Business Moves

September 3, 2018

The Hilb Group, Southern Maryland Insurance

The Hilb Group LLC has acquired Southern Maryland Insurance Inc. The transaction became effective July 1.

Located in Bowie, Md., SMI is primarily a property/casualty insurance agency offering coverages to businesses throughout the Mid-Atlantic area. Following the transaction, SMI Managing Director Ken Wyvill and his associates will join THG’s Mid-Atlantic operations led by Rick Tepel.

The Hilb Group is a middle market insurance agency headquartered in Richmond, Va., and is a portfolio company of Boston-based private equity firm, Abry Partners.

Ryan Specialty Group, ARC Specialty Brokerage

Ryan Specialty Group LLC has completed its acquisition of certain assets of ARC Specialty Brokerage LLC, the property and casualty division of ARC Excess & Surplus LLC, a wholesale insurance brokerage based in Jericho, N.Y.

These assets have become a part of RT Specialty LLC, the wholesale brokerage unit of RSG, in RT Specialty’s Long Island office in Melville, N.Y. This transaction was previously announced on July 30, 2018.

Joining RT Specialty is Mike Vollaro, a wholesale brokerage professional and specialist in New York construction, along with the other current producers of ARC Specialty and their respective assistants.

RT Specialty LLC, a subsidiary of Ryan Specialty Group LLC, provides wholesale brokerage and other services to agents and brokers. It is a Delaware limited liability company based in Illinois.

Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty, Asenbrenner Insurance Agency, JEM Insurance

Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty Inc. has acquired Asenbrenner Insurance Agency Inc., headquartered in Shawano, Wisconsin.

Asenbrenner Insurance Agency has been serving the state of Wisconsin for almost three decades. Led by John Asenbrenner, the agency offers personal and commercial insurance, from auto and life insurance to employee and workers’ compensation.

In another transaction, Seeman Holtz acquired JEM Insurance Services Inc., headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla.

JEM Insurance Services has been serving the South Florida area for over 13 years. The agency offers personal lines business services including auto, home and personal property.

JEM Insurance Services is led by Bryan Moura Santos.

Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty is based in Boca Raton, Florida.

Hub International, The Ward Agency

Hub International Limited has acquired the assets of Texas-based The Ward Agency.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Longview, Texas, with an office in Tyler, Texas, Ward Agency provides comprehensive employee benefits, retirement plans, workplace wellness programs and individual health and life insurance plans.

Scott Ward, managing partner of Ward Agency, will join Hub Texas and report to Randy Martell, senior vice president of Employee Benefits at Hub Texas.

Headquartered in Chicago, Hub International Limited (Hub) is a full-service global insurance broker.

Higginbotham, Sellers-Patterson Insurance

Higginbotham and Sellers-Patterson Insurance have merged operations in Tyler, Texas.

Sellers-Patterson, led by Linda Sellers, is Higginbotham’s second office in Tyler. The union gives the combined firm a local workforce of 16, serving businesses and families in northeast Texas.

Higginbotham is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and operates 29 offices in Texas and Oklahoma City. Sellers-Patterson, an employee benefits and individual health insurance broker, will draw on Higginbotham’s property/casualty insurance capabilities to expand its service portfolio.

The office will continue operating as Sellers-Patterson under the direction of Linda Sellers as managing director.

M.J. Hall, Wholesale Connection Insurance

M.J. Hall & Co. has acquired the policy renewal rights from Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Wholesale Connection Insurance Services’ commercial property/casualty business.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Warren Stanley, president of WCIS, will continue to lead the firm through the renewal rights transition process. WCIS will continue to specialize in its high valued homeowners program.

WCIS is a surplus lines broker and managing general agent.

M.J. Hall currently represents 81 markets in the surplus lines and admitted specialty insurance business. The firm has California offices in Stockton, San Francisco, Napa, and Woodland Hills, as well as in Alaska and Nevada.