BKD Acquires Bankers Assurance of Little Rock

Bankers Assurance LLC of Little Rock is joining the national accounting and advisory firm BKD CPAs & Advisors of Springfield, Missouri.

The merger takes effect Monday, BKD said in a news release. Financial terms were not disclosed. 

The deal follows BKD’s merger with the national firm DHG of Charlotte, North Carolina, which was announced last week. The two firms, with a combined $1.4 billion in revenue, said the merger will create the eighth-largest professional services company in the nation. They’ll operate under a new name to be announced later.

The merger is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022. The combined firm will have more than 5,400 employees in 27 states, along with the United Kingdom and the Cayman Islands.

BKD already has more than 150 employees across Arkansas, with offices in Little Rock, Fort Smith and Rogers. The deal with Bankers Assurance gives it another five employees, including founder Shaun Harms.

Bankers Assurance, founded in 2009, serves more than 75 financial institutions in Arkansas and surrounding states, ranging from smaller community banks to larger regional institutions. 

“Our Arkansas financial services team has known the Bankers Assurance team for many years, and we have always admired their reputation in the industry,” Susan Davenport, BKD’s managing partner in Little Rock, said in the release. “Blending our teams will lead to services and resources for our clients that are much more than the sum of their parts.”