Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC)

Aon first-quarter profit grows on gains from investments, funds

Aon reported a rise in first-quarter profit on Friday, powered by increases in interest earned from investments as well as funds held in a fiduciary capacity. Interest income rose nearly six times to $28 million in the first quarter ended March, primarily due to interest earned on $5 billion investment of debt proceeds used to fund the purchase of NFP. Last year, Aon agreed to buy privately held NFP in a deal valued at about $13.4 billion to tap the fast-growing middle-market segment of insurance brokerage, wealth management and retirement plan advisory.