Business Moves

December 20, 2021

Zywave, ClarionDoor

Milwaukee-based Insurance technology firm Zywave has acquired Santa Barbara, Calif.-based ClarionDoor, a seller of insurance product distribution software for the property/casualty market.

Zywave said ClarionDoor’s digital distribution products for carriers and managing general agencies complement its own configure, price, and quote programs for insurance agencies and brokers, creating a complete suite of products for insurance carriers and distributors, from rating and quoting through presentation to binding and issuance.

ClarionDoor serves more than 75 customers globally across all P/C lines ranging from traditional lines to emerging markets such as cannabis and cyber insurance.

ClarionDoor’s products are built for the cloud with an API-first architecture.

The company has offices in Santa Barbara and Philadelphia.

The ClarionDoor acquisition is the latest by Zywave in the insurance distribution process.

Risk, Meeker Sharkey & Hurley

Risk Strategies, a national specialty insurance brokerage and risk management firm, acquired insurance and employee benefits agency Meeker Sharkey & Hurley.

Meeker Sharkey & Hurley provides consultative risk management and insurance services across all lines of business with specialties in non-profit organizations, financial institutions, manufacturing and distribution, public entities, higher education and high-net worth individuals, among others. With locations in Basking Ridge and Cranford, New Jersey, the firm is established with clients in the tri-state area.

Meeker Sharkey & Hurley’s roots can be traced back to 1864 to the W.H. Meeker Company. In 2014, the firm merged with the James F. Hurley Insurance Agency and became known as Meeker Sharkey & Hurley.

Meeker Sharkey & Hurley is the third New Jersey-based acquisition for Risk Strategies in the fourth quarter this year.

Alera, Customized Benefit Solutions

Alera Group, an independent, national insurance and wealth management firm, acquired Customized Benefit Solutions Inc., an employee benefits and insurance firm based in Hightstown, New Jersey.

CBSI provides group employee benefits, Medicare enrollment, payroll processing and management and individual plans with including group health insurance, dental, vision and group life.

Alera Group offers employee benefits, property/casualty, retirement services and wealth management to clients nationwide.

CBSI joins Alera Group through CRISP, an Alera Group company in New Jersey. The CBSI team will continue serving clients in existing roles. CBSI was represented and advised on the transaction by Helfer & Associates LLC, located in Englewood, New Jersey.

The Hilb Group, Clark & Lavey Benefits Solutions

The Hilb Group acquired Clark & Lavey Benefits Solutions Inc., increasing its New England presence and bolstering its range of employee benefits offerings nationwide.

Based in Merrimack, New Hampshire, Clark & Lavey Benefits Solutions has a team of licensed advisors to meet client needs through employee benefits products and services. Agency Principal Paul Clark and his team will join the Hilb Group’s New England regional operations.

The acquisition includes InCap, Clark & Lavey’s medical captive solution. InCap provides an alternative to traditional health insurance plans that offers additional control and helps to lower costs and reduce risks, as well as annual profit distributions to member companies.

The Hilb Group is a property/casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. It is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. The company has completed more than 120 acquisitions and now has more than 100 offices in 22 states.

BRP Group, Arcana

BRP Group Inc. announced that Millennial Specialty Insurance LLC, an indirect subsidiary of BRP Group, has acquired substantially all of the assets of Arcana Insurance Services, LP , a Dallas, Texas-based national insurance agency and program administrator, focused on better serving the real estate investor and property management markets.

Arcana will bring to BRP Group product capabilities in the single-family real estate market, which has powered strong organic growth over Arcana’s history. Arcana generates annual revenues of approximately $3.6 million

MarshBerry acted as exclusive financial advisor to Arcana in the transaction.

Hub, Cameron Investment Company

Hub International Limited, a global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, has acquired Cameron Investment Company, Inc., d/b/a Shepard Walton King Insurance Group.

Headquartered in McAllen, Texas, Shepard Walton King provides clients with business and personal insurance in various industries, including agribusiness, real estate and education, which supports Hub’s Specialty practices by complementing and strengthening its existing capabilities. Raul Cabaza III, President, and the Shepard Walton King team will join Hub Texas.

Reagan Consulting served as financial advisor to Shepard Walton King in the transaction.

Universal

Universal Holdings, parent company of Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Co., Florida’s largest private P&C carrier, announced it had placed $100 million in notes to aid in future growth plans.

The oversubscribed private placement was for 5.625% senior unsecured notes that are due in 2026, the publicly traded company said in a news release.

Universal (NYSE: UVE) plans to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes and as capital for growth. It noted that primary rate increases continue to earn for the company’s book of business.

Piper Sandler & Co. served as sole placement agent for the placement. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher was legal counsel to the holding company, and the Mayer Brown law firm served as counsel to the placement agent. The notes have not been registered under the Securities Act, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration or an applicable exemption, the news release said.

Hillcrest, Renaissance

Hillcrest Insurance Agency in Mount Dora, Florida, is now part of the Renaissance Alliance, a network of independent agencies.

Hillcrest offers coverage for construction, homeowners’ associations, restaurants, houses of worship and campgrounds.

Renaissance, with offices in Southborough, Massachusetts, and Miramar, Florida, has made a name for itself with rapid growth, signing up 57 agencies in the country in the past two years, through its agency growth engine model. The firm said the model helps agencies grow premium and scale operations.

Buckle, Amwins

Buckle, a technology-based financial services company, has entered into a managing general agency agreement with Amwins Specialty Auto to place non-standard automobile insurance for gig workers in Florida.

Gateway Insurance will be the admitted carrier, Buckle said in a news release.

The move is part of Buckle’s effort to bring a range of benefits and financial products to gig-economy workers who aren’t considered employees and don’t receive corporate benefits. Through Amwins’ agency network, the Buckle/Gateway non-standard auto coverage will be issued on new business starting this week. The gig auto insurance product will be rolled out next year, the company said.

Buckle’s gig auto insurance for rideshare and delivery drivers uses data from ride-share platforms to underwrite policies. By using that, instead of credit scores, Buckle said it helps close the gap created by conventional insurance policies that leave gig workers underinsured or with higher premiums.

Risk Strategies, Fournier Group

Risk Strategies acquired Fournier Group in Portland, Oregon.

Fournier Group is a commercial and personal lines retail insurance agency led by President Greg Kuhns. In 2018, Fournier Group acquired Aircraft & Marine, an aviation insurance agency in Washington. It acquired Casswood Insurance Agency in 2019, adding expertise in entertainment insurance as well as New York and California operations.

Risk Strategies is a specialty national insurance brokerage and risk management firm offering risk management advice and insurance and reinsurance placement for property/casualty, employee benefits, and private client risks.

Leavitt Group, SCS

Leavitt Group Northwest acquired the employee benefits division of the SCS Insurance in Bellevue, Washington.

The acquisition brings a staff of six, with Chris Allen at the helm.

Allen was and will remain director of the EB business that comes along with SCS.

Leavitt Group Northwest six locations in and around the Seattle area and are part of the national Leavitt Group family of brokerage firms.

Monarch E&S, Anderson & Murison

Monarch E&S Insurance Services, a division of Specialty Program Group LLC, acquired the assets of Anderson & Murison Inc. in Los Angeles, California.

A&M is a national surplus lines broker and underwriter of specialty commercial and personal lines insurance risks.

Monarch E&S is an MGA and wholesale broker.

Specialty Program Group is a licensed holding company established to acquire and scale insurance underwriting facilities and specialty businesses throughout North America.

Hub, Shattuck & Grummett

Hub International Ltd. acquired the assets of Shattuck & Grummett Insurance in Juneau, Alaska.

John Grummett, Stacy Grummett, Rick Shattuck and Teresa Young, owners of Shattuck & Grummett, and their team will join Hub Northwest.

Shattuck & Grummett is a fourth-generation firm that provides commercial and personal insurance, and employee benefits services.

Chicago, Illinois-based Hub is an insurance broker and financial services firm providing risk management, insurance, employee benefits, retirement and wealth management products and services.