Valuation Views: 2025 Q3 Marketplace Report
The New Competitive Edge: Attracting and Developing the Next Generation In today’s competitive insurance landscape, staffing transcends routine hiring; it’s a strategic imperative. IA Valuations’ 2025 Q3 data shows that agencies with a higher proportion of younger producers significantly outperform their peers. Agencies with 41% of producers under age 35 (among those over $5M in […]
Is Now the Right Time to Transition Your Agency? 10 Critical Factors to Consider
Transitioning ownership of your insurance agency isn’t a decision you make lightly. It’s the culmination of decades of work, relationships, and strategic planning. Yet many agency owners struggle with the fundamental question: When is the right time?
Building Value Through Talent Acquisition – A Case Study for Independent Insurance Agencies
Today’s insurance landscape is facing a “talent desert,” and agencies that want to thrive are shifting their focus from chasing revenue to acquiring growth-minded professionals. These sellers, often younger, ambitious, and hungry for scale, are the oasis in this dry terrain. When you find one, the impact can be transformative. A well-aligned talent acquisition doesn’t […]
Private Equity in Insurance: What Independent Agencies Need to Know
What Drives Agency Valuations in Today’s Private Equity Landscape The insurance brokerage industry has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past decade. Private equity capital has flooded the space, creating approximately 45 institutional buyers actively consolidating the fragmented landscape of about 35,000 independent agencies. For agency owners navigating this market, whether considering a sale, planning […]
Minimizing the Risks of an Agency Acquisition: Lessons From Those Who Have Been There
Buying or selling an independent insurance agency can be one of the fastest ways to spark growth, but it’s not without risk. Financial hurdles, cultural misalignment, and integration challenges can turn what looks like a great opportunity into a headache. A group of industry leaders recently sat down for a candid conversation about what makes […]
Valuation Views: 2025 Q2 Marketplace Report
2024 AGENCY CONTINGENCY PERFORMANCE CONTINUES DOWNWARD TREND WHILE P&C INDUSTRY REBOUNDS TO UNDERWRITING PROFITABILITY Last year was another rough year for contingency bonuses. While the P&C Industry posted a combined loss ratio of 97.1% and many carriers started to get back to underwriting profitability (Chubb was the league leader with 86.6% combined ratio and $9B […]
2025 Q1 Marketplace Report
2025 Q1 MARKETPLACE REPORT – AGENT/BROKER M&A ACTIVITY 2024 was the year of the Mega Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). With four deals accounting for over $35B in M&A activity, 2024 represented another year of consolidation in the independent agency space. The IA system has been experiencing heavy M&A activity since 2014 when Private Equity (PE) […]
Navigating the Complexities of Insurance Agency Acquisitions: Insights from Industry Leaders
The landscape of agency acquisitions is as challenging as it is rewarding, requiring a delicate balance between strategic alignment, financial prudence, and cultural fit. IA Valuations’ CEO, Jeff Smith, and Director of Business Planning and Valuations, Craig Niess, led a conversation with industry experts Missy Kahl (Bickle Insurance), Vaughn Troyer (Hummel Group), and Rob Smith […]
The Ins and Outs of EBITDA and How to Leverage It
“I bought this book of business for two times 25 years ago; I was just going to do the same when I’m ready to retire.” This is one of the most common quips IA Valuations hears from the generation of agency owners getting ready to retire, and we fear it could leave much on the […]
Available Internal Perpetuation Options: The Agency Perpetuation Process Part 2
When it comes to planning for your agency’s internal perpetuation, there are numerous factors to consider, each requiring careful consideration and strategic discussion. This article, the second in this series by IA Valuations, will provide deeper insight into these elements and hopefully shed light on some of the complexities in these situations. Having a deeper […]