O'Connors and Ford Campbell Corporate Finance to advise on consolidation transactions.

Legal adviser O'Connors and corporate finance adviser Ford Campbell Corporate Finance have teamed up to help brokers looking to join consolidators.

The North West firms, which both have experience working in the insurance sector, said they can help broking firms achieve the best value for their businesses at a time when there is significant consolidation in the market.

Nigel Wallis, a partner with O’Connors, said: “Insurance brokers are facing a period of massive change with consolidation gaining pace and insurers and IT providers moving in on brokers’ traditional territory. There is a relatively limited window of opportunity, perhaps 18 months, for broking firms to take advantage of the market dynamics and strike the best deals."

Neil Worsley, corporate finance director at Ford Campbell, said: “Conditions in the UK general insurance market present an ideal but finite opportunity for brokerages to realise the maximum value for their business. Ford Campbell and O’Connors have joined forces in a unique initiative to help businesses get the most from this window of opportunity.”

Major consolidators in the sector include Towergate, Jelf, Oval and Aon, who have been involved in a number of acquisitions during the past year. Insurers themselves have also been active in buying brokerages to secure their route to market.