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The Des Plaines, Ill.-based the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) announced that Robert M. “Bear” Bryant retired as NICB president and CEO, on Sept. 2, 2008.

At NICB, Bryant was the force behind the creation of Medical Fraud Task Forces and the Strategic and Tactical Information Department. He supported cutting-edge technology, such as license plate readers, bait cars and enhanced analytical tools for detecting fraud trends.

Bryant was an early and consistent voice nudging the NICB membership toward providing their salvage claims data to the public as a consumer protection against unsafe vehicles. His efforts materialized with the launch of NICB’s member-supported VINCheckSM vehicle history service on June 30, 2008 – a first-of-a-kind free benefit for the public.

The NICB Board elected NICB’s Chief Operating Officer, Joseph H. Wehrle, Jr. to succeed Bryant as president and CEO. Wehrle is a West Point graduate and retired Air Force Lt. General with more than 33 years of service.

Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Burns & Wilcox, reported that Marla Donovan has joined the company as vice president of product development.

Donovan has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience. Previously, she was regional vice president, excess casualty division, for Arch Insurance Group, New York City. Prior to that, Donovan held various positions with increasing responsibility at Kemper Insurance Companies, culminating with her position as president, management services.

Lansing, Mich.-based Accident Fund Insurance Company of America appointed James G. Agee as chair of its board of directors. Agee succeeds Charles L. Burkett who has served as chair since June 2004.

Agee has served on Accident Fund’s board since 2004 and is the president of J.G. Agee Consultants LLC, of Lansing. Previously, he was the first vice president of public finance at Banc One Capital Markets and served as superintendent and principal within Muskegon Public Schools.

A former state legislator, nominee for Democratic lieutenant governor, and former co-director of the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University, Agee also sits on the board for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Additionally, Agee served as a former board member of Blue Care Network.

Burkett, who remains on Accident Fund’s Board, is the retired administrative director of Michigan Farm Bureau. He formerly served on the Board for Blue Care Network and chaired the board of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Michigan-based Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc. announced its founder and chairman, Merton J. Segal, will retire as an employee of the company effective Sept. 30, 2008.

Segal, 79, founded Meadowbrook in 1955 as Meadowbrook Insurance Agency. Under his leadership, Meadowbrook has grown from a start-up local retail agency into a leading specialty risk management insurance company.

Segal will continue to serve on the board of directors as a non-executive chairman and will also be a consultant to the company effective Oct. 1, 2008.

Central Insurance Companies has promoted Thad R. Eikenbary to vice president-treasurer for both Central Mutual Insurance and All America.

Eikenbary has been employed by Central Insurance for 17 years. He has held positions as a commercial underwriter, accountant, senior accountant, general accounting coordinator, corporate accounting manager and, most recently, assistant vice president-treasurer. He holds the associate in insurance accounting and finance designation.

Central was founded in Van Wert, Ohio, in 1876, and provides insurance for automobiles, homes and businesses to more than 321,000 policyholders in 19 states.

Nicole S. Fallowfield has joined Indiana-based Gibson Insurance Group as director of Wellness in the Employee Benefits Division. She is responsible for designing and overseeing health management strategies for Gibson’s employee benefits clients.

Nicole’s specialties are health care utilization trends and employee behaviors, which allow her to develop customized wellness solutions based on client needs.

The board of directors of The Chubb Corp. elected investment banker Richard G. Spiro executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Spiro will join Chubb as executive vice president on Oct. 1, 2008, and will assume the CFO position in early November, following the filing of Chubb’s Form 10-Q for the third quarter of 2008.

He will succeed Michael O’Reilly, vice chairman and CFO, whose retirement was announced previously. O’Reilly will remain at Chubb until the end of 2008 to assist in the transition.

Spiro joins Chubb from Citigroup Global Markets Inc., where he was a managing director in its financial institutions investment banking group. He held a variety of positions in Citigroup’s financial institutions group, including head of North America, global head of Insurance Investment Banking and co-head of the Insurance, Asset Management, Exchanges and Processors Group.

Topics Michigan Chubb