Three major wealth management firms are reshaping their service offerings through strategic acquisitions, signaling a broader industry push toward comprehensive family office platforms and integrated financial solutions. Emigrant Bancorp is launching a dedicated family office division through the acquisition of Fortis Management Group, while Mariner expands into property and casualty insurance and Wealth Enhancement secures its first presence in Kansas with a billion-dollar advisor team.
The moves reflect growing demand among ultra-high-net-worth clients for coordinated services that extend beyond traditional investment management. According to the companies, these strategic partnerships are designed to deliver specialized capabilities that independent advisors often struggle to build on their own.
Emigrant Launches Family Office Platform with Fortis Acquisition
Emigrant Bancorp has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Fortis Management Group, a Boston-area firm specializing in non-investment family office services for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families. The acquisition forms the foundation of Emigrant Family Office, a newly created division affiliated with Emigrant Bank.
The family office platform will provide specialized services including customized financial reporting, cash management, family governance, and coordination across tax, trust, and estate planning. The offering targets ultra-wealthy families and registered investment advisors seeking to expand upmarket without building their own infrastructure, the company said.
Fortis brings a 14-person team led by chief executive Jay Goldfarb into Emigrant’s network of more than 100 professionals already serving ultra-high-net-worth clients. These professionals work across various Emigrant businesses including New York Private Bank & Trust, Emigrant Partners, Emigrant Bank Fine Art Finance, and several private trust companies.
Howard Milstein, chair and chief executive of Emigrant Bank and Emigrant Bancorp, said in a statement that the firm has spent decades building specialized capabilities to serve wealthy families’ increasingly complex needs. “Emigrant Family Office brings these capabilities together into a single, coordinated platform,” Milstein said, calling it the fulfillment of a long-standing vision.
Additionally, Goldfarb noted that Fortis and Emigrant have known each other for many years and share a common vision for family office services. By combining Fortis’s expertise with Emigrant’s scale and reach, the platform has “a unique opportunity to redefine both the breadth and quality of services available to wealthy families and the advisors who serve them,” he said.
Leadership of Emigrant Family Office will include president Mark Rogozinski, who joined from Cresset last year to lead family office services, and managing director Ken Eyler, who joined in 2025. The Fortis transaction is expected to close in April.
Mariner Expands into Property and Casualty Insurance
Meanwhile, Overland Park-based Mariner announced it has acquired Cowell Insurance Services, a property and casualty insurance provider founded in 2009 that serves businesses and individuals. The deal is designed to integrate wealth management and risk management more closely within Mariner’s advisor platform.
The acquisition reflects ongoing pressure for wealth platforms to provide coordinated risk management, including property, casualty, and liability coverage, alongside traditional planning and portfolio construction. Mariner is betting that bringing P&C capabilities in-house will make it easier for advisors to incorporate insurance into conversations around cash flow, estate planning, business succession, and generational wealth transfer.
The 18-person Cowell Insurance Services team brings experience in commercial and personal P&C coverage, underwriting strategy, risk control, claims advocacy, and risk management. According to Mariner, the acquisition adds business and individual risk advisory solutions to its service offering and strengthens its “One Mariner” ecosystem.
Marty Bicknell, Mariner’s president and chief executive, said the firm’s focus remains on building a company that can meet clients wherever their needs take them. “Property and casualty is a natural extension of the work we already do – helping those we serve protect what they’ve worked so hard to build,” Bicknell said.
Cowell Insurance Services will operate under the Mariner brand once the deal closes on March 4. Founder Lance Cowell said joining Mariner allows the firm to continue its work while creating new opportunities and reinforcing client support.
Wealth Enhancement Secures Billion-Dollar Teams
In contrast, Wealth Enhancement announced it has acquired an advisor team from TFB Advisors in Overland Park, Kansas, marking the firm’s first office in the state and adding more than $1.2 billion in client assets. The deal pushes Wealth Enhancement’s total client assets to more than $143.8 billion, according to the company.
The team of six advisors and four support staff is led by Josh Selzer, Tim Gaigals, and Daniel Dolan. Operating as The Archer Team at Wealth Enhancement, the group serves high-net-worth individuals, business owners, hospitals, hospital systems, and dental practices with planning and investment services.
However, this wasn’t Wealth Enhancement’s only major move this week. The firm also announced an agreement to acquire the H Group and its affiliated practice, FocusPoint Solutions, which together oversee more than $6.7 billion in assets. Led by founder Chris Hicks, the firms are headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with additional locations across the Pacific Northwest and Southwest.
After a two-month silence, the two transactions mark Wealth Enhancement’s return to dealmaking in 2026. The firm led the buyers table in 2025 as the most active acquirer of the year with 20 deals, according to the 2025 Echelon Partners RIA M&A deal report.
Industry observers will be watching whether Wealth Enhancement maintains its acquisition pace throughout 2026, though the firm has not disclosed specific targets for the year.