In 1973, Charlie Burnham joined Kenny Corporation, a pioneer in credit life and disability insurance for banks. He was learning the business when the company suddenly collapsed — its reinsurance backer had failed, and the company was shut down immediately. Charlie walked out with a box containing a stapler, a few pencils, and six client banks he had personally sold insurance to.

“One day I showed up for work and there was a sheriff standing at the door.”Charlie Burnham

Rather than seek employment, Charlie and brothers Dave and Ed started Burnham Insurance Group, borrowing $20,000 secured by his book of business. They organized into three divisions: auto dealer, property casualty, and Charlie’s specialty — financial institutions. The strategy was simple: understand each bank’s business deeply and become a trusted partner.

“I never had any accounts receivable issues. Banks always paid. And the other thing I loved about it, they were very loyal.”Charlie Burnham

Burnham grew by following its customers into new markets — Indiana, Ohio, and across the Midwest. The company brought in talented people like Jim Harvin, Debbie McManigle, and Tom Reitan. By the 1990s, Burnham had nearly $25 million in revenue and was a respected Midwest player.

“I really focused on how we could help bankers who traditionally are not salespeople be more effective in helping their customers.”Charlie Burnham

A different market was developing in Texas: auto forced-placed insurance (CPI) — a more aggressive product than credit life, with higher margins and larger scale. In the mid-1990s, Kirby Jordan worked for Fields Financial Services when Anco Insurance asked him to launch their CPI program for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas. He seized the opportunity, later expanding with Timberline Insurance to reach beyond Texas.

A Louisiana lawsuit resulted in a multi-million-dollar consumer settlement over CPI. Banks panicked. The market went dark. Growth stalled. Anco wanted out, and the division was put up for sale. While competitors fled, Kirby saw what others didn’t — that the panic would pass.

“I felt like, ‘This is coming back.’ I felt like, ‘This litigation will work itself out. If you don’t want to wait, I can wait.’”Kirby Jordan

In 1997, Kirby purchased Timberline’s CPI division to launch Sentry Financial. It was a significant risk — the market was frozen. But within a couple of years, as litigation cleared, Kirby hired salespeople, built a Texas service center, and paid off the entire acquisition from profits. Sentry Financial was pure-play CPI, highly profitable, with expertise few possessed.

First of America Bank was considering a CPI program. Burnham had the relationship; Sentry had the expertise. When John Anthony Muniretto spotted Kirby at the airport, he saw the opportunity immediately and called Charlie to suggest the two meet. That night, Charlie and Kirby went to dinner — different types of people, but each recognized instantly what the other brought to the table. The next morning, they walked into the bank together. The banker was stunned. First of America approved the program on the spot.

“We’ve got the best of both worlds for you. We’ll watch over the program. You know you can trust us. We’ve chosen these people. They’ll do a great job. They’ve been doing this a long time.”Charlie Burnham

Charlie and Kirby formalized the relationship as Burnham Insurance Center (BIC), a joint venture based in Barrington, Illinois. Kirby trained Burnham’s credit-life sales team on CPI, and together they secured endorsements from banking associations in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, and Michigan. They served accounts from two service centers — Barrington for the Midwest, Coppell, Texas for Sentry’s existing business. Major accounts followed one by one: Old National Bank, Citizens Bank, First Merit Bank, and dozens of independent community banks.

At a Burnham sales meeting, Charlie made a statement that crystallized the transformation. Burnham had built its reputation on credit life, mortgage, and property casualty insurance — but the numbers told a different story. CPI was generating the highest margins, the largest volume, and the most growth potential. The shift wasn’t an abandonment of the old business; it was recognition of where the future lay.

“We are a CPI company.”Charlie Burnham

In late 2000 and early 2001, Burnham made three simultaneous moves: it acquired Sentry Financial entirely, acquired Kirby’s half of Burnham Insurance Center, and acquired Republic CID, another book of CPI business Kirby had acquired. All three deals closed together. The result was a fundamentally transformed company — still Burnham in name, but a CPI-focused operation with a national footprint, based in Coppell, Texas.