GAB
In October 1871, the world’s worst fire disaster of the time tore through the city of Chicago, causing 250 fatalities and damaging 2,124 acres of real estate at a loss of more than $190,000,000. In order to handle the overwhelming amount of claims, insurance representatives pooled their efforts and the concept of cooperative adjusting was born.

In 1885, industry leaders formed the Western Adjustment and Inspection Company and after the San Francisco Earthquake in 1906, a group of fire insurance companies formed the General Adjustment Bureau. Company-owned adjustment organizations continued to emerge until The Great Depression prompted consolidation within the industry. In 1932, the Fire Companies’ Adjustment Bureau (FCAB) was established and it quickly absorbed numerous adjusting organizations. By the end of the decade, the FCAB covered the entire U.S. except for the 13 states served by the Western Adjustment and Inspection Company. In 1947, the FCAB changed its named to the General Adjustment Bureau (GAB) and in 1959 the Western Adjustment and Inspection Company became part of GAB.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, GAB was at the forefront of major natural disasters, including Hurricanes Donna and Agnes, as well as civil disasters, such as the riots in Los Angeles, Newark and Detroit. Along with catastrophes, GAB also handled claims related to major events such as the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Robins
In 1872, Arthur Thwaites set up business as an estate agent in London and soon began working for the city’s leading fire insurance offices as an independent surveyor, investigating fire claims and determining the amounts due to claimants. Thwaites’ assistants, Joseph George Robins and Frank Dellanoy Little, became his partners in 1892.

Sydney Everard Davies joined the firm several years later and became a partner in 1901. By 1907, the company was known as Robins & Co. and by 1915 as Robins, Davies & Little.

Robins, Davies & Little continued to grow in the UK and in 1971, established its first international office in Amsterdam. Robins’ international presence quickly increased and the company’s offices soon spanned the globe.

GAB Robins
In 1987, SGS Société Générale de Surveillance Holding S.A. (SGS) acquired Robins, Davies & Little and merged it with GAB in 1995, creating GAB Robins. In 1999, Brera Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm based in New York City, acquired a majority interest in GAB Robins from SGS.