Business Moves – Southeast

Keystone; Burch, Worth, Zorn

Keystone Insurers Group has added three agency partners in Georgia, bringing its total in the state to five. They newest partners are Burch Insurance Agency of Hiawassee; Worth Insurance Agency of Sylvester, and Zorn & Son Insurance of Vidalia.

Burch Insurance Agency was founded by Danny Burch in 1998. Two years later, he purchased J.W. Denton Agency. In 2002 his son, Tim, joined the firm as part owner and producer and the agency opened a second office in Hayesville, N.C. Today, the agency remains a family operation run.

Worth Insurance Agency, headquartered in Sylvester, Ga., with a satellite office in Tifton, was established in 1964 by William “Ridley” Monk. In 1975, Ridley’s son, Bob, joined the agency as a producer and subsequently became part owner with his father. In 2004 Bob’s son, David, became the third generation in the Monk family to work at the agency. Ridley retired in 2006 and the agency was purchased in its entirety by Bob Monk, who is the current president of Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia.

Zorn & Son Insurance, established in 1954 by Robert Zorn, originally specialized in farms, personal lines and life insurance. In 1974, Robert’s son, Chris Sr., became a partner, and the name was changed to Zorn & Son Insurance. Chris began to diversify the agency’s business by adding commercial lines. In 1982, Chris and his wife, Debbie, purchased the agency from Robert Zorn. In 2003, Chris Zorn Jr. began the third generation of active family ownership. Today, Chris Jr. leads the organization from its home office in Vidalia, Ga.

Keystone has franchise partners in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana and Ohio. It also conducts business in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.

The Hartford, Philadelphia Financial

The Hartford Financial Services Group has completed the sale of its Hartford Life Private Placement unit to Philadelphia Financial Group. The transaction was valued at $117.5 million.

Philadelphia Financial Group is a Philadelphia-based company that specializes in ultra-high net worth private placement insurance market. The company announced the deal’s completion on July 16.

The Hartford Life Private Placement unit is based in Florham Park, N.J. It provides insurance and wealth management services for consumers and businesses.