Business Moves

National

Sentry Insurance, The General

Sentry Insurance said it is buying nonstandard auto insurer The General from American Family Insurance for about $1.7 billion to mark the largest acquisition in the company’s 120-year history.

American Family acquired The General in 2012 when it bought PGC Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries for $239 million.

Mutual insurer Sentry of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is known for business insurance but it also has a nonstandard auto, motorcycle, and off-road vehicle insurer in its Dairyland brand, serving customers through its independent-agent network.

Sentry said the brands will operate independently during the integration process.

The 1,300 or so employees from The General will join Sentry’s workforce of 5,000 on Jan.1, 2025, and will continue to be based in Nashville.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, pending regulatory approvals.

FCCI Insurance Group

Sarasota-based FCCI Insurance Group will soon start writing excess and surplus lines across much of the country, the carrier announced.

Florida, Georgia and Texas insurance agents can submit general liability and commercial excess business to FCCI Specialty Insurance Co. starting Oct. 1. By the first quarter of 2025, agents in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions can submit those coverages, according to a news release.

FCCI was founded in 1959 and provides commercial property and casualty insurance, including workers’ compensation, auto and inland marine, as well as risk control services and surety bonds.

East

Relation Insurance Services, The Haney Company

Relation Insurance Services has acquired the assets of The Haney Company Inc. of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Haney offers employee benefits, commercial and personal insurance products. The agency is a specialist in insurance and retirement programs for associations and their executives.

The firm was formed through the merger of separate practices founded by Brian Haney and his father Allen. Brian Haney, his brother Scott, and their father Allen will continue managing the Maryland office as part of Relation Insurance.

California-based Relation is ranked by Insurance Journal within the top 25 largest agencies in the country by revenue and has approximately 1,350 employees across more than 137 locations nationwide.

Duffy Insurance Agency, The Cowan Insurance Agency

Duffy Insurance Agency, based in Lynn, Massachusetts, has acquired The Cowan Insurance Agency of Haverhill, also in Essex County.

The Cowan agency, founded in 1938, is a fourth-generation family business now led by Stefanie (Cowan) Guillemette. The independent agency sells personal and commercial lines.

Founded in 1996 by the late Paul Duffy and currently led by his son, Marc Duffy, Duffy Insurance Agency is also a family insurance agency that services personal and commercial insurance.

Maury, Donnelly & Parr, Campion Insurance

Baltimore-based Maury, Donnelly & Parr Inc. (MDP) reported its acquisition of another Maryland insurance agency, Campion Insurance in Bel Air.

MDP said the merger broadens its reach and service offerings across the Mid-Atlantic region, including in both commercial and personal lines, and strengthens its high-net-worth practice, an area of focus for MDP.

Other specialties of Campion, a family owned, independent insurance agency, include technology companies, mercantile offices and professional liability.

The Campion team will continue to operate from its Bel Air location, retaining its business while tapping into MDP’s resources including carrier partnerships, operations, and marketing.

Founded in 1875 as a marine insurer to the businesses that utilized the Port of Baltimore, MDP operates today as an agent, consultant, broker, risk manager, and program administrator in the insurance industry. It has nine offices along the East Coast.

Midwest

Bishop Street Underwriters, Conifer Holdings

Bishop Street Underwriters, a multi-boutique insurance platform owned by RedBird Capital Partners, announced it has acquired Conifer Insurance Services, a specialty commercial managing general agency from Conifer Holdings Inc.

The acquisition of Conifer marks Bishop Street’s entry into commercial lines, expanding its multiline, differentiated MGA platform.

Conifer operates a portfolio of three programs across several specialty lines of business, including main street small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), hospitality and auto dealers. Conifer’s existing infrastructure presents a significant growth opportunity for Bishop Street, enabling further scale through geographic expansion, new product development and add-on acquisition synergies, the companies said.

Conifer’s 70-plus employees will join Bishop Street’s platform.

In connection with the transactions, Nick Petcoff resigned as the chief executive officer and as a director of Conifer and accepted a position with the purchaser.

Conifer’s board of directors appointed Brian Roney, Conifer’s president, to the position of chief executive officer.

South Central

Inszone Insurance Services, Catalyst Benefits Group

Sacramento, California-based Inszone Insurance Services has acquired Catalyst Benefits Group LLC, an employee benefits insurance brokerage firm based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This strategic merger further enhances Inszone’s footprint and capabilities in the employee benefits sector.

This acquisition allows CBG clients to benefit from Inszone’s extensive network of insurance carriers, enhanced back-office support, and a team of specialists dedicated to providing service.

Southeast

Beat Capital Partners, ProRise Insurance Services

Beat Capital Partners, a London-based incubator of underwriting franchises and subsidiary of Ambac Financial Group, has launched a professional liability insurance company, based in Charlotte.

The new firm, ProRise Insurance Services, tapped Doug Karpp, a former executive at Hiscox and AIG, as CEO.

ProRise, specializing in small and medium-sized business management coverage, will write for a consortium led by Beat Syndicate 4242 at Lloyd’s, company leaders said. Products will be distributed through wholesale brokers and will include private directors and officers, non-profit directors and officers, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, crime, and professional liability insurance tailored for miscellaneous professionals, architects and engineers, and allied health professionals.

A-G Specialty Insurance, eSportsInsurance

A-G Specialty Insurance, a brokerage specializing in coverage for niche industries, has expanded its reach in the amateur sports world with the acquisition of eSportsInsurance, based in Lilburn, Georgia.

A-G Specialty, headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, and established in 1983, has focused on insurance solutions for K-12, colleges, clubs and sports camps.

With eSports, it will introduce a comprehensive suite of products for amateur associations, clinics, teams and events to protect against liabilities and event cancellations.

Esports Insurance has been in business for two decades. Terry Green is president.

West

Inszone, Cascade Insurance Center

Inszone Insurance Services acquired Cascade Insurance Center in Bend, Oregon.

The Cascade Insurance Center team will continue to operate out of their Bend location under the Inszone Insurance Services umbrella.

California-based Inszone is an insurance brokerage firm that provides property/casualty insurance and employee benefits services.

NFP, Scott Litman Insurance Agency

NFP acquired Scott Litman Insurance Agency in Calabasas, California.

Scott Litman, president of SLIA, will join NFP as a senior vice president and report to Ed Kurowski, managing director, West region property/casualty.

SLIA offers P/C insurance to clients with a focus on commercial habitational risk in the Los Angeles area. The SLIA team serves Southern California homeowners’ associations, as well as property management companies, boards of directors, and landlords associated with mid- to large-sized properties.

NFP, an Aon company, is a P/C broker, benefits consultant, wealth manager and retirement plan advisor.

EverPeak Insurance

EverPeak Insurance is launching operations in Arizona.

EverPeak specializes in workers’ compensation coverage for small businesses and those in hard-to-place industries. Its workers’ comp insurance is written on Attune, which has more than 400 class codes that enable agents to generate quotes and bind policies on the platform.

EverPeak was created by Pinnacol Assurance, a workers’ compensation insurer for Colorado companies.

PCF Insurance Services, Top Insurance Associates

PCF Insurance Services acquired the insurance business of Top Insurance Associates in Snohomish, Washington.

The Top Insurance Associates team will join PCF Insurance’s Fortiphi Insurance.

Top Insurance Associates offers personal and commercial insurance services to individual and business clients in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Lindon, Utah-based PCF Insurance Services of the West LLC offers commercial and personal lines, life and health, employee benefits, and workers’ compensation insurance services.

CAC Group, Media Guarantor

CAC Group acquired Media Guarantors in Hollywood, California.

Janet Comenos will assume the role of entertainment practice leader at CAC Group.

Fred Milstein, president and CEO of Media Guarantors, will continue to lead the firm under the new structure.

Media Guarantors specializes in completion guarantees for independent film and television projects.

CAC Group is an insurance broker and advisor. The entity comprises CAC Specialty, CAC Agency and CAC Capital.