ICB Group and Finch Insurance Brokers will merge to become Verlingue

Corporate insurance broker ICB Group and independent insurance broking and employee benefit firm Finch Insurance Brokers and Employee Benefits are to merge to form Verlingue, rebranding under the name of their French parent company.

ICB Group rebranded to Verlingue on December 1, and on January 1 2020 it will legally merge with sister company, Finch Insurance Brokers, to form a single UK business trading under the Verlingue name.

The new business will create a top 15 commercial independent insurance broker. It will continue to operate out of the existing offices in Egham, Redhill, Manchester, Sheffield and London, and will be headed up by current CEOs Mike Latham and Neil Campling.

Lloyd’s and London Market placing broker, NBJ London Markets, part of ICB Group, will become part of Verlingue, but will retain its existing name and brand.

In a joint statement, CEOs Neil Campling and Mike Latham commented: “The launch of the Verlingue brand in the UK market marks a significant milestone for our UK business, our clients and our colleagues. Our position as a top 15 UK commercial insurance broker, aligned with our successful, growing employee benefits business, means we are ideally placed to provide our clients with the best possible service and business solutions while also supporting the Verlingue Group’s ambitious growth plans both in the UK and in Europe.”

Jacques Verlingue, chair of Adélaïde Group, the holding company of Verlingue, added: “We are very excited about the merger and rebrand of our two UK businesses. It is an important step in our journey to developing a single brand across our all our businesses in Europe. It will help us to capitalise on our common values and the strength of the Verlingue brand, for the ultimate benefit of our customers.”