If you own an insurance agency, the most active buyers today are brokers backed by private equity that buy independent agencies one at a time and bring them into a regional or national group. Large publicly traded brokers buy too, sometimes whole groups at once. Other agencies, family offices and your own producers are possible buyers as well.

What makes those buyers pay more is mostly predictable: a book that renews, growth that comes from new accounts and not only from rate increases, a mix of lines they want, producers who are staying, and a business that does not depend on the owner’s personal relationships.

The short version

  • Who buys: brokers backed by private equity, large publicly traded brokers, other agencies, family offices, and sometimes the agency’s own producers.
  • What they pay more for: strong retention, real organic growth, a balanced mix of lines and carriers, a book spread across several producers, and clean data.
  • How to get the best result: put the agency in front of several of those buyers at once, confidentially, instead of taking the first offer that arrives.

Who has been buying insurance agencies

The deals below come from public announcements. None of them is a Hello Exit transaction, and naming a buyer here does not mean it works with Hello Exit or is looking for any particular agency. They show who is active and how these deals tend to be structured.

Buyers have also become more selective. OPTIS Partners, which tracks agency deals, reported that announced agency acquisitions in the first half of 2026 were down 15% from a year earlier, the slowest start to a year since 2016, and that buyers backed by private equity made 76% of them. BroadStreet Partners and Inszone Insurance Services were the most active buyers. Fewer deals means the agencies that do sell need to be well prepared and in front of the right buyers.

Brokers backed by private equity

The most common buyer for an established independent agency is a broker that already owns many agencies and is adding more. These buyers often keep the local name and team, and add carrier access, systems and back office support.

Large publicly traded brokers

The largest public brokers buy individual agencies and, at times, entire groups that were themselves built by acquisition.

Other agencies, family offices and your own team

Larger independent agencies buy smaller ones nearby to add accounts and producers. Family offices invest their own capital and can hold an agency for a long time. Some owners sell to their own producers or managers over time, often called internal perpetuation. That keeps the agency independent, but the price is usually paid over years and depends on the next generation’s ability to fund it, so it is worth comparing with what outside buyers would pay.

What insurance agency buyers pay more for

Every buyer looks at revenue and earnings first. After that, these are the things that most often move what an agency buyer will pay and how much of the price comes at closing.

Retention

Retention is the first thing buyers test, because they are buying commission income that renews. Know your retention by line of business and by producer, and be ready to show how you calculate it.

Organic growth, separated from rate

Buyers separate growth that came from new accounts from growth that came from carriers raising premiums. An agency that wins new business on its own is worth more than one whose revenue rose only because rates did.

The mix of lines and carriers

Commercial lines, personal lines and employee benefits attract different buyers, and so do specialty programs. Know your revenue by line and by carrier, which carrier appointments you hold, and how much of your income comes from contingent or profit-sharing commissions, which buyers treat as less predictable than base commission.

How the book is spread across producers

If a few producers hold most of the accounts, a buyer will ask what happens if one of them leaves. Buyers also read your producer agreements, especially who owns the accounts and what a producer may do with them after leaving.

How much the agency depends on you

If you personally hold the largest accounts and carrier relationships, a buyer is paying for an agency that may not perform without you. Owners who have moved accounts and relationships to their team usually get better terms, with more of the price paid at closing and less tied to how the book performs afterward.

Clean financials and data

Buyers will ask for several years of financial statements, commission statements that reconcile to them, and data from your agency management system. Clean data makes the agency easier to underwrite and harder to discount.

Why it pays to have several buyers at the table

The same agency can look very different to different buyers. A broker building a presence in your region may value your location and producers. A buyer focused on commercial lines may value one part of your book far more than the rest. A family office may value steady income and a long hold. When you talk to only one of them, you only learn what that one will pay.

Putting the agency in front of several qualified buyers at once, confidentially, tests price and terms against each other. Buyers learn who you are only after signing an NDA, so employees, carriers, clients and competitors do not find out early.

Hello Exit is a sell-side M&A advisor for founders selling businesses from $1 million to $400 million, and it is the team behind 1,000+ acquisitions and exits. Every engagement starts from accurate information. Hello Exit’s Exit Report is an advisory estimate that shows the strategic case, where strategic buyers exist, and the financial case side by side, along with an honest read on readiness. If the agency is not ready to sell, Hello Exit says so and helps you get there first.

See how the process works, from the first confidential call to closing, what Hello Exit does, and what M&A advisors charge.

Size matters too. Below roughly $1 million in value, selling to a nearby agency or through a business broker is usually the practical route. Above $400 million, an investment bank is usually the better fit.

Before you talk to buyers

Common questions

Who buys insurance agencies?

Mostly brokers backed by private equity that combine independent agencies, large publicly traded brokers, other agencies, family offices and, in some cases, the agency’s own producers. Which of them fits depends on your size, your mix of lines and your region.

Can I sell my agency to my own producers?

Yes. A sale to producers or managers keeps the agency independent, but it is usually paid over time and depends on their ability to finance it. Getting outside offers first tells you what the agency is worth in the market before you agree an internal price.

Will I have to stay after I sell my agency?

Usually for a transition period, so clients and carriers stay with the agency. Many agency deals also tie part of the price to how the book performs after closing. The less the agency depends on you, the lighter that commitment tends to be.

Is my agency big enough for an M&A advisor?

Hello Exit works with businesses from $1 million to $400 million in value. Below roughly $1 million, a sale to a nearby agency or through a business broker is usually the better route.