With agency valuations falling and owners looking for exit strategies, credit unions might want to consider searching for deals to acquire insurance agencies, according to one industry expert.

"For credit unions looking to build an annuitizing fee income stream while rapidly expanding their field of membership, buying a local insurance agency book of business may be one of the best deployments of capital," said Woody Ratterman, senior vice president at MarshBerry Inc., a mergers, acquisition and agency advisory firm, who spoke at NACUSO's annual conference in Las Vegas this week.

Ratterman said the Willoughby, Ohio-based MarshBerry has assisted more than a dozen credit unions in purchasing local insurance agencies.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to CUTimes.com, part of your ALM digital membership.

  • Critical CUTimes.com information including comprehensive product and service provider listings via the Marketplace Directory, CU Careers, resources from industry leaders, webcasts, and breaking news, analysis and more with our informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM and CU Times events.
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including Law.com and GlobeSt.com.
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.