Insurance Acquisitions in Minnesota

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired St. Paul–based Bremer Insurance Agencies, Inc., a subsidiary of Old National Bancorp; terms were not disclosed. The acquisition expands Gallagher's retail property/casualty brokerage footprint in the Upper Midwest, with Travis Hoaglund and his team joining Gallagher's Great Lakes region retail P/C operations.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Minneapolis-based retail insurance agency Dyste Williams. The agency’s principals and team will remain in place and join Gallagher Agency Alliance to deepen Gallagher’s small-business property/casualty and employee benefits capabilities in the Upper Midwest; terms were not disclosed.

A subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc. has acquired the assets of The Canopy Group, a multiline insurance agency based in Le Sueur, Minnesota. The Canopy Group's principals Paul Borchert and Jeff McDonald will continue to lead operations as the acquisition expands Brown & Brown's personal lines and small-business commercial offerings in Minnesota.

Marsh McLennan Agency, a subsidiary of Marsh, has acquired AmeriStar Agency, Inc., an independent insurance agency based in Wayzata, Minnesota. AmeriStar's employees (including President Matt Schadow) will join Marsh McLennan Agency and continue operating from their existing Wayzata office as part of the firm's Upper Midwest growth strategy.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., through its U.S. wholesale division Risk Placement Services (RPS), has acquired Golden Valley, Minnesota-based managing general underwriter CCI Surety, Inc. Terms were not disclosed; CCI's leadership (Jeremy Crawford and team) will remain in place and operate under RPS's national binding operations.

Warner Pacific has acquired BeneUSA LLC, an Excelsior, Minnesota-based employee benefits general agency that specializes in ancillary group insurance products such as life, disability, dental, and vision. The deal expands Warner Pacific’s geographic footprint into the Midwest and enhances its ancillary product capabilities and carrier relationships; terms were not disclosed.

Altaris, LLC completed a take-private acquisition of Trean Insurance Group, Inc., acquiring the remaining publicly held shares for $6.15 per share in a transaction that implied an approximate $316 million equity value. Trean will remain headquartered in Wayzata, Minnesota, with Julie Baron continuing as President and CEO and founder Andrew O'Brien remaining as Executive Chairman and an investor; Trean will cease trading on Nasdaq following the closing.

NFP has acquired Diversified Brokerage Services, Inc. (DBS), a Minneapolis-based life insurance brokerage and one of the largest BGAs in the United States. The acquisition expands NFP's life insurance distribution capabilities and adds DBS's enterprise relationships with broker-dealers, wirehouses and RIAs; DBS principals George 'Chip' Van Dusen IV and Tori Van Dusen-Roos will join NFP.

Hub International Limited acquired the assets of Horizon Agency, Inc., an Eden Prairie, Minnesota insurance agency that provides commercial and personal insurance and employee benefits. The deal strengthens Hub’s commercial, personal lines and employee benefits capabilities in the Great Plains region; terms were not disclosed.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Gallagher) has acquired St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Mahowald Insurance, LLC. Terms were not disclosed; Mahowald's leadership will remain in place and the deal is intended to enhance Gallagher's healthcare market expertise and regional capabilities across the Midwest.

Professional Program Insurance Brokerage (PPIB), a division of Specialty Program Group LLC, has acquired the assets of Jones Birdsong LLP, a Chanhassen, Minnesota-based insurance brokerage focused on motorsports and entertainment. The acquisition brings Jones Birdsong's specialist team into PPIB to expand PPIB/SPG's specialty program capabilities and market access in motorsports and entertainment insurance.

illumifin has completed the acquisition of LTCG, combining LTCG’s long-term care administration and claims capabilities with illumifin’s third‑party administration and technology platform to create one of the largest insurance service providers in the North American long‑term care, life, health, and annuity markets. illumifin, a PE‑backed platform formed with backing from Abry Partners and Hoplon Capital, will integrate LTCG’s underwriting, claims, analytics and actuarial capabilities to expand end‑to‑end digital administration services for insurers.

Brown & Brown Dealer Services, a division of Brown & Brown, Inc., has acquired substantially all of the assets of Dealer Admin. Services, Inc. (DAS). DAS — a dealer-centric administrator providing aftermarket F&I product solutions for franchise and pre-owned dealers — will operate as a division of BBDS under Brown & Brown's dealer services platform, with Bill Kelly continuing to lead DAS operations from Bloomington, Minnesota.

Simplicity Group has acquired Minneapolis-based Advisors Resource, LLC, a marketing and distribution organization focused on life insurance, annuities and long-term care products. Advisors Resource’s principals Tim Mastel, Dave Wohlwend and Tom Burns join Simplicity as partners; the business becomes the 26th distribution company to join Simplicity’s partnership network.

Amwins, a global distributor of specialty insurance products, has acquired National Truck Underwriting Managers, Inc. (NTUM), a Minnesota-based truck insurance wholesaler and managing general agent. The acquisition expands Amwins’ delegated underwriting capabilities and transportation insurance offerings while extending its geographic footprint into Minnesota; terms were not disclosed.

Obsidian Insurance Holdings, Inc. acquired Western Home Insurance Company from Western National Mutual Insurance Company to expand Obsidian's admitted-carrier capabilities and presence in the California market. Western Home, a Minnesota domestic insurer commercially domiciled in California, will be renamed post-closing and integrated to provide broader admitted access to Obsidian's program managers and partners.

One80 Intermediaries, a Boston-based national wholesale broker and program manager, has acquired van Wagenen Financial Services, an Eden Prairie, Minnesota provider of lender-placed insurance solutions, insurance tracking products, and claims services. The acquisition expands One80's product suite into lender-placed insurance and insurance tracking; terms were not disclosed.

USI Insurance Services has closed the acquisition of CHS Insurance, the agribusiness insurance brokerage formerly part of CHS Inc.; terms were not disclosed. The deal expands USI’s capabilities and footprint in agribusiness, food processing and cooperative insurance and brings the CHS Insurance team onto USI’s national platform.

USI Insurance Services has acquired Hanratty & Associates, Inc., a Plymouth, Minnesota-based employee benefits and consulting firm. The deal expands USI's employee benefits footprint in Minnesota; terms were not disclosed and Hanratty's employees will remain at the Plymouth location.