Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Ahmann & Martin Co., a risk and benefits consulting firm in Minnesota, through a merger with and into Associated's subsidiary Associated Financial Group. The transaction is expected to close next month. Associated Financial Group is a benefits specialist firm with more than 240 insurance specialists across Associated's three-state footprint and generating over $49 million of annualized insurance-related revenues. Ahmann & Martin Co. will add a range of complementary financial services such as employee benefits, risk management, and business insurance with specialization in industry-specific solutions.
CareCam Health Systems (CCHS), a vHealthTM technology firm offering a chronic care management software platform designed to promote patient adherence to prescribed therapy and seamless coordinated care, announced a strategic collaboration with the Independence Blue Cross Center for Health Care Innovation. As part of the collaboration, Independence Blue Cross (Independence) will work with CCHS on the development of several programs intended to improve the care of people with chronic health conditions and has become a minority investor in the company.
The Society of Actuaries (SOA) and the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit research organization, today announced a partnership agreement on health care data. Through the agreement, the SOA will have access to the HCCI's database to produce new research studies. One of the primary activities of HCCI is to create and maintain a first-of-its-kind database of updated information about public and private sector health care costs and utilization with data contributions from many insurers in the United States. The SOA will join a research panel with institutions, including major universities and other health care research organizations.
On Apr. 20-23, the best minds in the financial planning profession will gather for the FPA Retreat 2015 to explore and advance the art and science of financial planning in the 21st century at Château Élan, 40 minutes north of Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. This annual event brings together industry pioneers, seasoned Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professionals, young planners, academicians and other professionals. A program of the Financial Planning Association® (FPA®), the event was developed by a volunteer task force of influential FPA members and spearheaded by FPA Retreat 2015 dean Marty Kurtz, CFP®. With approximately 350 attendees expected to participate, the event is designed to provide attendees with significant networking and collaboration time and a robust slate of educational sessions built on three distinct tracks: Science of Financial Planning, Art of Financial Planning and Practice Management. Registration for FPA Retreat 2015 is now open.
The Institutes have partnered with the University of Virginia Darden School of Business to offer their 2015 Executive Education program, being held March 22 to 27. This five-day, interactive program will provide senior-level managers with strategic leadership training tailored to the risk management and insurance industry. For more information about The Institutes' 2015 Executive Education, visit www.TheInstitutes.org/ExecutiveEducation.