Lane, London EC3R 7AE, U.K., in the heart of London’s financial center. This strategic move follows the relocation of two …

Marsh Completes Acquisition of Bluefin Insurance from AXA

Marsh, the wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Cos., said it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Bluefin Insurance Group Ltd., a subsidiary of AXA UK plc, from AXA Group. Founded in 2008, Bluefin has approximately 1,500 colleagues …

Reinsurers Can Expect Another Difficult Year, Seeking Price Stabilization: Willis Re

Despite a 50 percent increase in insured losses from natural catastrophes during 2016, the global reinsurance industry achieved profitable results for the third quarter and remains on track to close out another profitable full year, according to a report published …

Hong Kong Agents, China Insurers Face Tech-Related Disruptions: 2017 Predictions, Part 4

The twin forces of regulation and technology will see the emergence of new distribution models in 2017. This sounds like a commonly heard disrupter scenario for the U.S. and European markets, but it’s actually a prediction for the future of …