Alera Group, based in Deerfield, IL, has been formed from the merger of 24 companies from around the country, creating the 14th largest privately held insurance firm and the 7th largest privately held employee benefits firm in the U.S. Alan Levitz, who was CEO of Deerfield-based GCG Financial, will become CEO of the new firm.

The combined firm will have 20,000 clients, 750 employees, $158 million in annual revenues and 40 offices across 15 states, with business lines that include financial planning, employee benefits, risk management and property/casualty insurance.

William “Billy” Corrigan, previously CFO at Marsh, will serve as CFO. Rob Lieblein, previously VP of M&A at Marsh, will stay on at Alera as chief development officer. Peter Marathas, most recently a partner at Boston-based law firm Marathas Barrow Weatherhead Lent, will serve as CLO.

Alera Group’s 24 founding insurance and financial firms are:

•     A&B Insurance and Financial Inc., Tampa, FL
•     American Insurance Administrators Inc., Mechanicsburg, PA
•     Ardent Solutions, Sugar Land, TX
•     Beacon Retiree Benefits Group LLC, Plantsville, CT
•     Benefit Advisors Network, Solon, OH
•     Benico Ltd., Huntley, IL
•     CBP, Stamford, CT
•     C. M. Smith Agency Inc., Hartford, CT
•     Centennial, Costa Mesa, CA
•     Coury Health Services Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
•     CPI-HR, Solon, OH
•     Forum, Greenville, SC
•     GCG Financial Inc., Deerfield, IL/ Greenwood Village, CO
•     Group Services Inc., Bettendorf, IA
•     HMK Insurance, Bethlehem, PA
•     INGROUP Associates Inc., Lancaster, PA
•     JA Counter, New Richmond, WI
•     Pentra Inc., Villanova, PA
•     PWA Insurance Services, Gold River, CA             
•     Relph Benefit Advisors, Fairport, NY
•     Shirazi Benefits, Greeley, CO
•     SIG, Baltimore, MD
•     TRUEbenefits LLC, Seattle, WA
•     Virtus Benefits LLC, Nashville, TN