WHATS AHEAD FOR LIBERTY MUTUAL, OHIO CASUALTY ?
For agents, the Liberty Mutual Agency Markets acquisition of Ohio Casualty acquisition promises to be a matter of addition, not subtraction. For the most part, Ohio Casualty’s 3,400 agents will join with and not replace or be replaced by Liberty Mutual’s existing 6,500 independent agents, according to Gary Gregg, president of Liberty Mutual Agency Markets. “The idea is not to subtract but add,” said Gregg. This is possible because Ohio Casualty’s strength in Midwest and Atlantic regions largely complements rather than overlaps with the territories where Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional carriers write. Ohio Casualty writes in 48 states but its $1.4 billion in business is concentrated in Midwest and Atlantic states including Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mary-land and the District of Columbia. There is “very little overlap” among agencies for the two companies — less than 15 percent by location, Gregg maintained. There is no plan to systematically drop agencies, he said,
