US broker M&A approaches record in 2016: Optis

M&A among insurance intermediaries in the US and Canada last
year nearly matched the torrid pace set in 2015, when a record 456
deals were reported, according to an analysis from Optis Partners
in Chicago.
There were at least 449 deals involving insurance agencies in
the US or Canada in 2016, with larger brokers backed by
private-equity firms making more than half the acquisitions,
according to Optis, an investment bank that focuses on the
insurance brokerage industry.
The private equity...