• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Contact Us

Agency Checklists

Massachusetts Insurance News & Job Opportunities

You are here: Home / Massachusetts Insurance News / Agent News / FBInsure Acquires New Bedford’s Hardy & Ponte Insurance Agency

FBInsure Acquires New Bedford’s Hardy & Ponte Insurance Agency

February 22, 2016 by AC Editor

In 2013, Farrell Backlund transitioned into the FBInsure name

Taunton-based FBInsure has acquired the Hardy & Ponte Insurance Agency. The transaction announced this month was effective as of January 2016.

“We are very excited to bring the Hardy & Ponte Insurance Agency to the FBinsure name, ” said Russ Martorana, President and CEO upon announcement of the acquisition. “This decision further strengthens both our agencies, as well as FBinsure’s presence on the South Coast. We fully expect clients of both agencies to feel the positive impact in their future experiences here.”

Based in New Bedford, the Hardy & Ponte Agency is an independent agency founded by Arthur J. Hardy Jr. and George P. Ponte.  According to the terms of the transaction, the current president of Hardy & Ponte, Jeff Hardy, will continue on with the agency for the time being to ensure a smooth transition for both his agency and its nearly 1,000 clients as they change over to the FBInsure brand. In addition, his partner, Claudia Donaghy, will also continue on with FBInsure after the merger of the two agencies.

In the coming months, FBInsure says it will focus on implementing minor changes to the former independent agency, which will mainly include updating technology as well as providing greater access to new companies to former Hardy & Ponte policyholders.

In commenting on the sale of the agency, Mr. Hardy noted that, “It is important to us that our valued clients have access to the best insurance products and service available. Those ideals are shared by the team at FBinsure. With significant technological improvements and an expanded list of insurance companies, I believe this move will bring an enormous amount of value to our clients,” he added

This is the third acquisition in the past two years for FBInsure

Agency Checklists, MA Insurance News, Mass. Insurance News
The FBInsure Executive Team

This is the third acquisition in two years for FBInsure. In 2014, it acquired the Gramlich Insurance Agency, also located in New Bedford. In 2015, it purchased the Henry L. Newbury Insurance Agency of North Attleboro.

FBInsures roots began in the early 1950s with Phil Farrell and Rudy Backlund, each independent insurance agents with their own agencies in Taunton and Rehoboth, respectively. In 1999, the two agencies merged to become the Farrell Backlund Insurance Agency, LLC. In 2008 the Anderson-Cushing Insurance Agency of Middleboro merged with Farrell Backlund, followed shortly by the East Freetown and Richardson-Cuddy Insurance Agency of Attleboro who merged with FBIA in 2011.

Both a Five-Star Agency as well as a 2014 Best Practices Insurance Agency, the former Farrell Backlund Insurance Agency transitioned into the FBInsure brand name in 2013. The independent agency now boast more than 20,000 total clients represented by 67 different carriers in its nine office locations throughout Southern Massachusetts.

Primary Sidebar

MA Division of Insurance Advertisement

New Episode

MA Insurance Lawyers

SPONSORED

Interviews

From Nuptials, Tickets, and Taxes to Trusted Advisor: One Agency’s Unique Path to P&C Success

A Conversation with Evan Silverio, President & CEO of Silverio Insurance Group

Deland, Gibson Celebrates 125 Years: A Conversation with CEO Chip Gibson

The Fourth-Generation Family-Owned Agency is Based in Wellesley

Talking with Richard Welch: Growth and Innovation at Hospitality Mutual | Agency Checklists

Talking with Richard Welch: Growth and Innovation at Hospitality Mutual

Mr. Welch is CEO of Massachusetts-based Hospitality Insurance Group

A Conversation with Daniel C. Bridge – The 2023 Insurance Professional of the Year

Daniel Bridge is Board Chair, President, and CEO of Vermont Mutual Insurance Group

Making The Leap From Corporate to Entrepreneur: Nadeen Vella On Building NaVella Insurance From Scratch

Making The Leap From Corporate to Entrepreneur: Nadeen Vella On Building NaVella Insurance From Scratch

Our latest Agency Interview is with Nadeen Vella, the founder and owner of a virtual scratch independent agency.

A North Shore Success Story: The $40 Million And Growing Duffy Family of Insurance Agencies

Our latest Agency Interview with Duffy Insurance’s Marc Duffy

More Posts from this Category

InsurOp-Eds

Passing of the Torch: Becoming Arbella’s Next CEO

Passing of the Torch: Becoming Arbella’s Next CEO

By Paul Brady

Uninsurable Risk? Maybe Parametric Insurance Is The Answer

By Owen Gallagher

InsurOpEd: Starting A New Chapter in My Life

By Tara Philbin

InsurOp-Ed: Shrinkflation and Insurance

InsurOp-Ed: Shrinkflation and Insurance

By Bill Wilson

More InsurOp-Eds

Career News

Reports Say Acrisure To Layoff 400 Employees in 2026

N&D Welcomes Nick Shaw as Massachusetts Regional Marketing Manager

MountainOne Insurance Promotes Lianne Kudlate to Senior Personal Lines Account Manager

Brown & Brown Integrates Risk Strategies Talent to its Team

View More Career News

In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Roy Corso: 1943-2025

In Memoriam: Kevin Hugh Kelley, 1950-2025

In Memoriam: Kevin Hugh Kelley, 1950-2025

In Memoriam: Stephen Lee Brown, 1937-2025

In Memoriam: Stephen Lee Brown, 1937-2025

Company News

Fundación MAPFRE Celebrates 50 Years of Impact at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Agency Checklists, Mass. Insurance News

MAPFRE, MassDOT Offer Tips To Share During Pedestrian Safety Month

Union Mutual Raises Over $147,000 for the Kelly Brush Foundation

SIAA Hosts IA Evolve, a Virtual Innovation Event to Empower Independent Insurance Agents

SIAA Hosts IA Evolve, a Virtual Innovation Event to Empower Independent Insurance Agents

Footer

Agency Checklists

Contact us

We offer a variety of ways to get help promote your company or product.

Announcements
Email Sponsorships
Partnerships
Custom Collaborations

*Affiliate Disclosure

Please note that any of Agency Checklists’ articles might contain one or more affiliate links. This means that any subsequent purchase resulting from these links may result in a commission for us, but at no additional cost to you. For example, as an Amazon Associate, Agency Checklists earns a commission from all qualifying purchases. By working with affiliates we can continue to keep Agency Checklists subscription free. Thank you for your support.

Explore Our Archives

Copyright © 2025 · Agency Checklists · All rights reserved.

 

Loading Comments...