Business Moves

Integro, Daugherty Insurance Services, Lugo & Associates

Insurance brokerage and risk management firm Integro has acquired Stockton, Calif.-based Daugherty Insurance Services, a retail broker. Details of the deal were not disclosed.

Scott Daugherty will remain in his leadership role at the acquired firm, which will continue as Daugherty Insurance Services.

Daugherty’s products and services include: commercial insurance, construction, agriculture, employee benefits, non-traditional services, personal insurance and business protection.

New York-based Integro is an insurance brokerage and risk management firm focused primarily on serving organizations with complex risks.

In a separate deal, Integro also acquired the assets of Newport Beach, Calif.-based employee benefits specialist Lugo & Associates Insurance Services Inc. Acquisition details were not disclosed.

Univest, Sterner Insurance

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania and its insurance subsidiary, Univest Insurance Inc., acquired Sterner Insurance Associates Inc.

Sterner Insurance is a 21-person firm that operates two offices in Lehigh Valley and Berks County in Pennsylvania. The firm specializes in commercial insurance, employee benefits, personal insurance, life insurance and business continuation planning.

Sterner Insurance was founded in 1994 by Alan F. Sterner, who served as president and CEO of the agency. Under the transaction, he will become senior vice president at Univest Insurance Inc. and be responsible for leading the Lehigh Valley and Berks County insurance operation.

This acquisition marks Univest’s eighth insurance acquisition since it started expanding its financial service offerings beyond traditional banking in 1999. As a locally based company headquartered in Souderton, Penn., Univest offers banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, trust, mortgage banking, and equipment financing services.

Cross Insurance

Bangor, Maine-based Cross Insurance has formed a healthcare practice unit. The agency said its healthcare practice will focus on primary and excess medical malpractice coverage for traditional first dollar and deductible programs, and alternative risk structures including captives, risk retention groups (RRG) and trusts.

The healthcare practice will be co-led by Cross Insurance vice presidents William McKechnie and Dennis Lundgren. Cross Insurance said its service offerings now extend to all four corners of the healthcare industry – hospitals, physicians, elderly care and allied health professionals.

Higginbotham, Willis of Texas

Fort Worth, Texas-based Higginbotham has purchased a portion of Willis of Texas Inc.’s operations. The transaction includes Willis of Texas’ operations in San Antonio, McAllen, Victoria and Tyler. Combined, they add 35 employees and one new geographic market to Higginbotham’s Texas footprint.

The San Antonio and McAllen offices will continue being led by Managing Directors Drew Apperson and Ben Smith. The Victoria and Tyler groups will merge with Higginbotham’s residing offices.

Higginbotham has another 22 offices across the state and a workforce approaching 650.

Eastern Alliance Insurance Group

Eastern Alliance Insurance Group is opening an office in Grandville, Mich., as part of the company’s geographic expansion plan.

The Grandville office at 3980 Chicago Drive is the company’s first office in Michigan. The Grandville site is a satellite location of Eastern Alliance Insurance Group’s Carmel, Ind., Midwest regional office, and will be staffed with underwriting, marketing, claims and risk management professionals. The company has appointed 14 agency partners in Michigan since entering the state in 2011.

Eastern Alliance Insurance Group is a specialty underwriter of workers’ compensation products and services for businesses and organizations in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and Gulf South regions of the United States. EAIG is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly held ProAssurance Corp.

Frederick H. DiMeo, Hughes AllMart

The Frederick H. DiMeo Insurance Agency Inc. has purchased the personal lines division of Union City, Calif.-based Hughes AllMart Insurance Agency.

The deal involves the acquisition of three insurance company books of business, adding roughly $400,000 of written premium to the agency’s current writings.

This is the second book of business purchased by the agency in the past few years. The agency purchased the personal lines book of business from Auto Plus Insurance Center two years ago.

Frederick H. DiMeo Insurance is based in Morgan Hill, Calif., and works with carriers including Safeco Insurance, Travelers, Mercury Insurance Group, CSE Insurance Group and Foremost Insurance Group.