Mergers & Acquisitions

Agency mergers & acquisitions activity slowed to 148 deals in the first quarter of 2026, according to OPTIS Partners, who believe the decline is bottoming out.

Agency mergers & acquisitions activity slowed to 695 deals in 2025, according to OPTIS Partners, with the number of buyers continuing to fall since 2021.

WTW has agreed to buy the San Francisco-based broker Newfront, in a move to expand its high-growth reach in the U.S.

The Baldwin Group and CAC Group have agreed to merge, which will create one of the largest independent insurance advisory and distribution platforms in the U.S.

2025 has told a tale of two very different market realities for public brokers. Here’s what that means for agency mergers & acquisitions.

Marsh McLennan announced it is changing its brand to Marsh, effective January 2026. The company has also created a new unit to centralize investments in operations, data, artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics.

The Florida-based insurance broker is expected to close the $9.8 billion cash-and-stock deal in the third quarter of 2025.

Mergers and acquisition insurance sector deals dropped 15% to 141 in the first quarter of 2025, a decline from 166 in the first quarter of 2024.

While 2024 saw decreased mergers and acquisition activity from the previous four years, activity was still higher than in pre-pandemic years.