Conning: Insurance M&A Picked Up

The U.S. insurance market seems to have ended a 5-year slump in mergers and acquisitions, according to Conning Research & Consulting.

Conning, Hartford, says the number of transactions in all sectors increased 35%, and the total value of the deals increased 224%.

Acquirers were more like to buy specialized units to add expertise than to make deals simply to increase their size, Conning says.