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) […]
The Valuation Rule of Thumb
In insurance industry circles, there is a certain industry parlance tied to what independent agencies are worth. Agency owners have historically thrown out numbers like “I am worth “X” times revenue.” Many buy-sell agreements will incorporate language that stipulates that the value of the agency will be determined in such a manner at the time […]
The Independent Agency System Report Card – 2025 Evaluation
Do you remember when you were a kid and you’d get your report card? It created such buzz and anticipation with your classmates. The nervous energy was palpable as you prepped for opening the report card and thinking of how you were going to explain your school’s progress report to your parents. In this article, […]
How to Sell Your Insurance Agency
In today’s independent agency space, the increased frequency, size, and temptation of external sales are both inevitable and undeniable. IA Valuations, a DBA for the Ohio Insurance Agents Association (OIA), cares about seeing agency owners exit well, regardless of whether it is an internal or external sale. Good exits create good stories, which generates interest […]
Six Key Factors That Impact Insurance Agency Valuations
In the dynamic landscape of independent insurance agencies, understanding the many risk factors that influence agency valuation is crucial. These factors can significantly impact the value of an agency, whether it is being evaluated for internal perpetuation, external sale, or business planning purposes. In this article, we discuss six key factors that impact the valuation […]
The Quiet Reason Many Agents are Selling Their Agencies
How Stress and Burnout are Contributing to Agency Sales There are many factors why an agency owner sells their agency, including: retirement age, financial gain, and the 3-Ds (Divorce, Disability, and Death). However, the undocumented but growing reason that we are hearing about is stress and burnout. In many industries, including insurance, the pandemic gave […]
Three Keys to an Internal Perpetuation
“What if one of your account managers or producers won the lottery at lunch and didn’t come back that afternoon? How would the agency manage?” asked keynote speaker Kelly Donaue-Piro of Agency Performance Partners at IACON 2024, the annual conference for the Ohio Insurance Agents Association (OIA). Start with a series of questions. What is […]
Navigating Private Equity in the Independent Agent System: Strategic Insights for Agency Owners
The world of independent insurance agencies is undergoing transformational change transformational change as private equity (PE) continues to reshape the industry landscape. In a recent discussion, experts Jeff Smith and Jarod Steed from IA Valuations, along with Dan Girardi from Keystone Agency Partners and James Parker from BroadStreet Partners, explored how private equity’s influence is […]
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 […]
The Resiliency of the Independent Insurance Agency System and How You Can Leverage It
Why has private equity fallen in love with the independent insurance agent? Many would be quick to tell you that the insurance broker and agent industry is steady. It weathers storms. Thus, private equity interest in this space has remained so high. While this sentiment is true, how do we know it’s true? How do […]