King Risk Partners has completed its acquisition of PRL Associates, an Endicott, New York-based insurance agency, as the private equity-backed brokerage continues an aggressive acquisition campaign along the eastern United States.
PRL Associates has operated for more than 15 years, providing personal and commercial insurance solutions to clients across New York.
Scott Popilek, chief executive officer of King Risk Partners, said PRL Associates built its business on responsive service and long-term client relationships.
"PRL Associates is a great addition to King Risk Partners," Popilek said.
John Lavo and Steve Carr, owners of PRL Associates, said joining the platform allows them to offer a broader range of solutions while preserving the personal attention clients expect.
"We are committed to carrying forward the tailored coverage and steady guidance that have been central to PRL Associates," Lavo and Carr said.
The transaction caps King Risk Partners' most active stretch. The firm completed 14 acquisitions in 2025 – nearly double the eight closed a year earlier – and now operates more than 50 locations serving over 55,000 clients.
In April 2025, private equity investors Lightyear Capital and BHMS Investments completed a growth investment in the firm, providing the capital base for continued expansion.
The deal trail reveals a clear East Coast corridor. Recent acquisition targets have included Ten Eyck Group in Albany, New York, as well as agencies in Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Days before the PRL Associates deal, the firm announced its purchase of Lewis Insurance in Thomasville, Georgia, a family and business-focused agency with more than 30 years of history. That transaction, paired with an earlier acquisition of Hanc Group in Alpharetta, gives King Risk Partners footholds across distinct Georgia sub-markets.
The expansion fits a broader pattern. MarshBerry data showed that as of November 2025, there were 649 announced US insurance agency transactions, on pace for the second or third highest volume year on record.
Private capital-backed buyers accounted for 72.6% of those deals. An OPTIS Partners report last year flagged King Risk Partners among firms posting the sharpest increases in deal count.
PwC's insurance outlook expects distribution M&A in 2026 to hold at similar levels, while a McKinsey analysis published last month projected deal-making would continue to accelerate in what it described as a still "very fragmented" market.
