During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company acquired the assets and assumed certain liabilities of 14 insurance intermediaries, all of the stock of 14 insurance intermediaries, and purchased 4 books of businesses (customer accounts) for a total of 32 acquisitions. Additionally, adjustments were recorded to the purchase price allocation of certain prior acquisitions completed within the last 12 months as permitted by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805 - Business Combinations (“ASC 805”).

The recorded purchase price for all acquisitions includes an estimation of the fair value of liabilities associated with any potential earn-out provisions. Subsequent changes in the fair value of earn-out obligations will be recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Income when incurred. The initial fair value of earn-out obligations is based on the present value of the expected future payments to be made to the sellers of the acquired businesses in accordance with the provisions outlined in the respective purchase agreements. In determining fair value, the acquired business’s future performance is estimated using financial projections developed by management for the acquired business and reflects market participant assumptions regarding revenue growth and profitability. The expected future payments are estimated on the basis of the earn-out formula and performance targets specified in each purchase agreement compared to the associated financial projections. These payments are then discounted to present value using a risk-adjusted rate that takes into consideration the likelihood that the forecasted earn-out payments will be made.

Based on the acquisition date and the complexity of the underlying valuation work, certain amounts included in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements may be provisional and thus subject to further adjustments within the permitted measurement period, as defined in ASC 805. Management often uses independent third-party valuation specialists to assist in finalizing the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Fair value adjustments, if any, are most common to the values established for amortizable intangible assets and earnout liabilities, with the offset to goodwill, net of any income tax effect. Provisional estimates were used to initially record the acquisitions of The Canopy Group and Quintes Holding B.V., including for intangible assets, goodwill, customer contract related balances, tax related balances and other asset and liability accounts.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, adjustments to prior year acquisitions were made within the permitted measurement period for the following: increase to consideration of $11 million, increase to fiduciary assets and fiduciary liabilities of $20 million, increase in amortizable intangible assets of $11 million, decrease to other net assets of $9 million and net increase to goodwill of $9 million. These measurement period adjustments have been reflected as current period adjustments in the year ended December 31, 2024. The measurement period adjustments had no material effect on earnings or cash in the current period.

Gross cash paid for acquisitions was $934 million and $695 million in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We completed 32 acquisitions (including book of business purchases) during the year ended December 31, 2024 and 33 acquisitions (including book of business purchases) during the year ended December 31, 2023.

The following table summarizes the purchase price allocations and estimated fair values of the aggregate assets and liabilities acquired as of the date of each acquisition for current year acquisitions and adjustments made during the measurement period for prior year acquisitions. During the measurement periods, the Company will adjust assets or liabilities if new information is obtained about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date that, if known, would have resulted in the recognition of those assets and liabilities as of that date. These adjustments are made in the period in which the amounts are determined and the current period income effect of such adjustments will be calculated as if the adjustments had been completed as of the acquisition date.


(in millions)	The Canopy Group		Quintes Holding B.V.			Other (1)			Total
Business Segment	Retail		Retail			Various
Effective date of acquisition	October 1, 2024		November 1, 2024			Various
Cash paid	$	51	$	695		$	188		$	934
Other payable		—		—			27			27
Recorded earn-out payable		11		—			62			73
Total consideration		62		695			277			1,034
Maximum potential earn-out payable		74		—			113			187
Allocation of purchase price:
Cash and equivalents		—		—			10			10
Fiduciary cash		—		11			23			34
Fiduciary receivables		—		10			5			15
Other current assets		—		25			9			34
Goodwill		39		468			200			707
Purchased customer accounts and other intangibles (2)		23		302			74			399
Other assets		—		17			3			20
Total assets acquired		62		833			324			1,219
Fiduciary liabilities		—		(34	)		(28	)		(62	)
Other current liabilities		—		(15	)		(3	)		(18	)
Deferred income tax, net		—		(78	)		(9	)		(87	)
Other long-term liabilities		—		(11	)		(1	)		(12	)
Total liabilities assumed		—		(138	)		(41	)		(179	)
Acquired non-controlling interest		—		—			(6	)		(6	)
Net assets acquired	$	62	$	695		$	277		$	1,034

(1) The other column represents current year acquisitions with total net assets acquired of less than $50 million and adjustments from prior year acquisitions that were made within the permitted measurement period.

(2) The weighted average useful life of purchased customer accounts is 15 years.

Goodwill of $707 million, net of any opening balance sheet adjustments within the allowable measurement period, was allocated to the Retail, Programs, and Wholesale Brokerage segments in the amounts of $634 million, $40 million, and $33 million, respectively. Of the total goodwill, the amount currently deductible for income tax purposes is $121 million. Of the remaining $586 million of goodwill, $551 million relates to goodwill that will not be deductible for income tax purposes and $35 million relates to recorded earn-out payables which will not be deductible for income tax purposes until it is earned and paid.

For the acquisitions completed during 2024, the results of operations since the acquisition dates have been combined with those of the Company. The total revenues from the acquisitions completed through December 31, 2024 included in the Consolidated Statement of Income for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $40 million. The loss before income taxes from the acquisitions completed through December 31, 2024, included in the Consolidated Statement of Income for the year ended December 31, 2024, was $1 million.

If the Company's 2024 acquisitions had occurred as of the beginning of 2023, the estimated results of operations would be as shown in the following table. These unaudited pro forma results are not necessarily indicative of the actual results of operations that would have occurred had the acquisitions actually been made at the beginning of the respective periods.

ASC 805 is the authoritative guidance requiring an acquirer to recognize 100% of the fair value of acquired assets, including goodwill, and assumed liabilities (with only limited exceptions) upon initially obtaining control of an acquired entity. Additionally, the fair value of contingent consideration arrangements (such as earn-out purchase arrangements) at the acquisition date must be included in the purchase price consideration. The recorded purchase prices for acquisitions include an estimation of the fair value of liabilities associated with any potential earn-out provisions. Subsequent changes in these earn-out obligations will be recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Income when incurred or reasonably estimated. Estimations of potential earn-out obligations are typically based upon future earnings of the acquired operations or entities, usually for periods ranging from one to three years.

As of December 31, 2024, the fair values of the estimated acquisition earn-out payables were re-evaluated and measured at fair value on a recurring basis using unobservable inputs (Level 3) as defined in ASC 820 - Fair Value Measurement. The resulting additions, payments and net changes, as well as the interest expense accretion on the estimated acquisition earn-out payables, for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
(in millions)	2024			2023			2022
Balance as of the beginning of the period	$	249		$	252		$	291
Additions to estimated acquisition earn-out payables from new acquisitions		73			67			73
Assumed estimated acquisition earn-out payables		3			21			35
Payments for estimated acquisition earn-out payables		(154	)		(119	)		(106	)
Subtotal		171			221			293
Net change in earnings from estimated acquisition earn-out payables:
Change in fair value on estimated acquisition earn-out payables		(6	)		14			(46	)
Interest expense accretion		8			7			7
Net change in earnings from estimated acquisition earn out payables		2			21			(39	)
Foreign currency translation adjustments during the year		(6	)		7			(2	)
Balance as of December 31,	$	167		$	249		$	252

Of the $167 million of estimated acquisition earn-out payables as of December 31, 2024, $75 million was recorded as current liabilities within the accounts payable caption in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets and $92 million was recorded as non-current liabilities within the other liabilities caption in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets. Included within additions to estimated acquisition earn-out payables are any adjustments to opening balance sheet items within the allowable measurement period, which may therefore differ from previously reported amounts. Of the $249 million of estimated acquisition earn-out payables as of December 31, 2023, $146 million was recorded as accounts payable, and $103 million was recorded as other liabilities.

As of December 31, 2024, the maximum future contingency payments related to all acquisitions totaled $497 million. Five of the estimated acquisition earn-out payables include provisions with no maximum potential earn-out amount. The amount recorded for these acquisitions as of December 31, 2024, is $4 million. The Company deems a significant increase to this amount to be unlikely.