Insurance Acquisitions in Wisconsin

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants has acquired Sentry Transportation's direct writing operation, a carve-out from Sentry Insurance that brings more than 500 transportation clients and the associated team. The acquired operation and team will join EPIC's Interstate Motor Carriers business, strengthening EPIC's national Transportation & Logistics practice and trucking insurance capabilities.

Mother Lode Holding Company, a California-based title insurance and settlement services provider and subsidiary of First American Financial Corporation, has acquired Wisconsin Title Service Company, Inc. and its sister company Wisconsin Title Closing Service, Inc., including title plants in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Walworth and Washington counties. The acquired business will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary, with existing leadership retained, expanding Mother Lode's footprint into Wisconsin and enhancing underwriting and closing capabilities for local residential transactions.

Risk Strategies has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Johnson Insurance Services (JIS), a subsidiary of Johnson Financial Group. The acquisition will add JIS’s 133 associates and personal, commercial, life and employee benefits lines to Risk Strategies’ national platform and serve as its primary insurance platform in Wisconsin; the deal is expected to close after due diligence in 45–60 days.

AssuredPartners, a national insurance broker headquartered in Orlando, Florida, has acquired J. Ryan Bonding, Inc., a Hudson, Wisconsin–based surety-only agency. The 11-person J. Ryan team will join AssuredPartners' Construction and Surety practice while remaining led by President Michael Douglas and Vice President Chris Steinagel.

PCF Insurance Services has acquired Milwaukee-based Milz Health Group to expand PCF's presence into the Wisconsin individual insurance market. Milz is a full-service agent specializing in Medicare (Advantage, Medigap, Part D) and Affordable Care Act plans; terms were not disclosed and PCF said the acquisition will enable expanded offerings and growth leveraging PCF's shared services model.

Relation Insurance Services, a PE-backed national insurance brokerage, acquired the assets of Wisconsin-based Woller-Anger & Company, LLC. The acquisition brings Relation into the Wisconsin market and Woller-Anger will operate as part of Relation's Great Lakes Region with its leaders continuing in their roles.

Horace Mann Educators Corporation has completed the acquisition of Madison National Life Insurance Company, a provider of group life, disability and specialty health insurance focused on educators and public sector employees. The deal was funded with cash on hand and additional borrowings on Horace Mann’s revolving credit facility; Horace Mann expects 2022 EPS accretion of $0.15–$0.20 and roughly a 50 basis point contribution to ROE.

J.C. Flowers & Co. has made a strategic growth investment in TRICOR Insurance, a Top 100 independent insurance agency based in Lancaster, Wisconsin. The capital will be used to accelerate TRICOR's organic growth and support strategic acquisitions while founder Dave Fritz and the management team retain significant ownership and continue to lead the business.

OneDigital has acquired Area Financial Services, Inc., an Altoona, Wisconsin-based employee benefits agency, expanding OneDigital's footprint in Wisconsin with a fourth office in the state. The Area Financial senior leadership team (led by Brian Flynn) and four additional team members will join OneDigital, bringing roughly 500 group and individual clients onto OneDigital's platform and increasing the firm's Midwest market reach.

Worldwide Facilities, a national wholesale insurance broker and managing general agent, has acquired Strategic Underwriting Solutions, LLC (SUS), a medical stop-loss focused managing general underwriter. The acquisition brings stop-loss underwriting, program risk management and product development capabilities into Worldwide Facilities’ offering and marks its expansion into the Life & Health space from its core property & casualty business.

AmeriLife Group, LLC acquired a majority interest in Jack Schroeder & Associates (JSA), an insurance marketing organization headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The deal expands AmeriLife's Medicare and life insurance distribution capabilities and extends its reach into JSA's national network of independent agents.

Caledonia-based insurance distributor Acrisure LLC acquired Milwaukee-area HNI Risk Services, with the deal closing Dec. 31, 2018. Acrisure said HNI will retain local staff, leadership and its brand as part of the firm’s ongoing roll-up strategy to expand its network of partner agencies.

Hub International Limited acquired the assets of Wisconsin-based Stellarus Benefits Inc.; terms were not disclosed. Christy Schwan, President of Stellarus, will join HUB Midwest West and report to Michael Booth as Hub expands its Wisconsin presence and broadens insurance solutions offered to Stellarus clients.

Hub International Midwest, a regional arm of Hub International Limited, has acquired substantially all of the assets of Wisconsin-based Murphy Group Holdings. Terms were not disclosed; the Murphy team will continue operating from its Madison-area locations in Waunakee and Waukesha with CEO August Felker remaining in place and reporting into Hub Midwest leadership.