Ecclesia purchases tenth brokerage firm

DETMOLD, Germany--Ecclesia Group, Germany's second largest commercialbrokerage firm behind AON Jauch & Hübener, recently announced its tenthinsurance brokerage acquisition of the year.Ecclesia Group, one of the partners in the international insurance brokerEOS RISQ N.V. in Antwerp, Belgium, bought Cologne-based Interassekuranz Sitt& Overlack A.G. late last month, said Norbert Noehrbass, Ecclesia'schief executive officer.

The purchase date was retroactive to January 1, 2006, he said. Financialdetails of the deal were not disclosed.

This year, Detmold-based Ecclesia has also bought Germany's oldest brokerage J.L. Orth GmbH in Nürnberg, which was founded in 1798.

Ecclesia now has 1,400 employees and about 30 offices around Germany. Theexpanded Cologne offices will have 160 employees—85 coming from the newacquisition, said Mr. Noehrbass. He noted that his company bought two otherCologne brokerages earlier this year.

Ecclesia has placed insurance premiums in excess of €2 billion and has seenits turnover increase from €98 million in 2005 to €128 million in 2006, Mr. Noehrbass said.