Business Moves – Midwest

SIAA, Thomas Insurance Group

The Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance has signed its 4,000th member agency, the Thomas Insurance Group of Cape Girardeau, Mo. Recruited by master agency Valley Insurance Agency Alliance of Clayton, Mo., Thomas Insurance Group has been servicing the insurance needs of Southeastern Missouri for 25 years.

The agency recently was purchased by Charley Tinsley, who was an agent for Missouri Farm Bureau for almost a decade. Tinsley is looking forward to growing Thomas Insurance Group by increasing available products to commercial, farm, home, auto, health and life insurance, as well as retirement financial planning.

Valley Insurance Agency Alliance has been a partner master agency of SIAA since 2006. With territory covering 118 counties in Missouri and Illinois, it is the largest independent agency group in the area.

SIAA, Michigan Agency Partners

SIAA Inc., a national alliance of insurance agencies, has signed its 51st master agency, Michigan Agency Partners of Jackson, Mich.

The agency’s territory includes 62 counties across the Lower Peninsula.

Michigan Agency Partners was co-founded by Eric “Ric” Walton and David Rice. Both hold several insurance designations and are affiliated with many community organizations.

Stoermer Insurance, Black/White & Associates

Insurance wholesaler and managing general agency, Black/White Associates of Louisiville, Ky., announced it has partnered with Stoermer Insurance Services located in Dayton Ohio. The transaction was effective May 1, 2012.

In business since 1968 and owned by Al and Ed Stoermer, Stoermer Insurance Services represents the same markets as Black/White Associates, as well as additional markets.

Black/White Associates’ Troy Metts and Heidi Elston will remain through an indefinite extended transition period. Among their duties will be the handling of transactions billed April 30, 2012, or earlier, while items billed May 1, 2012 or later, irrespective of effective date, will be billed by Stoermer Insurance Services.

Ed Stoermer and his team are taking over all accounts in the states of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.

USI Insurance Services, National Insurance Specialists

USI Insurance Services announced it has closed on the acquisition of certain assets of Toledo, Ohio-based National Insurance Specialists (NIS).

The acquisition is expected to contribute approximately $1.6 million in revenues to USI on an annual basis. The acquired entity will be integrated into USI Affinity, a division of USI Insurance Services. The transaction makes USI Affinity the number one equipment rental industry insurance broker in the country, according to the announcement.

Doug W. Kreitzberg, CEO of USI Affinity, noted that USI and NIS have many years of combined experience handling rental industry accounts.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Professional Claims Managers Inc.

International insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, Itasca, Ill.-based Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., has acquired Professional Claims Managers Inc. (PCM) in Dallas, Texas.

Formed in 1986, PCM is a full service third party administrator that provides comprehensive claims and litigation management services to domestic and foreign clients. PCM specializes in complex programs such as healthcare liability, private detention liability, architects and engineers’ errors and omissions, construction liability, law enforcement and public officials liability and miscellaneous professional liability.

J. Brian Hobbs and his associates will continue to operate in their Dallas location under the direction of Robert E. Blasio, president of Western Litigation Inc., a division of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s retail property/casualty brokerage operation.