The latest acquisitions from Westland and Hub

Large brokerages Westland Insurance Group Ltd. and Hub International Limited have both announced recent mergers and acquisitions activity.

On Tuesday, Surrey, B.C.-headquartered Westland said it had acquired personal and commercial lines brokerage Insurance Unlimited in Mississauga, Ont. The following day, Hub announced the acquisition of another personal and commercial lines brokerage — Montreal-based H.W. Hollinger (Canada) Inc.

According to its website, Insurance Unlimited offers auto, marine, home and cottage, and motorcycle insurance under personal lines. For commercial, it offers auto and truck fleets, contractors, bonds and fidelity, general liability, and home builders’ insurance, among others. The brokerage also offers life and health insurance.

With this acquisition, Westland now has more than 180 locations and nearly 2,100 employees in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

Hub’s acquisition of H.W. Hollinger support’s the larger brokerage’s specialty practices by complementing and strengthening its existing capabilities, Chicago-based Hub said in a press release Wednesday.

“Their experience, especially in advising clients in the manufacturing, distribution, construction and real estate industries, aligns well with our growth strategy in the region,” Stephen Blais, president and CEO of Hub Quebec, said of H.W. Hollinger.

H.W. Hollinger president and his team will join Hub Quebec.

Both Westland and Hub have been active in M&A activity recently.

In mid-September, Westland announced its third acquisition over a one-week period with the acquisition of commercial brokerage Tredd Insurance in Toronto and Calgary. Tredd has expertise in the transportation and energy sectors.

Before that, Westland bought two Alberta brokers: Riverstone Insurance in Canmore and Hill ‘n’ Dale Insurance Limited in Breton. Both brokerages provide residential, auto, farm and commercial insurance, while Hill ‘n’ Dale also provides vehicle registry services.

Hub said Aug. 24 that it had signed a purchase agreement to acquire the Aviva Canada subsidiary that provides new home warranty in British Columbia and Alberta. With offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Langley, B.C., National Home Warranty Group Inc. is one of western Canada’s largest home warranty providers. Hub reports that National Home Warranty partners with more than 3,500 registered builders to provide new warranty coverage to 15,000 homes and homeowners every year.

Hub has made a handful of acquisitions so far this year. In early June, it acquired Sackville, N.S. based Salvatore Insurance Brokers Ltd., which offers trucking and contractors insurance and other types of commercial insurance to clients in Atlantic Canada. It also bought credit risk brokerage Global Credit Risk Management Inc. that month.

In April, Hub acquired Wessex Financial, a Calgary-based independent employee benefits, life and living benefits firm. In February, it bought John Galon Insurance Services Ltd. and Galon Management Ltd. (Galon Insurance Brokers). Located in Regina and Saskatoon, Galon Insurance Brokers offers personal, commercial and agribusiness insurance, as well as government auto and other professional services.

 

Feature image by iStock.com/metamorworks