Leading the pack of the nation's largest privately-held P/C agencies is the Hampton, N.H.-based Strategic Independent Agents Alliance with reported 2005 P/C premium volume of $4.1 billion. Founded in 1983, SIAA has over 1,900 independent agencies in its network and operates in 48 states.
Coming in at number two on the IJ Top 100 list is Lockton Companies Inc. based in Kansas City, Mo. Founded in 1969, Lockton wrote $2.2 billion in 2005 P/C premium and $600 million in non-P/C premium last year. The firm currently employs more than 2,000 employees and represents more than 100 insurers.
Alliant Resources Group Inc. in Newport Beach, Calif., took the number three spot with $1.1 billion in 2005 P/C premium and $634.9 million in non-P/C premium last year. Founded in 2000, Alliant has 785 employees.
Mesirow Financial - Insurance Services Division, based in Chicago, Ill., came in at number four with $916.5 million in 2005 P/C premium. Mesirow, founded in 1972, employs 303 employees.
Rounding out the top five in IJ's Top 100 Privately-Held Property/Casualty Agencies list for 2006 was Keystone Insurers Group based in Northumberland, Penn. Keystone's agencies wrote $744 million in 2005 P/C premium and $121.1 million in non-P/C premium last year. Founded in 1983, Keystone employs 1,000 workers.
Other privately-held independent agencies in the top 10 of IJ's Top 100 list in 2006 include: The Leavitt Group (6) in Cedar City, Utah; Hylant Group Inc. (7) in Toledo, Ohio; Keenan & Associates (8) in Torrance, Calif.; Insurance Office of America (9) in Longwood, Fla.; and The IMA Financial Group Inc. (10) in Wichita, Kan.
IJ's Top 100 list ranked agencies based on their 2005 P/C premium volume that was submitted directly to Insurance Journal. The information was collected from voluntary online submissions from agencies, brokerages and best estimates based on other public information sources. There are agencies that would be eligible for listing but for which no information was received or located. Also, submitted data was not independently verified. Insurance Journal thanks all those companies that were willing to share their information.