Bio

John Butler is a managing director in the financial services group at Piper Sandler and head of the firm’s insurance investment banking group. Butler brings 20+ years of experience to this role. Butler specializes in providing strategic advice to insurance underwriters, wholesale and retail insurance brokers and other insurance-related service providers, including MGAs, TPAs and VSC/warranty companies. Butler has advised clients on a wide range of M&A transactions, including World Insurance Associates on an investment by Goldman Sachs Asset Management; Oakbridge Insurance Agency on its sale to Audax Private Equity; National Auto Care on its sale to APCO; Signers National (“Lamb Insurance”) on its recapitalization and a minority equity investment by CIVC; Odyssey Investment Partners on its acquisition of SIAA; World Insurance Associates on its sale to Charlesbank Capital Partners; Euclid Transactional on its recapitalization and a minority equity investment by Searchlight Capital Partners; National Lloyds on its sale to Align Financial; LSG Insurance Partners on its sale to A.J. Gallagher; Spectrum Automotive (f/k/a Vanguard), on its sale to Cornell Capital; Hospitals Insurance Company on its sale to The Doctors Company; Relation Insurance Services on its sale to Aquiline Capital Partners; Kohlberg & Co. portfolio company, U.S. Risk, on its sale to USI Insurance Holdings; Lovell Minnick on its acquisition of National Auto Care; MAPFRE on the sale of its New York insurance company and renewal rights in selected states; United States Warranty Corp. on its sale to Protective Life Corporation; Odyssey Investment Partners on its acquisition of Integro, Ltd.; Breckenridge, on its sale to W.R. Berkley; Fortegra Financial on the sale of Bliss & Glennon and eReinsure.com to Amwins Group; and SeaBright Holdings on its sale to Enstar Group. Butler has also advised on numerous capital raising transactions for publicly-listed and privately-held insurance companies, including underwritten equity and debt offerings. Previously, Butler was a partner at Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P. and a managing director at Piper Jaffray & Co. Butler began his professional career as a practicing attorney focused on corporate and securities law. Butler holds a Juris doctorate from the Fordham University School of Law and bachelor’s degree in government, cum laude, from Georgetown University. He is a contributing author of Insurance Industry Mergers & Acquisitions, published by the Society of Actuaries.