Investing Trends

Minneapolis -

MINNEAPOLIS -- Collins, whose strong growth has enabled it to become one of the world’s leading reinsurance brokers, has formed a new subsidiary – Collins Capital Advisors LLC – with plans to assist firms in the insurance and reinsurance industry with investment banking advice and capital markets expertise, Collins President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Denzer announced today.

Gregory G. Clapp, a veteran of insurance practices at Wall Street investment banking firms, has been named managing director and head of Collins Capital Advisors, which will be based in New York City.

“Collins Capital Advisors is being established to offer traditional investment banking services in such areas as private equity, debt, mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic financial advice,” Mr. Denzer said. “It also will focus on developing and delivering capital market solutions, which could include securitizations, cat bonds or other insurance-linked securities.

“We’re proud that Greg Clapp, with his exceptional expertise and track record, has joined Collins to lead this operation,” Mr. Denzer added.

Mr. Clapp has been a senior investment banker serving the insurance industry for the last 14 years. Prior to joining Collins, he was a managing director at Fox-Pitt, Kelton, where he led the insurance investment banking practice and served on the management committee. Prior to that position, he held a similar position at Sandler, O’Neill & Partners. He was also a managing director in the insurance practice at J.P. Morgan Chase.

“I’m pleased and excited to join Collins,” Mr. Clapp said. “The model we are developing to offer knowledgeable, independent financial advice is clearly what the market wants, and what I hope to contribute.

“The extensive insights of Collins’ professionals, combined with our new financial advisory services, will offer a powerful new advantage to companies in the marketplace,” he added.

Mr. Clapp began his career with Chase Manhattan Bank in 1983 and worked in leveraged finance and debt restructuring before joining Chase’s insurance banking practice in 1993. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and also studied at the London School of Economics.

Collins, established in 1987, serves clients in the property-casualty, life, and accident & health insurance markets. Headquartered in Minneapolis, it has offices across the United States as well as in London and in Bermuda. It has recorded a compound annual growth rate of 23 percent since 1995.

The privately-held company provides reinsurance brokerage services, risk transfer advice and analytical services to insurers, reinsurers, managing general agents and others in the insurance marketplace. Those services include catastrophe modeling, actuarial analysis, dynamic reinsurance modeling and financial consulting. Additional information is available at the company’s website, .