Agency Brokerage Consultants review: agency valuation, M&A advice and fees
Agency Brokerage Consultants (ABC) sells insurance agencies for their owners and values agencies for owners, buyers and lenders. It also helps owners plan a handoff to partners or family and reviews offers an owner already has.
It fits agencies with about $500,000 to $10 million in yearly revenue. Most fees are quoted, but the Second Opinion offer review has a fixed price of $7,500.
- Best for
- Owners selling an agency with $500,000 to $10 million in revenue, or weighing an offer they already have
- Works for
- Sellers in a sale. Owners, buyers and lenders for valuations
- Services
- Valuation, sale, offer review, succession planning and fractional CFO help
- Agency size
- $500,000 to $10 million in yearly revenue is its main range
- Valuation fee
- Free valuation report for owners planning to sell soon. Offer review $7,500
Our take
ABC is a sale advisor first. It puts an agency in front of many buyers at once and asks for offers within a short window, so the owner can compare them side by side.
Owners who plan to sell soon can get a valuation report at no charge. An owner holding a buyer's offer can pay for a Second Opinion review instead, and that fee is credited if ABC later runs the sale.
It also gives selected consulting to buyers who found an agency on their own, and an investment group lists ABC in its portfolio. Ask how it handles a deal where it knows both sides.
Pros
- Runs a sale that asks many buyers for offers at once
- A fixed $7,500 review of an offer you already hold
- That review fee is credited if ABC later sells the agency
- Valuation analysts with business appraisal designations
- Succession planning and fractional CFO help from the same firm
Cons
- Sale fees, retainers and tail terms are only in the engagement agreement
- The Second Opinion fee is not refunded
- Buyer consulting is limited to buyers who already found a target
- An investment group lists ABC in its portfolio
Who they work for
Sellers
ABC represents the owner when it runs a sale. It also values agencies for owners, buyers and lenders when the job is only a valuation.
Buyers
Selected consulting for a buyer who already found an agency: a first look at the deal, help with the offer and due diligence (the buyer's check of the books). ABC doesn't run searches for buyers.
Who it serves in a sale. ABC works for the seller in a sale, and Merrymeeting Group lists it as a portfolio company. Before you sign, ask whether it has any tie to the buyers it brings you.
Services
| Service | What you get |
|---|---|
| Agency valuation | A valuation for a stated purpose, such as a sale, a partner buyout or a loan |
| Selling an agency | A sale book for buyers, a confidential auction and help through closing |
| Second Opinion | A review of a buyer's letter of intent, with a rebuilt profit forecast and a check of the earn-out |
| Buyer consulting | Deal review, offer help and due diligence for buyers who found a target themselves |
| Succession consulting | Sizes the gap between value and what successors can pay, then models ways to close it |
| Fractional CFO | Ongoing reports, budgets, forecasts and benchmarks from a part-time finance lead |
Agencies they work with
- Agency size
- Mainly $500,000 to $10 million in yearly revenue. It has worked below that range and up to $50 million
- Types
- Retail agencies, wholesale brokers, MGAs, IMOs, agency networks and program administrators
- Lines
- Property and casualty and employee benefits
- Where
- United States
How they value an agency
- Method
- Picked for the purpose. It can weigh earnings, recent sales of similar agencies and assets
- Earnings measure
- Pro forma EBITDA, as a buyer would see it after owner perks come out
- What adjusts the value
- Retention, growth, profit, how much rests on the owner, staff, carrier and client concentration, systems and who owns the book of business
ABC adds back the owner's personal expenses but also counts what it costs to replace or keep the owner. A buyer's own forecast can add pay changes, overhead and savings from combining offices.
Terms on this page in plain words
- EBITDA
- Profit for the year before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization
- Book of business
- The policies the agency writes and the commission income they produce
- Earn-out
- Money paid after closing that depends on the agency reaching growth or profit goals
- Equity rollover
- Keeping a stake in the buying company as part of the price
- Perpetuation
- Handing the agency to people inside it, such as producers, partners or family
- Success fee
- The advisor's fee that comes due only when a deal closes
- Retainer
- An advance or monthly fee for the advisor's time
- Tail
- A set period after the agreement ends when you still owe the fee if you sell to a buyer the advisor introduced
Valuation reports, cost and timing
| Report or tool | Price |
|---|---|
| Valuation reportOwners planning to sell now or soon | Free |
| Valuation for another purposeBuyouts, loans and planning | Quote only |
| Second OpinionReview of a buyer's letter of intent, about 10 days | $7,500 one time |
Prices as of October 2026. The 10 days assume you send everything ABC asks for and make time for its calls. The Second Opinion fee is not refunded, but it counts toward ABC's fee if it later sells your agency.
Selling your agency with them
Valuation
ABC values the agency and talks through what it would take to sell.
Sale book
It writes a confidential memorandum, a detailed overview of the agency for buyers.
Auction
It contacts its list of buyers and asks for offers within a short window.
Offers and diligence
You pick an offer and ABC manages the buyer's review of your books.
Closing
ABC says the average sale closes about 90 days after going to market.
Getting the agency ready to sell comes before those 90 days.
Deal structure advice
ABC separates each offer into cash at closing, escrow, earn-out, seller note (money the buyer pays you over time), pay for staying on and buyer stock.
- Earn-outs
- Checked for whether the targets are realistic in the Second Opinion review
- Seller notes
- Terms reviewed in buyer consulting and offer reviews
- Equity rollover
- Buyer stock counted as its own part of the price
- Non-competes
- Scope reviewed in buyer consulting
Succession and after the sale
For a handoff to partners, producers or family, ABC checks whether a handoff can work, runs the owner and successor talks and models how the deal could be paid for.
Succession planning
ABC sizes the gap between the agency's value and what successors can pay, then works with your lawyer and accountant on the deal.
Fractional CFO
Monthly reports, budgets and forecasts for owners who want to raise value before a sale or handoff.
Credentials and transactions
- Designations
- Certified Valuation Analyst and Business Certified Appraiser on the valuation team
- Affiliations
- M&A Source
Recent transactions
| Deal | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Arctic Risk Specialists | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| Fortress Insurance Services | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| Eaton & Schultz Insurance Group | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| Emory P. Stephens Insurance | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| Robertson Insurance & Risk Management | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| Walterry Insurance Brokers | 2026 | Seller advisor |
Confidentiality
- NDA
- Signed with each buyer, and ABC signs one for each Second Opinion review
- Buyer screening
- Buyers are qualified before they see details
- Information
- Released in stages as a buyer moves forward
Fees and engagement terms
Retainer, success fee, expenses, exclusivity, length and tail are all set in ABC's engagement agreement. None of them are on its website, so get each one in writing before you sign.
Ask ABC to put in writing
- Any upfront retainer and whether it comes off the final fee
- The success fee rate and the deal value it applies to
- How long the agreement runs and how to end it
- The tail: how long after it ends a sale still owes ABC a fee
- Which expenses it bills you for
Agency Brokerage Consultants alternatives
- Legacy AdvisorsFree first valuationSeller-only advisor paid only when the sale closes
- Springtree GroupFree valuation quoteLists smaller agencies for sale and arranges buyer loans
- IA ValuationsValuation from $2,500State association valuations with a cheaper renewal
- Reagan ConsultingFees not publishedLarger brokerages, with valuations and quality of earnings work
- Agency Consulting GroupDIY valuation software $750Perpetuation valuations and a self-service valuation tool
See every option in insurance agency valuation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an agency valuation cost with ABC?
A valuation report is free for owners planning to sell now or soon. Valuations for other purposes are quoted, and the Second Opinion offer review is $7,500.
Does ABC work for the buyer or the seller?
In a sale it represents the seller. It values agencies for buyers and lenders too, and consults for selected buyers who found an agency on their own.
What is the Second Opinion review?
ABC reviews a buyer's letter of intent, rebuilds the profit forecast and checks whether the earn-out targets are realistic. It takes about 10 days and the fee counts toward a later sale with ABC.
Does ABC work with small agencies?
Its main range is $500,000 to $10 million in yearly revenue, and it has worked with agencies below $500,000.
How long does a sale take with ABC?
ABC says the average sale closes about 90 days after the agency goes to market.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the pricing, terms and product pages published by Agency Brokerage Consultants, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.
Corrections
Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan Agency Brokerage Consultants quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Agency Brokerage Consultants has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.