Life Insurance, Insurance Technology
PR Newswire | August 29, 2023
LIBRA Insurance Partners (LIBRA), the largest independently-owned life insurance marketing organization (IMO) in the United States, announces a partnership with Highland Capital Brokerage (HCB), a national life insurance and annuity distribution company and a subsidiary of Osaic.
"Highland Capital Brokerage is a formidable organization and we are excited they have selected LIBRA as their strategic partner to help facilitate its growth and expansion initiatives," said William (Bill) Shelow, CLU®, ChFC®, CPCU®, LLIF, president and CEO of LIBRA.
HCB provides risk management strategies and solutions to help financial professionals protect and grow their clients' assets. As a national life insurance, annuity, disability, and longevity planning firm, HCB distributes these solutions across the wealth spectrum to both institutional and independent partners.
"The partnership with LIBRA is an important step in Highland's evolution. Our diversified sales organization will rely on the vast array of carriers and their products to provide risk management solutions to our clients," said Teague Wright, president of Highland Capital Brokerage. "We look forward to taking advantage of the breadth of tools and resources this affiliation makes available."
HCB is comprised of more than 300 employees nationwide with an exceptionally talented and tenured team.
"I have enjoyed having an association in various capacities with Highland Capital Brokerage since its inception. They embody everything that LIBRA and our partners symbolize," said J. Craig Collins, executive vice president and chief relationship officer of LIBRA. "Teague and her senior leadership team have built a first-class organization and will greatly complement the markets we serve and the carriers we represent. Their interest in LIBRA further demonstrates the great value that we bring to our partner firms with our focus on delivering industry-leading tools and resources that support their efforts."
Shelow added, "I believe this affiliation elevates the stature of both organizations."
LIBRA Insurance Partners takes a true partnership approach with each of its valued relationships with the core belief in "the strength of many and power of one." With unique reinsurance ownership opportunities, agent retention programs, business development consulting, live training events and robust sales and marketing resources, the firm provides an unparalleled community of comradery and commitment to the success of each of its shareholders.
By way of partnership, HCB further expands upon its expansive resources and capabilities with direct access to several additional proprietary advanced planning tools and benefits, including:
exclusive facultative underwriting program with RGA Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (RGA)
established relationships with an expanded lineup of affiliated carriers and reinsurers
a dedicated medical director
product white papers and benchmarking tools
a proprietary quick quoting and informal processing platform
About Highland Capital Brokerage (HCB)
Highland Capital Brokerage is a national life insurance, annuity, disability, and long-term care distribution company providing point-of-sale support, advanced marketing, and creative estate- and business-planning techniques to financial advisors and insurance professionals. We deliver these services in an efficient, client-focused environment that extends to carrier and product expertise, underwriting negotiation, and complete back-office processing. Highland offers objective access to major insurance carriers, advanced planning support, expertise in risk underwriting, and back-office processing to insurance brokers, financial planners, and various institutions such as banks, wirehouses, and certified public accountant firms. To learn more about Highland Capital Brokerage, visit www.highlandbrokerage.com.
About LIBRA Insurance Partners (LIBRA)
LIBRA Insurance Partners is an insurance marketing organization dedicated to serving independent insurance producers, brokers, and financial institutions. Formerly known as LifeMark Partners and BRAMCO Financial Resources, and through the merger with Insurance Designers of America (IDA) in 2022, the firm exists to leverage strategic relationships, expertise, and innovation to expand life insurance distribution for the benefit of all stakeholders. LIBRA Insurance Partners is dedicated to the ongoing development and enhancement of resources to differentiate partner agencies from the competition. Its firms benefit from robust proprietary service offerings, unparalleled partnership, product expertise, and access to industry-leading technologies and tools, including expansive underwriting support resources. To learn more about becoming a LIBRA partner firm, visit www.LIBRAInsurancePartners.com or call (410) 837-3022.
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Risk Management, Intellectual Property
PRnewswire | July 24, 2023
Specialty Program Group LLC, (SPG), one of the most successful and fastest-growing specialty platforms, announced that it has acquired the assets of Agency Two Insurance Marketing Group, LLC (d/b/a AgencyONE), a nationally renowned Brokerage General Agency (BGA) specializing in empowering financial advisors to deliver responsible wealth and risk management solutions through insurance – Life, Annuities, Disability, and Long Term Care.
AgencyONE has established itself as a trusted partner to a select group of independent insurance advisors and wealth managers nationwide who focus on planning and implementing financial strategies using insurance-based solutions designed to help secure their clients' families and businesses. By offering full-service, highly personalized back-office support, AgencyONE enables advisors to prioritize the client experience while delivering tailored solutions for financial security and wealth transition.
By acquiring AgencyONE's operations, SPG builds upon its acquisition of the assets of Brokers' Service Marketing Group II LLC, now operating as a division of SPG (BSMG) and expands its life and annuity distribution network.The AgencyONE team, lead by principals Dennis C. Bartos, Gonzalo M. Garcia and Cathy Neifeld will join SPG.
"We're thrilled to join forces with AgencyONE - as we continue to build out a national BGA network of like-minded, leading firms - something truly unique in the life and annuity distribution space," said Jason Lea, CEO of BSMG and head of SPG's Life & Annuity strategy. Lea added that "Gonzalo and his team at AgencyONE are recognized industry leaders and innovators in the advanced markets and underwriting space. I'm excited to get to work with the AgencyONE team to build our shared vision for a differentiated life and annuity platform."
According to Garcia, "Over the past four years, AgencyONE has explored several partnership opportunities without finding a firm that met our business objectives or values. SPG's recent acquisition of Jason's team at BSMG caught our attention. This move allowed SPG an entrée into the wholesale distribution of life, long-term care, and disability insurance, as well as annuities. My partners and I recognized that SPG aligns perfectly with our business objectives and commitment to serving our advisors' advanced planning and underwriting needs. We are very confident about the future success of this partnership and the growth and expansion it will offer AgencyONE. We are excited to be a part of the SPG Team."
By combining the strengths of BSMG and AgencyONE, financial advisors will benefit from expanded resources, advanced planning techniques, and enhanced access to insurance-based solutions.
About AgencyONE
AgencyONE is a Brokerage General Agency (BGA) partnership with long-term industry experience. They are dedicated to collaborating with and empowering financial advisors to deliver responsible and holistic wealth and risk management solutions using insurance-based planning and high-level carrier relationships. By providing full-service back-office support including customized advanced planning strategies and case design, highly skilled medical underwriting, and personalized case management, AgencyONE enables advisors to focus on delivering extraordinary client experiences while ensuring financial security and orderly wealth transition. For more information, visit agencyone.net
About Brokers' Service Marketing Group (BSMG)
For over 50 years, the BSMG operations have delivered uncompromising support and service to top producers in Life, Annuity, and Long-Term Care Insurance. BSMG maintains a long-standing and well-earned reputation for excellence in providing exceptional guidance to financial service professionals and financial institutions. For more information, please visit bsmg.net
About Specialty Program Group
Specialty Program Group LLC (SPG) is a leading specialty platform headquartered in Chicago, IL, with a diverse portfolio of specialty insurance operations spanning underwriting management, digital solutions, wholesale and specialty retail brokerage, and insurance services. SPG has a track record of scaling industry leading businesses by providing access to business resources, technology and process efficiency, capital and investment, deep carrier relationships, and a broad distribution network. Visit specialtyprogramgroup.com to learn more about how SPG can help you scale your specialty business.
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