RISK MANAGEMENT,INSURANCE TECHNOLOGY
AF Group and AmeriTrust Group | January 10, 2023
AF Group, a widely-acclaimed holding company, recently acquired AmeriTrust Group. The acquisition, which was first announced in April 2022 and now received regulatory approval, brings together two world-class, Michigan-based insurance organizations operating in the property and casualty market.
Daniel J. Loepp, President and CEO of AF Group's parent company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, commented, "Adding a trusted and respected company like AmeriTrust to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan enterprise is exceptional news for our organization." He further states, "We look forward to the expanded capabilities and talented team AmeriTrust will add to AF Group's industry-leading expertise in the property and casualty space, enabling greater service offerings to agents and customers."
(Source: PR Newswire)
The acquisition empowers AF Group to provide its customers with a broader range of products and services while solidifying its increasingly powerful position and standing in the market, which has grown tremendously over the last decade. Acknowledged for its financial strength as Ward's 50 company and A.M. Best's ‘A’ (excellent) rating, AF Group is also known for its award-winning people-first culture.
"We could not be more pleased to welcome the AmeriTrust team to our organization," expressed Lisa Corless, President and CEO of AF Group. "The work and commitment of AmeriTrust associates has led to a very strong reputation in the industry, and we're excited to add their expertise and capabilities as we broaden our product offerings to the benefit of our partner agents and shared policyholders nationwide," she concluded.
(Source: PR Newswire)
About AF Group
AF Group is a globally-known holding firm headquartered in Lansing (Michigan), whose affiliated insurance brands are premier suppliers of creative, specialist insurance solutions. Owing to the strength of AF Group and its brands, its customers have access to qualified insurance specialists as well as the support needed to keep prices low and workers safe. The dedicated and committed team at AF Group uses industry-leading best practices, analytics, and resources to manage risk and limit loss for its policyholders while growing relationships with its valued independent agent partners.
About AmeriTrust Group, Inc.
Based in Southfield (Michigan), the company is a highly acclaimed specialty, niche-focused commercial insurance underwriter and provider of insurance administration services in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry. AmeriTrust provides insurance solutions to a variety of trade, industry, professional associations, governmental entities, affinity groups, and independent agents. Carrier activities include six insurance firms that are licensed in all 50 states, both admitted and non-admitted.
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WORKERS COMPENSATION, COMPLIANCE
PRweb | March 23, 2023
Future Capital has announced an exciting new partnership with Ease that enables insurance brokers to offer professional retirement planning services as a voluntary benefit to their clients through the award-winning Ease platform.
A 2021 J.P. Morgan survey showed that 62% of retirement plan participants wish they could completely hand over retirement planning. With this first-of-its-kind partnership, brokers can offer professional retirement planning as a voluntary benefit without the need for special licensing, retirement industry knowledge, or a relationship with an employer’s particular retirement plan.
"We're thrilled to partner with Future Capital to offer retirement planning services through the Ease platform, " said Ease CEO and Co-Founder, David Reid. "We know employers want to provide professional retirement planning to current and prospective employees. We’re proud to make this valuable new financial wellness benefit available to insurance brokers so they can bring even more value to their clients.”
A technology-driven registered investment advisor (RIA) specializing in retirement planning and asset management, Future Capital makes it easy for insurance brokers to offer professional retirement planning services by eliminating the need for technical integrations, special licensing, or existing relationships with retirement plans.
"We're proud to be the first retirement solution to partner with Ease,” said Jay Jumper, Founder and CEO of Future Capital. "We believe that our solution is a perfect fit for the powerful HR and benefits platform Ease has built, and we look forward to helping insurance brokers expand their offerings and grow their businesses."
About Ease
Ease is the #1 rated benefits administration and HR software for businesses with 2-250 employees, powered by insurance brokers. More than 2,300 agencies trust Ease to help them and their clients grow. Over 85,000 businesses trust Ease to manage benefits & HR for 3.4 million+ employees. Visit ease.com for more.
About Future Capital
For more than 20 years, Future Capital has provided powerful tools, customized services, and professional management of retirement assets to help employees retire with confidence. For more information, visit futurecapital.com.
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CORE INSURANCE, RISK MANAGEMENT
Simplicity Group and Insurance Designers of America | March 06, 2023
Simplicity Group Holdings, Inc. (Simplicity) recently informed that it has acquired Insurance Designers of America (IDA), a leading insurance marketing organization (IMO), in order to provide a comprehensive range of services.
As a result of this merger, Simplicity and IDA will now provide their respective members with a market-leading, tech-enabled distribution platform along with an unrivaled range of sales and marketing services.
Bruce Donaldson, Simplicity's President and CEO, expressed, "We have known the partners of IDA for many years and have always admired the spirit of true, equitable partnership, which was one of the founding characteristics of the group."
He continued, "Simplicity was founded on the premise that all our partners should be treated equitably and enjoy all the aspects of our growing platform. We recognize that independent distributors have a choice with whom they wish to affiliate and we are thrilled that IDA has chosen Simplicity to be its long-term partner."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
Ethan Emmett, Executive Director of IDA remarked, "Partnering with Simplicity is a natural evolution in the growth of IDA and the furthering of our mission to best serve our member agencies and ultimately provide consumers access to the best insurance solutions across life, annuity, LTC and DI."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About Simplicity Group
Simplicity Group offers holistic financial professionals and their clients a full range of products and services for every stage of life, guided by education, value, and cooperation. The company offers its advisor, agent, broker-dealer, and financial institution partners best-in-class and proprietary guaranteed income, life insurance, wealth management, long-term care products as well as operational support. Besides, it also provides sales, marketing materials, and training to help its partners build businesses and serve their clients.
About Insurance Designers of America
Founded in 1986, IDA is one of Georgia's oldest, largest, and most-esteemed IMOs. The company was founded by former agency heads of a national insurance carrier that was quitting the agency distribution system to fill the void as insurance companies focused entirely on product manufacturing and sought alternative distribution channels. Currently, it has over 50 agencies and $250+ million in yearly premiums, giving it the capacity and resources to support over 85,000 financial professionals with their client's insurance needs.
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