Gordon Haskett Research Advisors, an independent research organization, announced that the firm is launching insurance industry equity research with veteran analysts Bill Wilt and Alan Zimmermann leading the effort.

Gordon Haskett Research Advisors publishes highly differentiated, independent research to a targeted group of institutional investors.

Wilt is founder and president of Assured Research LLC, a research and advisory firm focused exclusively on the P/C insurance industry. Zimmermann is a managing director for Assured Research.

Assured Research, currently publishes industry research and analysis to insurance firms that control an aggregate $90 billion of insurance premiums.

Wilt has more than 25 years of insurance experience, including senior executive positions in insurance and reinsurance, a stint as senior equity research analyst at Morgan Stanley, and actuarial consulting and credit rating positions.

Zimmermann is also a long-time insurance analyst, named for many years to Institutional Investor’s All America Research Team. He covered the insurance industry at firms including Morgan Stanley and boutiques, and was Director of Research at Fox-Pitt Kelton. He joined Assured Research in 2013.

Both Wilt and Zimmermann are frequent contributors to Carrier Management, writing on topics including reinsurance trends, industry mergers and acquisitions, accounting standards, price optimization and the impact of asbestos liabilities on insurers.

In a statement about the partnership, GHRA Director of Research John Argenti said, “It is rare for even the most experienced analysts to have an established client base that includes the industry they cover,” noting that the two analysts will offer unique long-term views on themes and insurance companies.

Wilt noted that Gordon Haskett shares Assured Research’s vision of investing the time and effort to produce proprietary, actionable research.

“Insights into a complex industry require industry specialists, with proprietary sources of data, operating experience and a developed network of contacts,” Wit said. “We’ve been providing that for the insurance community for years and are excited to do the same for investment professionals,” he said.

The announcement noted that GHRA’s analysts are typically supported by sector-specific senior salespeople, high caliber IT, compliance and back-office support, and an experienced trading desk via their capital markets affiliate Gordon Haskett Capital Corp.

Also setting GHRA apart are an event-driven research team, which generates insights and ideas on companies undergoing strategic events such as activism, M&A, spin-offs and restructurings, and an eir IT Services and Software team, which like the insurance analysts brings hands-on tech industry experience and an extensive network of corporate relationships to the analysis of tech growth companies.

Source: Gordon Haskett Research Advisors