Exhibit 99.01

            BROOKE CORPORATION ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE AND BOARD CHANGES

        OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brooke
Corporation (Amex: BXX) today announced that Anita F. Larson has been elected a
director of the corporation as well as its President and Chief Operating
Officer, effective immediately. Larson, 43, joined Brooke in 1999 and has served
as its Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. She previously served as
Vice President and Counsel for The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the
United States in New York, and as Chief Administrative Officer of First Security
Benefit Life Insurance and Annuity Company of New York. In her new role, Ms.
Larson will be responsible for the operations of the parent company's
administrative and support services provided to its operating subsidiaries,
including the human resources, legal, compliance, corporate and investor
relations functions.

        "Anita's organizational and leadership skills, along with a thorough
understanding of the insurance industry and our business model, make her a
logical choice to lead Brooke Corporation's operations," said Robert D. Orr,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "She has been a key member of the
executive management team for years and will now assume an even more important
role."

        Larson succeeds Leland Orr as President of Brooke. Leland Orr will
continue as Brooke's Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, now focusing full
time on Brooke's accounting and finance systems, processes and controls,
financial reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Larson replaces Michael Hess
on Brooke's Board of Directors. Hess resigned from the Board of Directors of
Brooke Corporation, but will continue as an officer and director of the Brooke
Brokerage Corporation subsidiary and its wholesale insurance and captive
insurance businesses.

        James H. Ingraham was elected by the Board of Directors to replace Ms.
Larson as General Counsel and Secretary of Brooke Corporation. Ingraham, 50,
formerly served as General Counsel of H&R Block, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri.

        "Jim's franchise, compliance and general corporate experience make him a
valuable addition to the Brooke Corporation team. Legal talent of Jim's caliper
would be an asset to any organization," said Mr. Orr.

        About our company ... Brooke Corporation (Amex: BXX) is listed on the
American Stock Exchange under the symbol of BXX. Brooke Corporation is a holding
company with three primary subsidiaries. Brooke Franchise Corporation is a
subsidiary that distributes insurance and financial services through a network
of approximately 370 franchise locations. The Brooke organization was founded on
the belief that local business owners distribute insurance and financial
services more efficiently than others if supported by a franchise system. Brooke
Credit Corporation is a subsidiary that originates loans to insurance agencies,
financial services practices, funeral homes and other local businesses,
including Brooke franchises. Loan portfolio balances totaled over $183,000,000
on December 31, 2004, and have been mostly sold as individual loans to
participating lenders or as pooled loans to investors through asset backed
securitizations. Brooke Brokerage Corporation is a subsidiary holding company
with subsidiaries that sell insurance on a wholesale basis primarily through
locally owned insurance agencies, including Brooke franchises. Through Bermuda
based subsidiaries, underwriting risks are shared with insurance companies on
selected policies.



        Email Distribution .... If you would like to receive electronic press
release information then please visit the "Investor Relations" section of our
website at http://www.brookecorp.com and subscribe to our "Email Alerts" on-
line.

        This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Investors are
cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties,
and several factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those
in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could
cause actual results to differ from those indicated in the forward-looking
statements: uncertainties associated with market acceptance of and demand for
the Company's products and services, impact of competitive products and pricing,
dependence on third party suppliers and their pricing, ability to meet product
demand, exposure to market risks, uncertainties associated with the development
of technology, changes in the law and in economic, political and regulatory
environments, the dependence on intellectual property rights, and the
effectiveness of internal controls. Investors are directed to the Company's most
recent annual and quarterly reports, which are available from the Company
without charge or at http://www.sec.gov, for a more complete description of the
Company's business.

SOURCE  Brooke Corporation
        -0-                             01/28/2005
        /CONTACT: Anita Larson of Brooke Corporation, larsa@brookecorp.com or
+1-913-661-0123/
        /Web site: http://www.brookecorp.com/
        (BXX)