Memphis, Tenn.-based Regions Fin-ancial Corporation named David L. Bowlin president and CEO of its new Regions Insurance Group Inc., the corporate parent for all of its insurance operating subsidiaries. Other members of the Regions Insurance Group team are John Bennett, chief financial officer; Tim Derouen, chief information officer; Gail Boland, chief administrative officer, Bill Quinlan, CEO of ICT; Al McDowell, CEO of Rebsamen; and Chip Harper, CEO of Regions Insurance Services.
Bowlin will set and execute the insurance strategy for the Regions Insurance Group. He was most recently president and CEO of retail operations of Dallas, Texas-based Summit Global Partners Inc., which was acquired by USI Holdings Corp. Bowlin was formerly president of E. H. Crump and Co., chairman and CEO of Sedgwick Global Ltd and managing director of Marsh Inc. He was also formerly an underwriting member at Lloyd’s of London.
Regions Insurance Group is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., as are both Regions Mortgage and Morgan Keegan Company Inc.–Regions’ investment and securities brokerage, trust and asset management division. Regions Financial Corporation, headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., provides retail and commercial banking, securities brokerage, mortgage, and insurance products and services.
St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Bankers Insurance Group announced that Sharon Rio, vice president of Bankers Insurance Services, has also been named vice president of Bonded Builders Insurance Services. At both BIS and BBIS she will oversee direct sales of insurance products to consumers. Rio will also manage operations for lender-placed products such as collateral protection insurance and mortgage portfolio protection for lending institutions. Rio has almost 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry. Prior to Bankers, she was senior vice president of Operations for American Bankers Insurance Group, based in Miami.
Atlanta-based Beecher Carlson Hold-ings Inc. appointed Jane Hamilton as senior vice president and team leader in the newly formed Directors & Officers (D&O) Risk Practice.
Located in Atlanta, Hamilton will assist in the creation and development of Beecher Carlson’s new D&O Risk Practice and focus on providing superior client service and technical expertise. Signature products of the D&O Risk Practice include Directors & Officers Liability, Employment Practices Liability, Fiduciary Liability, Errors & Omissions, Crime, Employed Lawyers, Products Recall and Kidnap/Ransom insurance coverage.
Hamilton has more than 17 years of experience in insurance. Before joining Beecher Carlson she was with Marsh for 14 years, including seven years with Johnson & Higgins. At Marsh, Hamilton was senior vice president and team leader in the Atlanta FINPRO department. She was the FINPRO client advisor for a range of companies, from small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations. Prior to joining Marsh, Hamilton worked in Chicago in Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s Corporate Risk Management Department.
Doug Sanders, formerly regional vice president of Quaker Special Risk Insurance in Charlotte, N.C., has been named president of the renamed American Wholesale Insurance Group (AmWINS) of the Carolinas, a large independent wholesaler. AmWINS recently acquired the Quaker’s southeast office and announced Sanders’ promotion. Quaker’s 23 employees in Charlotte will join AmWINS.
AmWINS provides retail agents with property and casualty, to group life and health insurance services. It sold policies with a premium value of about $1.4 billion in 2003 and handled about $80 million in premium volume.
AmWINS is 60 percent management owned and 40 percent privately owned by Pegasus Capital Investors, in Cos Cob, Conn. In 2001 it had four offices in 2001, today it has 26, with more than 500 employees, including 20 in Charlotte. It has offices in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.
W. R. Berkley Corporation announced that Armin W. Blumberg, president of Carolina Casualty Insurance Company since 1997 and an employee of the W. R. Berkley Corporation group since 1976, will retire in early 2005 with 28 years of service. After his retirement, Blumberg has agreed to be a consultant to the company.
William F. Murray, president of the excess division of Admiral Insurance Company, will succeed Blumberg. Murray has 19 years of casualty insurance experience. Both Admiral and Carolina operate within W. R. Berkley’s specialty segment. Carolina specializes in transportation insurance for long-haul trucking and public automobile risks across the United States.
Andrew “Drew” N. Theodore was re-elected chairman of the board of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of South Carolina during IIABSC’s annual meeting in Columbia, S.C. At the same time Jon A. Jensen was re-elected chairman-elect and treasurer, Julius “Jules” J. Anderson Jr. was re-elected secretary, and other members of the board were named. IIABSC directors and officers begin their tenure Jan. 1.
Theodore is with Goldsmith-Theodore Agency, with offices in Columbia, Greenville and Summerville; Jensen is with Correll Insurance Group, with offices in Spartanburg, Gaffney, Union, Landrum, Laurens and Clinton; and Anderson is with Anderson Insurance Associates LLC in Charleston.
John T. “Tommy” Cook, with John T. Cook & Associates, Myrtle Beach, was elected to serve another three-year term as the association’s state national director.
John R. Braddy, of Braddy Insurance in Dillon, maintains his position of immediate past chairman.
Elected to three-year terms as directors on the IIABSC board were: Scott Derrick of Derrick Insurance Agency in Johnston; Michael E. Miles of Miles Insurance Agency Inc. in Lancaster; and James E. Mishoe III of Peoples Underwriters Inc. in Conway.
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