Pearl Insurance recently closed on the purchase of W.B. Griffin & Son, an insurance program administrator specializing in the sale of professional liability for lawyers, accountants, and design professionals. "This partnership-acquisition," explains Gary Pearl, Chief Executive Officer of Pearl Companies, "is a natural fit that will align and integrate directly into our core business, reaffirming our commitment to the business community and these markets.?

W.B. Griffin & Son is a third-generation, 82-year-old company that currently insures over 1,000 law firms, accounting firms, and architects and engineering firms. The union of Bill Griffin?s solid relationships and Pearl?s business model will increase their market share and provide the synergy for future growth. Bill Griffin, Managing Director at W.B. Griffin & Son, described their feelings about the acquisition: ?We are truly excited about our affiliation with the Pearl organization and the scope of resources that they will bring to us.?

Pearl Insurance has been providing lawyers with professional liability insurance for over 50 years and is the exclusive administrator and marketer of CNA Lawyers Professional Liability Insurance in Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, and Tennessee. With the addition of W.B. Griffin & Son, Pearl Insurance also acquired the CNA exclusive marketing rights for lawyers in Kentucky.

The Pearl Companies—Pearl Insurance, Pearl Technology, Pearl Benefits, and Pearl Carroll & Associates, LLC—is one of the nation's leading direct-marketing third party administrators, offering Property & Casualty and Life & Health insurance benefits and worksite marketing to affinity groups and their members, innovative technology solutions to Central Illinois businesses, and customized employee benefit programs for employees and their families. Pearl Automotive, another division of the Pearl Companies, is comprised of Heritage Buick-GMC, Heritage Mazda, Peoria Toyota-Scion, and Lexus of Peoria and serves the automotive needs of the greater Peoria area. The Pearl Companies' commitment to working hard, working smart, and working together has not only placed them in the enviable position they are today, but has also secured them a strong presence in the marketplace for years to come.