Marcus Humphrey

McQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP (MHBT), based in Dallas, recently named Marcus Humphrey vice president and leader of the firm’s Employee Benefits group. As vice president, Humphrey’s primary responsibilities include performing financial analyses of benefit plans, evaluating the cost effectiveness of benefit plans, negotiating with insurance carrier underwriters and issuing financial recommendations for benefit options.

Prior to joining MHBT, Humphrey served for over six years as assistant vice president with Marsh USA. Before that position, Humphrey was director of agency services for National Health Administrators, where he oversaw
the administrative affairs of the large national firm.

Katherine Moore has been named vice president of Universal Insurance Company of Texas, a newly formed subsidiary of Universal Insurance Holdings of North America.

Moore has an extensive background in the Texas personal lines market and will be based in the company’s San Antonio headquarters.

Universal Insurance Holdings of North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Insurance Group based in Puerto Rico, which was founded in Puerto Rico over 30 years ago. In 2004, UIG expanded its market and formed the local insurance group known today as Universal Insurance Company of North America.

Dallas-based U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. appointed Oscar Perez as the commercial underwriting manager responsible for contract underwriting in its Houston branch office. Perez has over 30 years experience in the insurance business with major wholesale brokers and national carriers.

La.-based regional property and casualty insurance broker First Premium Insurance Group Inc. reported that Debbie Harrington has joined the First Premium staff as a commercial underwriter. She will also be assisting with the marketing of programs.

Harrington comes to First Premium from a national MGA/broker where she worked for many years as an underwriter/broker handling general liability, auto liability, umbrellas, property, professional liability, EPLI and other lines of commercial business.

She is a member of the National Association of Insurance Women, where she serves as the treasurer of the New Orleans Chapter and she is the president of the Young Insurance Professionals organization. Harring-ton has obtained her CPIW and DAE designations and is currently working on her CPCU, AU and CIC designations.

Harrington may be reached at (800) 256-2171, ext. 670 or by e-mail at debbie.harrington@firstpremium.com.

Independent insurance brokerage firm Higginbotham & Associates added sales associate Scott McGuire to its Austin, Texas, branch. McGuire is the third addition this year, more than doubling the office’s broker staff since its opening in June 2004.

McGuire joins Fort Worth-based Higginbotham in its property and casualty insurance division, offering commercial and personal risk management coverages and services to Austin area businesses and
residents.

During a 10-year career at Dell Computers Inc., McGuire was a preferred account sales representative and business sales manager, in which he regularly led people and sales to exceed revenue goals, earning him a place in the company’s “Elite Club.” He was honored with a “Winning Culture Award” and named “Manager of the Quarter” and “Team Player” twice while working with Dell.

Bonnie McHenry, a former vice president of underwriting at Travelers, and director at MetLife Auto and Home, joined Austin, Texas-based Myriad Development in the role of vice president, Underwriting Services.

McHenry brings 25 years of insurance industry experience to Myriad and is the first of a handful of key strategic hires planned by Myriad in the second half of this year.

Myriad sells technology solutions to the real estate and insurance industries. The company said its technology is now being used at six of the nation’s top 25 insurance companies.

Crawford & Company announced that David A. Lee was named manager of the company’s Little Rock, Ark., Claims Management Services branch.

Lee has been with Crawford & Company since 1999, most recently as the manager of the Shreveport, La., Claims Management Services branch. Lee also served as an adjuster-in-charge in both the Batesville and Hot Springs, Ark., offices and as a supervisor in the Little Rock branch.

David Morse & Associates, a national claims administration and independent adjusting company based in Los Angeles, named Kristina Peters to head its new office in Dallas, Texas. DM&A Dallas provides property and casualty claims coverage in the Dallas metro area and is the first of several offices planned for Texas.

Peters brings a strong background in claims to DM&A. Her experience handling high exposure commercial, product liability and personal lines liability claims was a primary factor in her selection for this position. She also is experienced at handling city and government agency claims in excess of a million dollars and, on the other end of the spectrum, first party property claims experience.

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland announced two new members to the Oklahoma Insurance Department staff.

Jennifer Burchett was hired as legislative liaison. Burchett graduated with a bachelor’s degree in letters from the University of Oklahoma and obtained a law degree from the University of Tulsa. She previously worked for the Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators where she acted as the director of legal services. Burchett is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and Christian Legal Society.

Pam Nielson is the department’s new Tulsa office coordinator. Nielson brings to the department 15 years of marketing experience and seven years of human relations
experience.

She previously worked in human resources for WorldCom and WilTel Communications. Nielson also worked in marketing and sales at Apple Computer.

Burns & Wilcox has appointed Andrew Taylor as assistant underwriter and Frances Nicole Taylor as assistant broker in the company’s Dallas/Fort Worth office.

As assistant underwriter and assistant broker, respectively, Andrew Taylor and Frances Nicole Taylor are responsible for binder quotes, invoices, submissions, endorsement renewal requests and follow up with the Dallas/Fort Worth’s network of agents and brokers.

Argonaut Group Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, named Michael Warfield senior vice president of Business Development of Colony Group, its Excess and Surplus Lines segment. He will be based in Colony’s Richmond, Va., office.

Previous to joining Colony, Warfield held the position of president of U.S. Risk Underwriters in Dallas, during one of U.S. Risk’s most significant growth periods. Additionally, he held the position of executive vice president and chief underwriting officer of the holding company, U.S. Risk Insurance Group. Previous to that, he was president of Canterbury Financial Group Inc. and senior vice president of Chartwell Re Corp.

W. R. Berkley Corporation, headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., appointed William Berkley, Jr. as executive vice president. The appointment is effective immediately. Berkley will oversee the company’s domestic insurance operations, consisting of its specialty, regional and alternative markets segments.

He joined W. R. Berkley Corporation in 1997 and was appointed senior vice president – specialty operations in January 2003. In addition, he has served on the company’s board of directors since his election in 2001. Before joining W. R. Berkley Corporation, he worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Company.

To submit information for this department,
e-mail ijtexas@insurancejournal.com.

Topics USA Texas Agencies Claims Underwriting Property Oklahoma Property Casualty