At 232, the number of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions in the first half of 2016 came in just one less than 2015's record first half of 233 deals, according to data from Chicago-based OPTIS Partners, an investment banking and financial consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry.
New Yorks financial regulator promoted Scott Fischer to be the states top insurance watchdog, a position that involves overseeing about 1,700 companies with more than $4 trillion of assets.
Insurance agency mergers and acquisitions hit a record high of 451 reported transactions for the U.S. and Canada in 2015, surpassing the previous record of 357 in 2014, according to a recent report from OPTIS Partners.