Canadian hail insurance broker acquired by Hub

Hub International Ltd. continues to buy Canadian property and casualty brokerages, with the acquisition of Ottawa-based Access Insurance Brokers Inc. as well as a Saskatchewan provider of farm insurance.

Chicago-based Hub announced Monday it has acquired Frontier Business Centre Ltd., which does business as Hometown Insurance Brokers. The brokerage is based in Vonda, Sask., about 50 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

The Hometown deal came four days after Hub announced the acquisition of Access Insurance Brokers. As a result, Access Insurance co-owners Rico Saleh and Daniel Cernea will join Hub Quebec. Access writes personal and commercial lines.

Garth and Denise Wruck, owners of Hometown Insurance, will join Hub Manitoba.

Hub was formed in 1998 through the merger of 11 Canadian brokerages.

In August, Hub acquired the property and casualty business of Cypher Systems Group, a Windsor, Ont. firm that owns Southland Insurance Brokers Inc., SmartCoverage Insurance Services Inc. and online quote provider Insurance Hunter Services Inc.

Southland has bricks-and-mortar offices in Windsor, Tecumseh, Leamington and Harrow.

Hometown’s coverages include personal, auto, commercial and agricultural, including crop hail insurance.

Hometown also places errors and omissions for farm business consultants and hail agents, builder’s risk, commercial general liability, directors and officers liability and surety, among others.

Other recent Hub acquisitions in Canada include Gamble and Associates Insurance Limited, a southwestern Ontario brokerage with offices in Sarnia, Petrolia, Ridgetown, Wallaceburg, Forest, London, Chatham, Thamesville and St. Thomas.

Hub earlier acquired Jasper, Alta.-based Carlton Insurance Brokers Inc., whose target customers include trucking companies and the oil and gas sector.

Hub launched this past February eight specialty practices: transportation, financial institutions, entertainment/sports, construction, agriculture, hospitality, real estate and healthcare.

The acquisition of Hometown “supports” Hub’s specialty practices, Hub said Monday.