What’s New: In Brief (March 15, 2007)

Hub International Limited (NYSE:HBG) (TSX:HBG) has agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets of BNC Insurance Services, Inc., one of the largest Arizona-based insurance brokers.The brokerage, which does business as Milne & BNC Insurance Services, has approximately US$19 million in revenue. This operation will become a new regional platform (hub) doing business as Hub International Milne (HUB Milne).Based in Phoenix, Milne & BNC Insurance has 85 employees at offices in Phoenix, Prescott Valley, Cottonwood and Tucson, Arizona; Bismarck, Mandan and Linton, North Dakota; and Englewood, Colorado. Richard Milne, president of Milne & BNC Insurance, will become president of HUB Milne’s Arizona-based operations. The North Dakota offices will be folded into HUB Mountain States and the Colorado office will be folded into HUB Southwest.The brokerage was founded in 1990 and purchased in 2002 by BNC National Bank, a subsidiary of BNCCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:BNCC). The BNC Insurance acquisition will mark the fourth major purchase by Hub International of a large brokerage operation from a financial institution, HUB announced in a press release.

North America’s largest publicly traded provider of wholesale vehicle auctions and used vehicle dealer floorplan financing, ADESA Inc., has announced that ADESA stockholders are being advised to vote in favour of the company’s proposed merger with KAR Acquisition Inc. at a Mar. 28, 2007 stockholders meeting.ADESA expects to close the transaction in late April following the approval of stockholders at the Special Meeting.