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Steve Peeters, who most recently was president and chief operating officer of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Zurich Insurance Services, joined The Main Street America Group as vice president, commercial lines product.

Peeters will be a member of Main Street America’s senior management team and report to Tom Van Berkel, the company’s chairman, president and CEO. He replaces Henry Pippins, the organization’s former head of commercial lines, who has moved into a new role as president of Main Street America’s Midwest Region.

Peeters will be responsible for all product development, underwriting standards, pricing processes and compliance for Main Street America’s portfolio of commercial lines products and coverages. This includes business owners policy, commercial auto, workers’ compensation and umbrella.

For the past two years, Peeters led Zurich Insurance Services, which is a privately owned program administration and insurance services company linked with Zurich North America Insurance Co. In this role, he was responsible for $950 million of written premium, primarily in the Zurich Small Commercial business line. Prior to being named president and COO of Zurich Insurance Services in December 2007, Peeters was the company’s executive vice president and chief underwriting officer.

Iroquois Southwest hired Ed Budanauro as regional manager for New Mexico, Colorado and west Texas.

He has more than 25 years of management and insurance consulting experience in the areas of sales management and agency operations.

Prior to joining Iroquois, Budanauro operated his own consulting firm, and before that he served as senior vice president of new business development for a 75-year-old insurance agency. He was also vice president and regional manager for a $32 million computer training company based in Austin, Texas, and a consultant for Marsh Berry in Ohio.

Wells Fargo Insurance Services named Charles Delich branch manager for its office in Colorado Springs, Colo. Delich is responsible for leading the service and sales teams in Colorado Springs, including a focus on customer service and relationship development, performance management, and community involvement.

Prior to assuming his new role, Delich was a commercial sales executive in Colorado Springs, where he managed large commercial accounts. Before joining Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Delich was a sales executive with Summit Financial Strategies Group, where he specialized in personal investment and insurance strategies.

J. Curtis Breitweiser, owner of Ogden, Utah-based Breitweiser Insurance Services Inc., received the 2009 Agent of the Year award from the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents. He is a past president of the UAIIA and serves as state director for the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America board. He also serves on the Finance Committee for the IIABA. Breitweiser is also a member of the board of directors for Bear River Mutual Insurance Co. He has been an insurance agent for 25 years.

Liberty International Underwriters (LIU), a division of Liberty Mutual Group, restructured its U.S. Specialty Casualty unit, and made the following appointments: Carl Pursiano was named chief underwriting officer, U.S. specialty casualty and senior vice president. He will oversee management liability and professional liability for LIU U.S. Trevor Howard was named senior vice president of U.S. management liability in charge of all management liability operations. Christopher DePuy was named senior vice president in charge of lawyers professional liability (LPL) and accountants professional liability (APL). Georges Pigault was named vice president of architects and engineers (A&E). Michael Auerbach was named vice president of allied health and miscellaneous programs. And Mark Blankenship was named assistant vice president of architects and engineers in Chicago.

Topics USA Agencies Colorado Professional Liability