Hub Expands East-Coast U.S. Operations

Broker consolidator Hub International Ltd. (TSX: HBG] has added two U.S. brokerages to its stable: Boston-based Commonwealth Insurance Agency Inc., and New Jersey-based Sondheim & Laughlin.

Commonwealth will become part of Hub’s New England “C.J. McCarthy hub”. The new brokerage produces about US$300,000 in annual revenue from mostly homeowners coverage in Massachusetts. The office of Commonwealth will be moved to Wilmington, MA, home of McCarthy, where former owner Edgar Sidon will become a vice president at the divisional hub.

New Jersey-based Sondheim & Laughlin has been added to Hub’s New York operation under the Kaye Group Inc. The brokerage, which brings in around $2 million in annual revenue, specializes in auto physical damage and liability for public auto and limousine markets. Sondheim will remain in Iselin, NJ, with president Robert Laughlin retiring, and vice president George Hansen becoming a vice president with Kaye Group.