B. H. Burke & Co. review: agency valuation, M&A advice and fees
B. H. Burke & Co. values insurance agencies, plans perpetuation and advises on mergers and sales. It works for sellers, buyers and owners. It can also coordinate a deal among several parties.
Perpetuation, passing the agency to partners, producers or family, is its biggest consulting focus. It works with agencies of every size across North America, and all fees are quoted.
- Best for
- Owners planning a perpetuation who want a certified appraisal and a plan from one firm
- Works for
- Sellers, buyers and owners. Sometimes several parties at once
- Services
- Valuation, perpetuation, sale and purchase advice, producer pay design
- Agency size
- All sizes for perpetuation work
- Valuation fee
- Quote only
Our take
B. H. Burke is a good fit for an owner who wants a certified appraisal and a perpetuation plan from the same team. Two of its people are Accredited Senior Appraisers in business valuation.
It also sells agencies. Its six most recent posted deals, from 2025 and 2026, all had it advising the agency being sold.
The founder sits on the board of InsurBanc, a bank that lends to agencies. If a deal needs a loan, ask how that tie is handled.
Pros
- Accredited Senior Appraisers lead the valuation work
- Reports from a short planning presentation up to a full certified appraisal
- Perpetuation is its biggest consulting focus
- Producer pay and account ownership plans to keep staff through a handoff
- Six recent posted sales where it advised the seller
Cons
- All valuation and deal fees are quoted
- Works for both buyers and sellers, so ask whose side it is on in your deal
- Its founder is a director of a bank that lends to agencies
- No fixed-price or do-it-yourself valuation option
Who they work for
Sellers
B. H. Burke represents sellers in sale engagements. Every deal it posted from August 2025 to May 2026 named it advisor to the agency being acquired.
Buyers
It also represents buyers in purchase engagements and has older buyer-side deals in its archive.
Several hats. The firm can act for a seller, a buyer or as facilitator for several parties, and its founder is a director of InsurBanc. Ask it to state in the agreement which party it works for.
Services
| Service | What you get |
|---|---|
| Business valuation | For a sale, taxes, an ESOP, a buy-sell agreement, a dispute or planning. From a short presentation to a full certified report |
| Perpetuation planning | Family and non-family handoffs, drawing on valuation, financing, agreements, coaching and tax |
| Mergers and acquisitions | Price and structure for sales, purchases, mergers and agency clusters |
| Producer and owner pay | Commission splits, incentive plans and account ownership programs |
| Profitability review | Where the profit comes from, return on investment, staff output and technology use |
| BHBCo Visioning | A guided session where leaders picture the agency a few years out and reset this year's plan |
Agencies they work with
- Agency size
- All sizes for perpetuation work
- Types
- Agencies and brokerages, carriers, banks and people looking to buy into an agency
- Where
- United States, Canada and Mexico
How they value an agency
- Method
- Discounted cash flow, capitalized cash flow and a payback test. Public broker comparisons and liquidation value play a smaller part
- Earnings measure
- Pro forma cash flow built from five years of history
- What adjusts the value
- Profit, key accounts, receivables, loss ratios, key people and producer agreements, growth and the market cycle
Discounted cash flow means projecting future profit and converting it to a value today. B. H. Burke resets the owner's pay to what a replacement would cost, moves rent paid to an owner to market rates and tests contingent commissions for a normal year.
Terms on this page in plain words
- ESOP
- An employee stock ownership plan, a trust that lets employees own part of the company
- Perpetuation
- Passing ownership to partners, producers or family instead of selling to an outside buyer
- Success fee
- A fee paid to the advisor when the sale closes, often a share of the price
- Retainer
- A fee paid up front or monthly while the advisor works, whether or not a deal closes
- 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 types
- A streamlined valuation presentation for planning, or a full certified report
- How it's priced
- Quote for each job
Deal structure advice
B. H. Burke advises on the money and structure of sales, mergers and agency clusters (groups of agencies that share carrier access).
Succession and after the sale
Perpetuation is the core of its consulting. The work mixes valuation, financing, agreement design, coaching for the next leaders and tax planning.
Keeping producers through a handoff
Commission split and incentive designs, plus account ownership programs that tie producers to the agency's future.
Planning the next few years
Profitability reviews and BHBCo Visioning help leaders set goals and budgets before or after a change in ownership.
Credentials and transactions
- Designations
- Brian H. Burke and Everett W. Shaw are Accredited Senior Appraisers, a business valuation credential. Thomas D. McGraw and John Queirolo hold the CPCU, an insurance industry designation
- Affiliations
- American Society of Appraisers
Recent transactions
| Deal | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| The Roberts Agency to King Risk Partners | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| WSMT Insurance to Ensurise | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| Hunter Insurance to Hilb Group | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| The Insurance Source to Davis & Towle Insurance Group | 2026 | Seller advisor |
| Wolpert Insurance Agency to World Insurance Associates | 2025 | Seller advisor |
| Pilot Benefits Group to NFP | 2025 | Seller advisor |
Years are when the deal took effect or was posted on the firm's site.
Fees and engagement terms
B. H. Burke quotes each valuation and deal. It doesn't post a retainer, success fee, expenses, exclusivity or tail period.
Get these in the engagement letter
- Whether you pay a flat fee, hourly or a share of the sale price
- Which party it represents, and whether anyone else pays it
- How long you are bound to it and what happens if you sell later on your own
- What expenses come on top
B. H. Burke & Co. alternatives
- Agency Consulting GroupDIY valuation software $750Fair market valuations and inside handoffs, no listing
- OPTIS PartnersQuote onlyPerpetuation framework plus buyer due diligence
- Reagan ConsultingFees not publishedValuations and deals for larger brokerages
- Mercer CapitalQuote onlyAppraisal firm with a stated four to six week turnaround
- MarshBerryQuote onlyLarge investment bank with four valuation scopes
See every option in insurance agency valuation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a B. H. Burke valuation cost?
It quotes each one. The price depends on whether you need a short planning presentation or a full certified report.
Does B. H. Burke work for buyers or sellers?
Both, in separate engagements. It can also facilitate a deal among several parties, and its recent posted sales all had it advising the seller.
Can B. H. Burke help pass my agency to my producers?
Yes. Perpetuation is its biggest consulting focus, including producer pay and account ownership plans.
Who does the appraisals?
Brian H. Burke and Everett W. Shaw, who are Accredited Senior Appraisers in business valuation with the American Society of Appraisers.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by B. H. Burke & Co., 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 B. H. Burke & Co. quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where B. H. Burke & Co. has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.