Partner

Lawrence R. Hamilton

Insurance Regulatory & Enforcement, Public Companies & Corporate Governance, Financial Services M&A

"Larry always provides thoughtful advice and guidance on a myriad of issues." (2024)

“Larry Hamilton is my first call for any US insurance regulatory matter.” (2024)

"He's a tremendously strong and technical lawyer." (2021)

Considered a “brilliant” attorney with a “very impressive command of the law.” Lawrence Hamilton attracts praise for his multifaceted insurance regulatory practice. (2020)

Sources report: “He has deep technical knowledge and understanding of the regulators, as well as an excellent sense of commercial practicalities.” (2018)

Chambers USA

Overview

Larry Hamilton leads Mayer Brown's US Insurance Regulatory practice. Larry has a 50-state insurance regulatory practice and has extensive experience negotiating directly with insurance regulators, helping clients overcome regulatory obstacles and gain approval for their proposed forms of business arrangements. He advises clients in connection with corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, reserve financings, insurance-linked securities, pension risk transfers and the regulation of financial guarantees and other forms of non-payment insurance.

Larry is a co-founder of Mayer Brown’s Insurance and Capital Markets Convergence group, which uses the combined talents of the firm’s insurance and structured finance practices to ensure that transactions take into account the customs and expectations of both markets. He regularly advises US and European financial institutions on the insurance regulatory issues associated with new and complex investment structures, including the evolving changes in regulatory treatment of different types of investments by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Larry works extensively on cross-border regulatory projects, especially with regard to Bermuda and other offshore insurance markets. He also advises start-up and insurtech companies on navigating the complex insurance regulatory landscape as they use innovation and technology to transform the insurance marketplace. Larry also frequently works with the nonadmitted insurance market and is a member of the Surplus Lines Law Group and the Legislative Committee of the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association.

Experience

Represented Aon in its acquisition of The Farmington Company and its affiliates, a group of related companies providing voluntary benefits insurance brokerage services, employee benefits plan design, consulting, administration and enrollment services, third party administration services and related insurance products and services.
Represented Bristol-Myers Squibb in a $3.8 billion pension de-risking transaction with Athene, involving a first-of-its-kind plan termination solution where Athene agreed in advance to provide an annuity contract covering all obligations not paid via lump sums.
Represented The Hartford in its $2.1 billion acquisition of The Navigators Group.
Represented Nestlé S.A. in its sale of Gerber Life Insurance Company to Western & Southern Financial Group for $1.55 billion cash.

Represented a private equity firm and its portfolio company in the acquisition of a life insurance company.
Represented an investment management firm in the acquisition of a life insurance company.
Represented Ascot Group Limited in its acquisition of Greyhawk Insurance Company, a Colorado-domiciled insurance company, and Greyhawk Specialty Insurance Company, a Rhode Island-domiciled insurance company.
Represented Assured Guaranty Ltd. in its acquisition of MBIA UK Insurance Limited, the European operating subsidiary of MBIA Corp.
Represented Assured Guaranty in its $450 million acquisition of CIFG Holding, a legacy financial guaranty insurance company.
Represented Wells Fargo in the sale of Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, which includes its Insurance Brokerage and Consulting, Employee Benefits and Property & Casualty national practices, along with Safehold Special Risk, Small Business Insurance, Student Insurance, Individual Health and Private Risk Management Insurance business lines, to USI Insurance Services LLC.
Represented Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc., in the $49 million sale of Heartland Crop Insurance, Inc., a managing general agent in the crop insurance industry, to CGB Diversified Services, Inc.
Represented Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc. in the sale of Mt. McKinley Insurance Company to Clearwater Insurance Company, an affiliate of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited.
Represented Assured Guaranty Ltd. in its $810 million acquisition of Radian Asset Assurance Inc., a US-based provider of financial guaranty insurance and reinsurance, from Radian Group Inc.
Represented Bristol-Myers Squibb in a $1.4 billion pension de-risking transaction with The Prudential.
Represented Wells Fargo Insurance in the sale of 42 of its regional insurance brokerage and consulting locations to USI Insurance Services.
Represented Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada, as US regulatory counsel in the acquisition of State Farm's Canadian insurance business.
Represented Everest Re Group, Ltd. In the launch of its $370 million sidecar, Mt. Logan Re, Ltd.
Represented SeaBright Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded workers' compensation insurer, in its $252 million buyout by Bermuda-based run-off specialist, Enstar Group Limited.
Represented Assured Guaranty, Ltd. in the acquisition of Municipal and Infrastructure Assurance Corporation, a financial guaranty insurer.
Represented Home Warranty of America, as special insurance regulatory counsel, in its acquisition by Direct Energy Marketing Limited, a leading supplier of electricity, natural gas and related services in North America.
Represented Everest Reinsurance Holdings in the acquisition of Heartland Crop Insurance, Inc., a specialty underwriter of crop insurance.
Represented ACE American Insurance Company, a subsidiary of ACE Limited, in its $1.1 billion acquisition of the remaining 80% of Rain and Hail Insurance Service, Inc., the second largest crop insurance underwriter in the United States.
Represented Guggenheim Life & Annuity Company in its acquisition of $1.7 billion of policies and related assets from Standard Life Insurance Company of Indiana, as a part of Standard Life's ongoing, court-supervised reorganization.
Represented Assured Guaranty Corp. in the acquisition of the US public finance business of CIFG Assurance North America, Inc.
Represented OneBeacon Insurance Group Ltd., a Boston-based, Bermuda-domiciled insurance holding company, on its agreement to sell its personal lines insurance business to Tower Group, Inc.
Represented Assured Guaranty, Ltd. in the $722 million acquisition of the financial guaranty insurance business of Financial Security Assurance Holdings Ltd.
Represented ACE Limited in the $2.4 billion purchase of Combined Insurance Company of America.
Represented UnitedHealth Group Incorporated in the sale of the $1.8 billion life and annuity business of its Golden Rule subsidiary to OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc.
Represented Everest Re Group, Ltd. in connection with its migration to Bermuda and all of its subsequent public offerings of stock, debt and hybrid securities.
Represented CNA Financial Corporation in the sale of its personal lines business to Allstate, the sale of its individual life insurance business to Swiss Re, the sale of its group benefits business to Hartford Life and the sale of its third-party claims administration business to Cunningham Lindsey US Inc.
Represented Nestlé in the acquisition of Gerber Life Insurance Company from Novartis.
Represented Argo Group International Holdings Limited in the sale of its US reinsurance subsidiary, PXRE Reinsurance Company, to Tawa Group plc.
Advised GMAC on the 2008 restructuring of its insurance division and on the insurance regulatory aspects of the 2006 $14 billion sale of a 51 percent stake to a consortium led by Cerberus Capital Management.
Advised a major US life insurance company in creating a combination of corporate structures and service contracts for the performance of a variety of support services from India. This outsourcing project was one of the first of its kind and scale in the insurance industry.
Represented Endurance Specialty Insurance Ltd. in its formation and in the organization and development of its business structure and governance.
Represented LaSalle Re Limited in its business combination with Trenwick Group Inc. to form a new Bermuda-based company, Trenwick Group Ltd.
Advised American Farm Bureau Federation regarding the reconfiguration of the capital structure and governance of American Agricultural Insurance Company.
Advised major insurance broker clients regarding regulatory requirements and disclosure best practices relating to broker compensation.

Related Services & Industries

Publications & Presentations

Education

The University of Chicago Law School, JD, with honors
Order of the Coif; Joseph Henry Beale Prize for legal research and writing
Harvard College, AB, summa cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

Illinois

Courts

US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Professional & Community Involvement

Surplus Lines Law Group
American Bar Association

Lawrence R. Hamilton

Overview

Experience

Related Services & Industries

Services

Industries

Publications & Presentations

Publications

US NAIC Summer 2024 National Meeting Highlights: Innovation Cybersecurity and Technology (H) Committee

US NAIC Summer 2024 National Meeting Highlights: ESG-Related Initiatives

News

Insurers Scramble to Decipher NAIC’s New Bond Definition

Mayer Brown advises Doma Holdings on “going private” transaction with Title Resources Group

Events

ACLI’s Annual Conference 2024

SFVegas 2024

Education

Admissions

Courts

Professional & Community Involvement