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Todd Richardson has been promoted to regional vice president – State Auto Middle Markets Insurance (SAMMI) for the company’s Western region, which includes Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas. Richardson will manage the SAMMI underwriting teams based in Austin, Texas, and Peoria, Ariz. He will also be responsible for recruiting sales and underwriting middle market and large account talent.

Richardson joined State Auto in 2008, previously serving as business insurance manager and as an account executive within the SAMMI business unit. Prior to State Auto, he served as senior middle market sales underwriter for The Hartford and Great American Insurance Company in sales, marketing and underwriting capacities. Richardson began his career as a casualty claims adjuster with Transamerica and quickly moved into supervisory roles with Foremost Insurance Company and Great American.

The Texas Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association appointed Gerald Ladner to vice chair of its board of directors. His term runs through Dec. 31, 2011.

Ladner is the regional president of the Austin-based State Auto Insurance Companies’ Western Region. He is credited with leading State Auto’s middle market entry into Texas in 2007. His career spans 28 years and includes underwriting and senior management roles with CG/Aetna, CIGNA, Zurich and Zenith Insurance companies.

Specialty construction insurer NationsBuilders Insurance Services Inc. has named William (Bill) C. Tepe as chief financial officer. In his CFO role, Tepe will be responsible for directing the financial and accounting functions of the organization. In addition, he will manage the company’s Management Accountability Process (MAP) for continuous process improvements. As a senior member of the organization, he will collaborate with the leadership team.

He joins NBIS from American Safety Holdings Corp. where he held the role of CFO responsible for the accounting, treasury, actuarial and financial planning functions. Prior to this role, he held the position of vice president, global controller and CFO at GAB Robins Inc.

Argo Group International Holdings Ltd. announced that its San Antonio-based Excess and Surplus Lines (E&S) business segment has appointed Michael Denton as senior vice president of its specialty property department.

Denton brings to Argo 22 years of experience in the property underwriting field and most recently served as senior vice president of brokerage property at General Star Management Company. He previously was with USF Reinsurance and Hartford Insurance Group.

Also joining Argo’s specialty property department is Andrew Robinson, who will report to Denton. Robinson was most recently vice president with Direct Fac Reinsurance, where he was responsible for production and new business development, as well as managing a difference-in-conditions book of business.

Frank H. Ahlborn has been appointed vice president and treasurer of Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. Ahlborn joins HCC with more than 15 years’ experience in insurance product analysis and development, reinsurance funding solutions, fixed income structuring and capital raising. He started his career with MetLife in the actuarial development program, and has worked in a variety of capacities for AEGON, Salomon Smith Barney and Wachovia.

David Disiere, CEO of the Dallas-based managing general agency Deep South Insurance Group, plans to leave that position. In 2008, QBE U.S. Agencies, a longtime partner of Deep South and a subsidiary of QBE Insurance Group purchased Deep South from Disiere for $190 million.

Since closing the sale in June 2008, Disiere has continued to serve as the company’s CEO to ensure a successful transition. Disiere took over as CEO in 1987, eventually moving Deep South to its current headquarters in Dallas and growing operations across the country. He charted a course turning Deep South from a small family-owned business into one of the most successful insurance MGAs in the nation. Starting with three employees, Deep South now has more than 400 employees today with nine regional offices across the United States.

Colemont Insurance Brokers, headquartered in Dallas, promoted Tara Plourde to broker in the company’s Hartford, Conn., office. She joined Colemont in 2008. Prior to Colemont, she was a commercial lines underwriter at a standard lines carrier. She specializes in casualty accounts, focusing on environmental placements.

Texas-based Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons appointed Jason M. Yacuk as a partner in its Insurance Litigation and Coverage section. Yacuk has been with Thompson Coe since 2006.

Yacuk maintains an active litigation and insurance coverage practice related to environmental claims, toxic exposures, and toxicant remediation. He handles mass toxic tort litigation arising from exposure to a wide variety of alleged carcinogens and toxic agents, including MTBE, benzene, asbestos, silica and heavy metals. Yacuk’s practice also handles claims relating to premises liability, construction, construction defects, and product defects.

Topics Texas Auto Agencies Excess Surplus Underwriting Property