NU Online News Service,Jan. 11, 1:32 p.m. EST

Five major property and casualty insurancebrokers announced acquisitions recently, continuing the busy paceset at the beginning of the year.

Insurance brokers Brown & Brown, Arthur J.Gallagher, JLT Group, Bollinger and Wells Fargo Insurance Servicesannounced their latest acquisitions recently.

Daytona Beach, Fla.-based insurance brokerBrown & Brown said it has acquired Associated Insurance ServiceInc. and Associated Insurance Service Benefit Concepts andcompleted its announced acquisition of Comcover InsuranceGroup.

With annualized revenues of approximately $4.9million, Associated Insurance Service (AIS) and AIS BenefitConcepts, based in Louisville, Ky., provide insurance products andservices to businesses and individuals throughout the greaterLouisville metropolitan area.

Brown & Brown said the employees andoperations of AIS and AIS Benefit Concepts will remain at theircurrent location in Louisville. Brown & Brown of Kentucky'sexisting Louisville office, currently under the leadership of KellyHagan, will move into and combine with the operations of AIS andAIS Benefit Concepts.

David Walker, a director and shareholder ofAIS, will serve as the profit center leader of the combinedoperations.

Brown & Brown said it has also completedits previously announced acquisition of Comcover Insurance Group Inc. of Dania, Fla.

Comcover, with $1.6 million in revenue,specializes in products and services tailored to clients in thewholesale, distribution, manufacturing, lumber and buildingmaterials, transportation, and commercial property ownership anddevelopment industries, among other industries.

Anthony Johnson and his staff will join Brown& Brown of Florida's existing Fort Lauderdale and Miami Lakes,Fla., profit centers under the leadership of Michael Keeby andColin Lowe, respectively.

Itasca, Ill.-based Arthur J. Gallagher &Co. said it has acquired The Gleason Agency Inc. and its affiliate,Gleason Financial, Ltd., both headquartered in Johnstown, Pa.

The acquisition does not include GleasonTechnology Inc., which will run independently.

With roots dating back to 1910, Gleason is aretail insurance broker providing commercial property and casualty,employee benefits, and risk management consulting services to itsclients throughout the United States. The firm specializes ininsurance services for the food, retail, education, public entity,defense and real estate industries.

Robert A. Gleason Jr., Christopher K. Gleason,the principals, and their associates—a total of about 60employees—will continue to operate in their Johnstown, Pittsburgh and Philadelphialocations under the direction of Douglas B. Brown, Northeastregional manager of Gallagher's retail p&c brokerageoperation.

London-based insurance broker Jardine LloydThompson (JLT) said it has acquired Tripol AS, an Oslo,Norway-based insurance broker specializing in the real estate andconstruction business.

JLT said the business was acquired fromTripol's seven employee shareholders. They will all remain with thebusiness.

The operation will be merged with JLT'sexisting operation in Norway and led by Ola Haalien, the currentmanaging director of Tripol, reporting to Henrik Rydén, chiefexecutive officer of JLT's Nordic region business.

Short Hills, N.J.-based Bollinger Inc. said ithas acquired The Woodland Group of Sparta, N.J., making it thefirm's 6^th New Jersey location.

The Woodland Group insurance agency employs 14insurance professionals and is ranked among the top agencies in thestate, Bollinger said. The firm's health care division is a leadingplayer in the New Jersey medial malpractice area, according toBollinger.

Chicago-based Wells Fargo Insurance Services, asubsidiary of the San Francisco-based bank, said today that itacquired JFK Consulting Group, LLC, an employee benefits brokerageand consulting firm located in Overland Park, Kan. Wells Fargo saidthe acquisition closed on Nov. 29.