Global Insurance Mergers & Acquisitions in 2009: Still Sitting on the Bench
Mike Warner
Conning, Inc.
860-299-2408
Mike.Warner@Conning.com
Conning Research: 2009 U.S. Insurance Industry Mergers & Acquisitions Transaction Values Declined for Fifth Year in a Row
--U.S. M&A Values at Lowest Levels Since 2002
--Early Indications Suggest Resurgence in 2010
(Hartford, CT) April 8, 2010—The U.S. saw a significant decline in the reported value of insurance industry M&A transactions in 2009, and overall global transaction values also declined further from very low 2008 levels, according to a new study by Conning Research & Consulting.
“In the U.S., the value of insurance industry transactions was the lowest we have reported since 2002,” said Jerry Theodorou, analyst at Conning Research & Consulting. “The property-casualty sector dropped 78 percent last year, while U.S. life-annuity marked its second year below $1 billion in M&A values, and health insurance also dipped below $1 billion. Insurance services posted the only increase in values year over year, and represented more than half of the total transaction value for the industry.”
The Conning Research study, “Global Insurance Mergers & Acquisitions in 2009,” tracks and analyzes both U.S. and non-U.S. insurance industry M&A activity across property-casualty, life, health and distribution and services sectors.
“Non-U.S. M&A transaction values actually increased 58 percent, due to significantly larger transactions in the life-annuity and health sectors, while non-U.S. property-casualty declined for the second year,” said Stephan Christiansen, director of research at Conning. “Looking forward, we are already seeing that pent-up demand is driving increased M&A activity in most sectors of the insurance market, as economic and credit conditions improve and valuations rise again to more normal levels.”
“Global Insurance Mergers & Acquisitions in 2009” is available for purchase from Conning Research & Consulting by calling (888) 707-1177 or by visiting the company’s web site at www.conningresearch.com.
About Conning Research & Consulting
Conning Research & Consulting is a division of Conning, a provider of asset management and insurance industry research and advisory services to insurers. Conning Research & Consulting has published independent insurance industry research for 50 years, including market coverage of 30 segments of the industry in addition to industry forecasting and identification and analysis of major strategic issues. As a result of its wealth of experience and intimate knowledge of the insurance industry, Conning understands industry challenges and opportunities and provides in-depth analyses on a wide range of industry products and issues. Conning is headquartered in Hartford, CT.