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United America Indemnity Ltd.’s board of directors has selected Joseph F. Morris as its president.

The company will also consolidate its two U.S. insurance subsidiaries, United National Group and Penn-America Group, under a single United America Insurance Group management structure and has selected William F. Schmidt as its president and CEO.

Morris is currently president and chief executive officer of Penn-America Group and Schmidt is currently president and chief executive officer of United National Group. Both Morris and Schmidt will report directly to the company’s board of directors through its chairman, Saul A. Fox.

The company said the consolidation ultimately will reduce annualized expenses by approximately $4 million when fully completed in 12 months with about one-half of the expense savings realized in 2006. The reorganization will result in an 8 percent reduction of available job positions in the combined companies’ workforces, and that it will incur related restructuring costs of approximately $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2006.

The United America Insurance Group will comprise two business units: Penn-America and United National. All commercial binding authority insurance products now marketed through about 110 general agents for Penn-America and United National will be combined under Penn-America.

All specialty product offerings including professional liability lines of business, brokerage facilities, class-specific programs and umbrella/excess business will continue to operate under the United National business unit. All insurance operations such as Claims, Information Technology, Financial and Legal will be consolidated under a single United America Insurance Group management structure that aligns resources with the two business units.

Fox noted, “We regret that these changes will result in some job losses and we are doing everything we can to mitigate the impact, including severance benefits and job search assistance. The relationships we have with our employees and our agents are critical to our success and we’re committed to keeping them strong.”

Fox also is chief executive officer of Fox Paine & Company LLC, whose affiliated private-equity funds acquired a controlling interest in United National Group in September 2003. In January 2005, United America completed its merger with Penn-America Group and its acquisition of Penn Independent Corporation. In conjunction with those transactions, United National Group, Ltd. was renamed United America Indemnity, Ltd.

Minnesota-based RJF Agencies Inc. reported that Tim Gallagher was hired as its director of Marketing/Commercial Lines. In this role, Gallagher will oversee the marketing of commercial insurance risks, design risk management programs for clients and improve the RJF risk marketing process to ensure competitive pricing and exemplary service are delivered to clients.

Before joining RJF, Gallagher worked in various underwriting-related capacities with Chubb Insurance Company in Minneapolis for more than 18 years. His duties there included managing the Minneapolis region’s Middle Market Department and managing the property, marine and energy business for the Great Lakes region. Prior to that, Gallagher worked as a senior underwriter, focusing his time and efforts on evaluating a wide variety of commercial risks.

Cincinnati-based American Financial Group Inc. announced that Piyush Singh has been named vice president of the company. In his new role, Singh will have responsibility for information technology services for AFG’s property and casualty insurance operations and a number of AFG corporate functions. He has also been named senior vice president and chief information officer of Great American Insurance Company.

Through the operations of the Great American Insurance Group, AFG is engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialized commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of retirement annuities, supplemental insurance and life products.

Columbus, Ohio, Safelite Group, the nation’s leading provider of auto glass repair, replacement and claims management solutions, announces the promotions of three members of its senior management team. Receiving promotions are Gerry Tann, Jon Cardi and Jim McMillan.

Gerry Tann has been promoted to vice president of field sales and will lead all field sales efforts for Safelite Group’s insurance (Safelite Solutions), commercial (Safelite AutoGlass) and wholesale (Service AutoGlass) business units. Tann joined Safelite in 1990 and most recently served as the assistant vice president of Service AutoGlass and commercial and wholesale sales. Tann’s expanded position will allow him to oversee the insurance field sales team. He has experience in leading the company’s insurance field sales initiatives, as he served in that role from 1995 to 1997.

“Gerry has been very active in our field sales efforts. He brings considerable industry experience, excellent sales management skills and an aggressive growth-oriented philosophy to this new assignment,” said Tom Feeney, Safelite Group’s executive vice president & chief client officer. Before coming to Safelite Group, Tann served as a sales manager for Savin Corporation, a digital imaging systems provider.

Jon Cardi, who has been with Safelite Group since 1996, has been given additional responsibilities in his new role as vice president of client sales and support. He will now oversee some of the company’s national insurance accounts, its national commercial accounts and its government programs. Prior to joining Safelite Group, Cardi served in several sales and leadership positions with Mobil Oil Corporation.

Jim McMillan, a Safelite associate since 2000, has been promoted to vice president of Client Sales and Support. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the auto glass industry. McMillan received a bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education from East Carolina University.

Columbus, Ohio-based Safelite Group is a provider of property and casualty claims management solutions and auto glass products and services. Safelite Group is the parent company for Safelite AutoGlass.

Topics A.J. Gallagher Property Casualty