By James Thaler

April 28 - (The Insurer) - Victor Insurance is acquiring professional liability wholesaler ProWriters, boosting the build-out of the nascent Victor Access platform as parent Marsh seeks to expand its footprint in wholesale broking.

Sources with knowledge of the situation said the transaction is expected to be announced this week.

Details on the amount of premium volume ProWriters handles and the valuation attached to the business in the sale to Marsh and Victor could not immediately be confirmed.

Marsh and ProWriters did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Malvern, Pennsylvania-based ProWriters was launched in 2008 by Venture Insurance Programs and spun out as an independent company in 2012.

The wholesale intermediary is led by president Brian Thornton. It focuses on placing coverage for professional and management liability, as well as cyber liability, privacy liability, underwriting, E&O, D&O and employment practices liability.

E&S Insurer was the first to report in December 2023 that Marsh had appointed Jack Sallada, the leader of its Qualified Solutions Group, as president of Victor Access and reported a year ago that Marsh’s wholesale arm had been appointed by E&S carriers and had begun placing risks.

The launch of Victor Access represented a move by Marsh to expand its existing MGA arm Victor into wholesale brokerage.

Marsh’s deal for ProWriters continues an active period for M&A among wholesale and MGA businesses.

E&S Insurer was the first to report in February that independent wholesaler CRC Group is in talks to acquire Long Island-based ARC Excess & Surplus and in March reported that Risk Placement Services was acquiring Litchfield Special Risks.

In March, CRC acquired Texas-based Risk Transfer Partners.

Ryan Specialty has been highly active in the MGA space, with its recently announced agreement to buy alternative risk transfer-focused USQRisk the latest in a string of deals that have expanded the wholesale and underwriting company’s delegated authority footprint.