(Reuters) – Private equity firm Carlyle Group Inc told Reuters on Monday it has agreed to acquire U.S. specialty insurance provider NSM Insurance Group from White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd for $1.78 billion in cash.
Carlyle said the deal is expected to close in the second half of this year. The transaction is expected to add $280 per share to White Mountains’ adjusted book value.
Private equity firms have been driving consolidation in the insurance brokerage sector. Mergers and acquisitions in the insurance sector more than doubled in volume to a total of $58 billion in 2021 from $22 billion a year earlier, according to consulting firm Deloitte.
(Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Greg Roumeliotis)