NU Online News Service, Feb. 11, 2:01 p.m.EST

Three insurance brokerage firms announced acquisitions thisweek, with Ryan Specialty Group announcing two and AmWINSannouncing a total of three.

Chicago-based Ryan Specialty Group, a wholesale brokerageholding company, said it acquired Concord Specialty Risk, Inc. andRyan's subsidiary, R-T Specialty, LLC, will acquire AmericanE&S Insurance Brokers from Wells Fargo Insurance Services.

Established in 1980, American E&S Insurance (AES) is thewholesale insurance business subsidiary of Wells Fargo Insurance, asubsidiary of the San Francisco-based bank Wells Fargo & Co.The firm is a full-service wholesaler offering extensive marketaccess and in-house binding authorities. Focused on professionalspecialty products for the excess and surplus market, it provides alink between independent insurance providers and specialtyunderwriters.

As part of the deal, R-T will acquire all of the operatingassets and related liabilities of AES and eight officelocations:

• San Francisco

• Fresno, Calif.

• Irvine, Calif.

• New York

• Denver

• Atlanta

• Nashville

• Seattle

In a statement, Neal Aton, president and chief executive officerof Wells Fargo Insurance said the deal would allow the firm tofocus on its retail core operations and niche businesses, includingWells Fargo Special Risks.

In its acquisition of New York-based Concord Specialty Risk,Ryan Specialty has acquired a managing general underwriter andconsulting firm.

The firm, headed by CEO David S. De Berry, and Kenneth W. DeBerry, president, brings more than two decades of experience inunderwriting transactional risk insurance. The firm providessolutions for equity funds, investment funds, tax directors,corporate growth managers, auditors, lawyers, investment bankersand insurance brokers and wholesalers.

Patrick G. Ryan, RSG Chairman and CEO, formerly chief executiveof insurance broker Aon, said the AES acquisition was a strategicmove that increases the breadth and scope of its specialtywholesale operation. The Concord Specialty transaction will helpclients and trading partners.

No additional information about the firms was available.

Charlotte, N.C.-based AmWINS Group, Inc. said it has acquiredAmerican Southwest Insurance Managers, Inc. (ASIM), Excel GeneralAgency, Inc. and Oakwood Software Insurance Solutions, LLC.

Founded in 1990 by Jim S. Whited and Debra A. Williams,Richardson, Texas-based ASIM is a major independent managinggeneral agent for non-standard automobile insurance in Texas.Through Statewide Claims Service, ASIM's in-house claims andappraisals division, ASIM serves as an independent third partyclaims administrator.

Regarding its other two acquisitions, Excel and Oakwood, Frisco,Texas-based Excel is also a non-standard automobile managinggeneral agency servicing independent agents of Texas.

Plano, Texas-based Oakwood is a technology company that providesa complete policy and claim administrations system to automobileinsurance companies, managing general agencies and largeindependent agents. With the acquisition of Oakwood and its OSISsystem, AmWINS said it has acquired a leading edge technologyplatform for the automobile insurance sector.

Itasca, Ill.-based insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher &Co. said it has acquired James F. Reda & Associates, LLC, inNew York.

Formed in 2004, James F. Reda & Associates, LLC is anexecutive compensation and corporate governance consulting firm toboth publicly-traded and privately-held clients throughout theUnited States. They also specialize in the development of totalrewards strategies, competitive market reviews, change-in-controland severance analysis, equity strategy and valuation techniques,and assessments of relative company performance.

James F. Reda, the principal, and his staff, a total of 10employees, will continue to operate at their current location underthe direction of William Ziebell, North Central Regional ExecutiveVice President of Gallagher's employee benefit consulting andbrokerage operations.

Financial terms of all the transactions were not released.