Insurance M&A deals reach $24.6B in first-half 2021
Insurance brokerage transactions contributed to 85% of deal volume for the first five months of this year, PwC reported.
Five megadeals in the first half of 2021 are just the beginning of what’s anticipated to be a robust year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the insurance industry.
According to new insights from PwC, 215 insurance deals were announced in the first five months of the year, collectively valued at $24.6 billion.
“The pace and magnitude of insurance dealmaking continued to accelerate in the first half of the year as sellers look to capitalize on the high valuations driven by strong demand for insurance businesses,” Mark Friedman, PwC insurance deals leader, said in a statement.
Although life and annuity carriers primarily drove deal value for the first half of 2021, announced insurance brokerage transactions contributed to 85% of reported deal volume.
A few notable deals for the period include Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s acquisition of Willis Re and other Willis Towers Watson assets for $3.7 billion and Apollo Global Management Inc.’s purchase of Athene Holding Ltd. for $11 billion.
Deal drivers
PwC predicts strong M&A activity for the remainder of this year driven by record levels of deployable capital and continued interest in insurance carriers and distribution.
“We expect private equity firms and asset managers to continue their push into the insurance sector, specifically in the life insurance and annuity space,” said the professional services firm, which added that increased interest in acquisitions from mutual insurers is also expected.
However, PwC warned of regulatory hurdles that could stand in the way of certain deals, such as the recent DOJ lawsuit to block the Aon-Willis Towers Watson merger due to the risk of over-concentration of top brokers and agents.
Nevertheless, PwC points to four key drivers that are pushing deals forward this year.
1. The nature of capital. Private equity investors are actively competing to expand their insurance footprint, especially in the life market. Additionally, domestic mutual insurers are not as sensitive to potential tax changes (other than statutory rate changes) compared with multinational insurers, making them attractive partners, PwC noted.
2. Geopolitical and regulatory shifts. Uncertainty around future tax proposals out of the Biden administration could lead to an uptick in M&A activity, PwC stated. Also, macroeconomic factors such as low-interest rates and the effects of U.S. stimulus payments could increase rates that may benefit insurers’ investment returns and profitability.
3. Hardening market. Several P&C business lines are firming, which has driven higher underwriting profits for P&C carriers but also distribution challenges as brokers’ access to hardening markets is impacted. According to PwC, there will be further activity for small to midsized brokerage targets in the coming years “as sellers capitalize on the active market from big market consolidators in the space.”
4. Innovation and transformation. There was significant interest and investment in the InsurTech space in Q1 and Q2 of 2021, said PwC. This activity included traditional IPOs and mergers with special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC), such as Hippo’s deal with Reinvent Technology Partners Z. “Corporate venture capital has been a quiet but important part of the InsurTech boom, as carriers have moved to gain access to promising technologies and development teams,” PwC said. “Still, insurers that invest in tech companies can face particular challenges because attitudes toward risk are so different; post-deal integration work around culture can influence how successful a transaction is over the long term.”
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