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Incumbent Alabama Commissioner of Insurance Jim L. Ridling will continue in that role in the new administration of Gov. Robert Bentley. Ridling has served as commissioner since 2008.

“Jim Ridling is a respected insurance professional with many years of valuable experience. It is important that we have an insurance commissioner with an in-depth understanding of the industry and its impact on the daily lives of virtually all Alabamians. I look forward to working with Commissioner Ridling to resolve insurance issues that are so important to our citizens,” said Bentley in a press statement.

Ridling’s insurance career began in 1967 with Fireman’s Fund Insurance as a management trainee. He rose to become executive vice president of that insurer’s U.S. branch operations, leaving to become president and chief executive officer of Southern Guaranty, an insurance company headquartered in Montgomery. He was named chairman soon after and held that position until retirement in 2003. After retiring from Southern Guaranty, Ridling and other local business leaders formed River Bank and Trust in Montgomery where he serves as vice chairman.

Many of Alabama’s personal and commercial lines insurers have established the Alabama Insurance Information Service (AIIS), a not-for-profit, non-lobbying trade association to provide news and information to the public. AIIS is based in Montgomery and plans to work through the state’s news media on issues relating to auto insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, flood and earthquake insurance, workers, compensation and consumer safety information, according to AIIS Executive Director David Colmans.

The Alabama service is an expansion of the Georgia Insurance Information Service, for which Colmans is also executive director.

Colmans said AIIS will work with several affiliated industry organizations including the Insurance Information Institute; the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; the Institute for Business and Home Safety; the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes; the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and others. It also plans to work with state agencies including the Alabama Department of Insurance; the Alabama State Patrol; the Alabama Emergency Management Agency; the Alabama Department of Transportation to provide information to member companies and the public.

Colmans worked in Alabama in both Montgomery and Birmingham in the 1960s and 1970s. His background includes reporter/anchor positions with WCOV-TV in Montgomery and WVTM-TV in Birmingham. His trade association positions included Associated Industries of Alabama and the Birmingham Area Board of Realtors.

Florida-based workers’ compensation carrier Summit named Brad Ritter to the position of vice president of Underwriting. Ritter is succeeding D. Lynn Houser, who is retiring after holding the position for the past 10 years. Ritter will also continue to serve as chief actuary, a position he has held since 2004.

Before joining Summit in 2001, Ritter worked with both the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) and the Assurant Group, headquartered in Boca Raton and Miami, respectively.

Houser is retiring on Jan. 31, 2011, after 40 years of industry service to Liberty Mutual and Summit, a Liberty Mutual subsidiary.

Summit is based in Lakeland, Florida, and has offices in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Gainesville, Georgia. Summit is a member of Liberty Mutual Group.

Farmers Group Inc., the Los Angeles-based company and unit of Zurich Financial Services Group, has appointed Jeff Dailey president and chief operating officer. Dailey also will become Farmers’ CEO when current Farmers CEO F. Robert Woudstra retires at the end of next year.

Dailey, Farmers’ current president of personal lines, succeeded Woudstra as president on January 1 and, over the next year, Dailey will continue to work with Woudstra leading up to Woudstra’s planned retirement at the end of 2011.

Woudstra joined Farmers in 2000 with the acquisition of Foremost Insurance Co., where he began his career in 1973. He was named president of Farmers Insurance in 2007 and CEO in 2009.

Dailey joined Farmers Insurance in 2007 with its acquisition of Bristol West Holdings, where he served as Bristol West CEO. He began his career as a claims adjuster with Mutual Service Insurance. Early in his career, Dailey worked at Progressive Insurance Co. After leaving Progressive, Dailey formed Reliant Insurance Co., an auto insurance start-up owned by Reliant Group Holdings, which was later sold to Bristol West in 2001.

The ISU Agency Network has added a Southeast regional office in Atlanta. The office will be lead by Gary Poisson, who will manage the development of the ISU network in 11 states from Virginia to Louisiana.

Poisson has 25 years experience in development and management of insurance and real estate membership groups worldwide. In addition, he has experience with managing and training agents and brokers and has been involved in mergers and acquisitions activity.

Topics Agribusiness Alabama