Amwest Insurance Buys St. Louis Surety Firm

Amwest Insurance Group Inc. has purchased for an undisclosed amount Surety Associates Inc., a St. Louis, Mo.-based insurance agency that specializes in surety bonds.

Last year Surety Associates wrote $1.5 million in surety premiums, Amwest said.

Amwest Insurance, headquartered in Calabasas, is a property and casualty insurance concern that also writes surety bonds, including court and commercial bonds.

Amwest also announced that it has consolidated the operation of Surety Bond Writers Inc. into its Kansas City branch office. Last November, Amwest acquired Surety Bond Writers, which was located in Overland Park, Kan.