The Principal Financial Group has announced an agreement to acquire California-based First Dental Health.
Upon closing, expected in October 2012, First Dental Health will become a member of the Principal Financial Group.
First Dental Health, an independent dental preferred provider organization, includes more than 11,000 credentialed dentists with locations in California, Arizona and Nevada.
The Principal serves more than 27,000 employers across all states, plus the District of Columbia. Principal dental products offer covered employees and their dependents flexible, comprehensive plan designs that focus on preventive care.
Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory and other approvals.
In other industry news:
The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company has hired Michael Pendergrass as sales manager of Premier Advisors Group, Penn Mutual’s career agency in Tulsa, Okla., in their new Oklahoma City location.
Before joining Penn Mutual, Pendergrass was vice president of field management with a global financial services company. He holds his FINRA series 7, 24 and 66 licenses, and is a registered representative of and offers securities and investment advisory services through Hornor, Townsend, & Kent, Inc. He has been a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors since 2005.
Pendergrass earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from Oklahoma State University.
Security Mutual Life, New York, has promoted Kevin McKeown to the position of senior vice president, chief financial officer. McKeown is responsible for the company’s internal accounting and controls, and is also extensively involved in all aspects of company and subsidiary planning and reporting as well as regulatory financial reporting.
McKeown has been with Security Mutual for 29 years and had been serving the company as vice president and controller for the past seven years. He joined Security in 1983 as an associate auditor and was promoted to director of accounting in 1986. He is a graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.