agent Entrepreneur logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Assurant Completes Acquisition of The Warranty Group

NEW YORK — Assurant, which provides vehicle service contracts through its Assurant Solutions business unit, announced the closing of its acquisition of The Warranty Group from TPG Capital. Following the closing, the risk management solutions provider announced several appointments to its global automotive leadership team, including the appointment of John Laudenslager as president of Assurant ... Read More »

June 1, 2018
3 min to read


NEW YORK — Assurant, which provides vehicle service contracts through its Assurant Solutions business unit, announced the closing of its acquisition of The Warranty Group from TPG Capital.

Following the closing, the risk management solutions provider announced several appointments to its global automotive leadership team, including the appointment of John Laudenslager as president of Assurant Global Automotive.

Ad Loading...

“We are excited to close our acquisition of The Warranty Group, which significantly advances our global lifestyle growth strategy of helping consumers protect their appliances, mobile devices, and electronics, while solidifying our global position as the premier provider of vehicle protection services,” said Assurant President and CEO Alan Colberg. “The combination of our two companies will support ongoing product and service innovation for the consumer, while we expect to realize significant operating synergies and generate more diversified and predictable earnings over time.”

The transaction’s $2.5 billion total enterprise value reflects approximately 10.4 million Assurant shares, or $993 million based on the acquisition agreement’s closing price, and approximately $1.5 billion in cash — after considering the repayment of The Warranty Group’s $594 million in existing debt.

The Warranty Group, which has annualized revenues of more than $2 billion (as of March 31, 2018), brings new client partnerships and distribution channels, including dealer networks and national accounts to Assurant. Jointly operating across 21 countries, the addition of The Warranty Group also provides additional resources to accelerate the company’s mobile strategy in key markets such as Asia-Pacific, according to company officials.

As part of the transaction, Peter McGoohan and Eric Leathers, both representatives of TPG Capital, will join Assurant’s board of directors and serve on the board’s compensation and finance and risk committees, respectively.

Laudenslager, a 30-year industry veteran who previously served as president of Assurant’s global vehicle protection services operations, will now lead a team consisting of executives from both companies. “With John at the helm of our global automotive business, this team will leverage our collective expertise in risk management, product innovation, operations, client services and program optimization to best support our clients and their customers,” said Keith Demmings, president of Assurant’s global lifestyle business unit.

Ad Loading...

On Laudenslager’s leadership team is Charlie Robinson, who will continue to lead the team serving the U.S. dealership and agent distribution channels as president of Assurant Resource Automotive — a role he held with The Warranty Group. He brings more than 40 years of experience in the F&I segments of the automobile retail industry.

Additionally, Justin Thomas, former executive vice president of The Warranty Group’s North American Specialty Solutions division, will now lead U.S. automotive national accounts for the combined companies. He will also serve as president of financial services at Assurant. Thomas spent 11 years with The Warranty Group, serving in various account management, sales, and operations positions across the company’s auto, appliance, technology, and administration groups.

Assurant officials also announced that Daniel Lenczner, the firm’s former senior vice president of strategic business development, will assume the role of senior vice president of the company’s third-party administrator group. He has more than 25 years of experience in the automotive and insurance industries.

Assurant also announced changes to its international leadership team. Those appointments can be found here.

“I’m looking forward to leading this talented team, which brings together the best of both organizations,” said Laudenslager. “The collective experience of this team will provide continuity and additional value and benefits to our clients, while also driving innovation in the vehicle protection industry.”

More Industry

Two white men's shaking hands
Industry•October 15, 2026

Penske Auto Group Deal a Record

The deal to take the dealership and transportation services company private sets a new pace for industry buy-sell transactions.

Read More →
Rows of cars parked in exterior lot
Industry•by Hannah Mitchell•October 8, 2026

War Toll a Damper on Used Auto Prices

Cox Automotive found wholesale depreciation to be elevated in September amid high fuel prices and this year's unusual hurricane season.

Read More →
Mechanic cleaning interior of engine
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•October 8, 2026

Bridge the Maintenance Gap

With many drivers missing recommended maintenance, service departments offering transparency and efficiency have a better chance of reaching financially strained consumers.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Ford F-150 truck rounding a curve
Industry•by Hannah Mitchell•October 1, 2026

California Store Has New Owner

The longtime dealership in the northern part of the state is known for robust fleet sales and has served the state capital for 115 years.

Read More →
crane lowering a pipeline into the ground
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•October 1, 2026

BMW Plant Pursues Cleaner Energy

BMW Group Plant Leipzig has utilized hydrogen to help power its production since 2013, but a new pipeline is planned to take it to another level.

Read More →
Two dodge cars outside of dealership.
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•September 17, 2026

Auto Affordability Inches Up

The latest Cox Automotive and Moody’s Analytics index shows a slight increase in new-vehicle affordability despite high prices.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Five men smiling for photo in front of Honda car dealership.
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•September 10, 2026

Ohio Auto Group Under New Ownership

After 79 years with the Schluter family, Mansfield Auto Group has been acquired by Missouri-based Clement Auto Group.

Read More →
Blue and white RV parked on beach facing the ocean.
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•September 3, 2026

RV Group Expands Carolina Footprint

Blue Compass RV Columbia Northeast is the 13th RV dealership owned by Blue Compass in the Carolinas.

Read More →
Photo of two men and one woman on a discussion panel
Industry•by Hannah Mitchell•September 1, 2026

Agent Acumen

An Agent Summit panel of people who’ve been supporting auto dealers for years gave both timely and timeless advice for those starting out or mulling the prospect.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Gloved hand holding two wrenches next to “Turn Overdue into Opportunity” Graphic
Industry•by Lauren Lawrence•August 27, 2026

Missed Maintenance Creates Opportunity

As families get back on the road and into daily school routines, service drives have an opportunity to capture customers who are behind on recommended vehicle maintenance.

Read More →
Ad Loading...