Big Gains & Big Bets in the Independent Insurance Channel: Sustained Growth Pushes Acquisitions & Insuretech Investments.

• Date: 26 November 2018

* Independent insurance agents and brokers can celebrate a four-year growth trend. So reports Reagan Consulting upon releasing its third-quarter Organic Growth and Profitability (OGP) study The industry organic growth rate in Q3 was 6.1%--tied for the highest growth rate in the last 15 quarters. "This strong Q3 performance is another confidence builder for the industry," says Harrison Brooks, vice president of the firm.

All lines of business contributed to the strongest nine-month growth performance since September 2013. Commercial lines led industry growth at 6.8%, surpassing group benefits growth for the first time since 2014. Group benefits continued strong growth at 6.3% and personal lines - at 3.8% growth - posted its highest Q3 growth rate since Reagan began the OGP survey in 2008.

Brokers expect strong growth throughout 2018, estimating a full-year growth rate of 6.0% versus just 4.5% in...