HAMILTON, Bermuda – (Business Wire) Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd., an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market, recently announced it has acquired privately held Insight Insurance Services Inc., a specialist in professional liability insurance for accounting professionals, architects, engineers and insurance agents. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Insight will operate as a separate professional liability underwriter within Argo Group and will remain a separate legal entity, continuing operations out of its Geneva, Illinois, headquarters. Insight generated more than $40 million in gross written premium last year.

“We are extremely pleased to add a quality underwriter such as Insight to our group of companies,” said Argo Group US Senior Vice President John Keane. “Insight founders Jim Romano and Michelle Duffett have built an outstanding firm with an unmatched reputation for excellence and service over the last 20 years. Insight’s book of business complements our company’s portfolio and brings its own strong distribution network of independent agents.”

As Argo Group US employees, Romano and Duffett will remain integrally involved in managing Insight and retain the titles of president and executive vice president of Insight, respectively. The reporting relationships of Insight’s staff will be unaffected by the change.

As part of the transaction, Argonaut Insurance Company, an “A” rated Argo Group company, will ultimately serve as Insight’s new carrier for its professional liability coverage. Insight will transition policies to Argo Group at the time of policy renewal. As part of Argo Group, Insight will gain direct control of claims handling with the addition of on-site claims management staff at its offices.

Headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. is an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. Argo Group offers a full line of high-quality products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims handling needs of businesses in four primary segments: Excess & Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, Reinsurance, and International Specialty.

Headquartered in Geneva, Illinois, and founded in 1987 by Michelle Duffett and Jim Romano, Insight Insurance Services, Inc. is a program administrator and leading provider of quality professional liability insurance for architects, engineers, accounting professionals and insurance agents. Today Insight has more than 4,500 policyholders working through approximately 750 independent insurance agents and brokers across the U.S.