Wachovia in Deal to Acquire N.C. Life Insurance Broker

Wachovia Corp. announced last week that it will buy Barry, Evans, Josephs & Snipes, a Charlotte, N.C., life insurance broker that caters to the wealthy.

The deal for the agency, which manages policies worth $3 billion in coverage, comes after Wachovia's May announcement that it would buy Offitbank Holdings Inc., a New York trust company that manages $11 billion for wealthy clients.

"Our recent acquisition of Offitbank has really enhanced our affluent capabilities, and Barry Evans is a complementary effort to that," said Robert S. Kniejski, a Wachovia executive vice president. Terms of the deal, expected to close within 30 days, were not disclosed.

Barry Evans specializes in designing wealth transfer and benefit plans for people with more than $10 million of assets.

Though Wachovia has opted to build insurance offerings catering to most customer segments, buying operations to serve the affluent made sense, Mr. Kniejski said. The company gains access to better products and pricing because of Barry Evans' existing relationships, he said. The agency is part of Portland, Ore.-based M Financial Group, whose more than 100 insurance, investment, and executive benefits firms have more than $40 billion in insurance coverage.

Susan Roth, an analyst with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Inc., said the deal fits nicely with Wachovia's strategy. "It's not just any insurance brokerage company. They have a real focus on the affluent," she said.

Wachovia plans no changes to the 30-employee company, which has offices in Charlotte and Greensboro. Richard A. Snipes Jr. will continue as its chairman and chief executive and report to Mr. Kniejski. Mecklenburg Securities Crop., a broker-dealer affiliate of Barry Evans that offers variable annuity and life insurance products, will be merged into Wachovia Securities Inc.

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