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Colemont Insurance Brokers has named John Cleary as vice president and casualty broker. Cleary will be physically located in New Jersey, but he will be working as part of the Hartford, Connecticut office. He brings over 25 years of experience in commercial casualty insurance and reinsurance. He has considerable expertise in the placement of complicated multi-family and commercial real estate risks, and specializes in difficult placements for contractors and products liability.

The American Insurance Marketing & Sales (AIMS) Society, has elected new officers and directors for the organization, which is open to anyone engaged in sales and marketing in the property and casualty insurance business. New officers are: President James P. Gosselink, who is owner and principal of Tulip City Agency, an eight-person multiline agency in Pella, Iowa.; Vice President Curtis M. Pearsall, who is vice president of N.Y.-based Utica National Insurance Co.; Secretary Mike Herzak, who is president and chief executive officer of Insurance Systems Group of Cleveland, Ohio; Treasurer Marty Lebson, who is principal and vice president of Insurance Resource Group, part of top-100 brokerage The Capacity Group, Mahwah, N.J.; Immediate Past President Ronald D. Stauffer, who is vice president of Phelan Insurance Agency, headquartered in Versailles, Ohio. Directors elected to new three-year terms include: George A. Zelhof, who is owner and producer for United Assurance Inc., of Fair Lawn, N.J.; Keith A. Savin,who is chief operating officer for Warwick Resource Group, of Warwick, N.Y.; Richard H. Dygve, who is principal and vice president for Johnson & Strachan Insurance Agency, or Fairfax, Va..; Philip R. Bogle, who is president of Bogle Agency Inc., in Lyndhurst, N.J.; and Stauffer.

XL Insurance has appointed Tracy Ann Kiffer as assistant vice president and senior underwriter for Excess Liability in its Marine & Offshore Energy unit in New York. She joins XL from ACE Marine in New York where she oversaw a regional book of marine liability business. She has held management, broker and underwriting positions with Aon Risk Services and CNA, among others.

The Vermont Chapter of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society (CPCU) recently elected new officers. Laura Backus Hall, State Relations Executive for NCCI, will continue on for a second term in the role of chapter president. Other newly elected chapter officers include: Vice President Ken Canning, of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns; Secretary Kathy Partsch of Vermont Mutual; and Treasurer Steve Shea of Paige and Campbell Inc. Ashley Handy of Vermont Mutual was elected as a new board member, and re-elected board members are Paul Alexander of Burlington Electric Department; Jeff Vigne of Co-Op Insurance Cos; Dave Tatlock of Co-Op Insurance Cos.; John Amick of Union Mutual of Vermont Cos.; and Liz Steinman of HSBC Insurance Management.

Philadelphia-based ACE Westchester said Roger Murphy will spearhead the launch of the company’s new coverage line for hazardous material and hazardous waste transporters. The coverage includes a capacity up to $5 million for a Combined Single Limit and broadened Pollution Liability, Wrong Delivery of Liquid Products endorsement and garage liability. Murphy, assistant vice president, joins ACE from XL Insurance, where he most recently served as assistant vice president of its environmental underwriting unit. He has also held previous positions with MRM, Ltd. and Liberty Mutual.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. announced that Sean Fitzpatrick, senior vice president of its Middle Market insurance businesses, will assume responsibility for the company’s Specialty Financial insurance businesses, Hartford Financial Products and Bond. In addition to his new duties, Fitzpatrick will continue to lead the Middle Market insurance segment. He joined The Hartford in 2007, after holding positions of increasing responsibility with the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos.

International specialty insurer Catlin Group Ltd. has named Dan Kumpf as director of Professional Lines. Kumpf, who will be based in Philadelphia, will oversee the design, environmental and construction professional liability lines, as well as miscellaneous errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, focusing?on technology E&O and professional liability coverage for lawyers, accountants and insurance agents. Kumpf has 20 years of underwriting experience in professional lines.

Global insurance broker Willis HRH has named Tom Gamble as National Producer. Based in New York, Gamble will be responsible for new business development, enhancing client retention, expanding existing relationships, and driving cross-selling opportunities with large, multinational clients based in the United States. With more than 20 years in the insurance industry, Gamble was formerly the president of the M&A and Structured Solutions Group at Zurich Financial Services.

The NIA Group insurance brokerage in Paramus, New Jersey, has named Peter A. Hutton as executive vice president for National Sales. In his new role, Hutton will oversee the NIA’s sales strategy, including continued growth of the firm’s property/casualty and employee benefit sectors. Prior to joining The NIA Group, Hutton served as regional president with the Corporate Synergies Group (CSG), Inc. in northern New Jersey and Manhattan.

Topics New York Agencies New Jersey Pollution Vermont Casualty Professional Liability