What selling a brokerage and ‘The Bachelor’ have in common
November 17, 2022 Philip PoradoDating takes time, and hours of preparation – even The Bachelor takes a full season for the prospective bride-to-be to sort through all the contestants. And the process of selling your brokerage is no different, according to a brokerage M&A…
What happens to wealth advisors when P&C brokers buy them out?
November 4, 2022 Philip PoradoSuccession planning is a key component of the acquisition strategies employed by P&C brokers buying wealth management, retirement planning and employee benefits advisories. That said, P&C brokerage buyers aren’t looking for the sellers to leave right away after the sale.…
Paw-sitively busy times for Canadian pet insurers
November 2, 2022 by David GambrillIt’s official — everyone and their dogs are announcing pet insurance mergers, acquisitions and partnerships. It started two days ago, when Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. completed the US$1.4-billion sale of its interests in Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group and…
How acquisitions help P&C brokers boost cross-selling options
October 28, 2022 Philip PoradoSeveral Canadian commercial P&C brokerages are actively acquiring wealth management, retirement planning and employee benefits firms so they can boost revenues by adding to their product ranges. The simple math suggests a larger product suite — one that brings in…
How to find P&C talent by acquiring wealth planning advisories
October 27, 2022 Philip PoradoFrequent announcements about Canadian P&C brokerages buying retirement and wealth planning advisories raises an interesting question: What do the acquirers offer to the employees of the firms they buy? The short answer is development opportunities, said Terri Botosan, regional president…
Selling your brokerage? How to look attractive for buyers
October 26, 2022 Philip PoradoPortfolio analysis is key to buying or selling brokerages, and some portfolios are more attractive than others, Herb Cline, president of CF2K Strategic Consultants, told a session at the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario’s recent convention. “The flavor of the…
Why benefits, retirement and wealth planning are now P&C profit centres
October 14, 2022 Philip PoradoRecent merger deals announced by Canadian commercial P&C brokerages increasingly feature acquisitions of wealth management and employee benefits firms, and this is no accident, brokers tell Canadian Underwriter. This subset of M&A is about P&C brokerages becoming a type of…
The latest commercial brokerage to snap up an employment benefits firm
August 4, 2022 by David GambrillIn keeping with the trend of Canadian commercial insurance brokerages offering expanded financial services, Westland Insurance Group yesterday acquired one of Ontario’s largest employee benefits consulting groups, The Winch Group. The Winch Group is a full-service brokerage specializing in employee…
Is M&A growth better than organic growth?
February 9, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatinoWhen it comes to expanding your brokerages business, M&A may not always be better than organic growth, said panellists during a Canadian Underwriter webinar on Feb. 8. Doug Morrow, CEO and managing partner, Excel Insurance Group, sent a plea…
Strong M&A activity driven by massive push for scale, digitization: PwC Canada
September 27, 2021 Canadian Underwriter StaffThe race to achieve scale, connect digitally with customers and realize synergies are driving continued strong M&A activity in P&C insurance, a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Canada report suggests. Valuations remain at “historic highs” for insurance brokers and MGAs, bringing new…
New M&A deals involve Westland, Armour Group
September 9, 2021 by Jason ContantAfter a brief lull in mergers and acquisitions activity, the Canadian P&C insurance space has seen a surge in recent announcements. Large Canadian-owned brokerage Westland Insurance Group Ltd. said on Tuesday it had acquired two Alberta brokerages: Riverstone Insurance in…
2021 set to be record year for M&A insurance: report
August 31, 2021 Canadian Underwriter StaffThis year will be a record year for mergers and acquisitions insurance, a recent report by global independent broker BMS Group estimates. The inaugural Private Equity, M&A and Tax Insurance Report, released in May, found that while the COVID-19 pandemic…