KKR to Buy Claims-Technology Maker Mitchell From Aurora Capital

KKR & Co., the private-equity firm led by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, agreed to buy Mitchell International Inc., the first buyout by the firm’s technology group since the head of the team stepped down earlier this year.

The transaction is valued at more than $1 billion, including debt, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity because financial terms weren’t disclosed. KKR is buying Mitchell from Aurora Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based private-equity firm, the companies said in a statement today.

Kristi Huller, a spokeswoman for New York-based KKR, declined to comment on the deal’s value.

The buyout is being done by KKR’s technology group, run by Herald Chen and David Kerko, and is the team’s first acquisition since Adam Clammer stepped down in May as head of the group. Mitchell, based in San Diego, provides claims-processing technology to insurance companies and collision-repair facilities, benefiting from steady cash flows in the insurance and health-care industries.

“We believe KKR’s capabilities in technology and health care, both domestically and internationally, will enable us to find new ways to provide valuable and innovative solutions to our clients,” Alex Sun, Mitchell’s chief executive officer, said in the statement.

Aurora, founded in 1991 by Gerald Parsky, bought Mitchell for about $500 million in 2007, with General Electric Pension Trust co-investing in the purchase. The company previously was owned by private-equity firm Hellman & Friedman LLC.

KKR received advice from Bank of America Corp. and Three Ocean Partners, and Mitchell was advised by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., with Guggenheim Securities LLC and William Blair & Co. providing additional consultation, the companies said. The companies expect the buyout to close by the end of the year.

(Editors: Christian Baumgaertel, Josh Friedman)