Associated Bank completes rebranding of its business unit to Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting from Associated Financial Group

Business provides HR, risk and insurance services in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois

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Sep 12, 2016, 01:04 ET

GREEN BAY, Wis., Sept. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Associated Bank has announced the completion of state licensure filings, allowing it to officially rebrand its HR, risk and insurance services business unit to Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting (ABRC) from Associated Financial Group (AFG).

The move was made to better represent the enhanced capabilities of the business following the 2015 acquisition and subsequent integration of Ahmann & Martin Co., a risk and benefits consulting firm operating in the Midwest.

ABRC will move its operations into a four-story, 93,000-square-foot office building at 6000 Clearwater Drive in Minnetonka, MN in early 2017.

"Renaming the business was a logical strategy to ensure clarity of our capabilities and approach with our clients and prospects in the marketplace," said Dean Hildebrandt, CEO of ABRC.

According to Associated, the ABRC combination has exceeded expectations in terms of enhancing value for its clients as well as financial performance. In recent quarters, the business unit has delivered record insurance commissions and significantly increased revenues from both the integration and organic growth. ABRC was also recently selected to be part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States that will participate in the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America "Best Practices" Study Group.

"In our view, this action is more than a simple name change. It is representative of our efforts to deliver a wide range of client services with one valued partner. In addition, the ABRC brand provides a solid identity for us to fulfill our core mission – helping our clients solve business problems and meet their aspirations," Hildebrandt said.

The company will now begin to incorporate the ABRC brand on stationery, signage, website and digital channels.

Early in 2017, ABRC will consolidate several Minneapolis-area operations into a single building at 6000 Clearwater Drive in Minnetonka. The four-story, 93,000-square-foot office building is now being reconditioned to meet ABRC's needs.

ABOUT ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP
Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) has total assets of $29 billion and is one of the top 50 publicly traded U.S. bank holding companies. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Associated is a leading Midwest banking franchise, offering a full range of financial products and services from over 200 banking locations serving more than 100 communities throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, and commercial financial services in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. Associated Bank, N.A. is an Equal Housing Lender, Equal Opportunity Lender and Member FDIC. More information about Associated Banc-Corp is available at www.associatedbank.com.