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York, Penn.-based Glatfelter Insurance Group has formed Glatfelter Program Managers, a new strategic business unit dedicated to its program business. Arthur Seifert, most recently with Southwest Insurance Partners Inc. and its Beacon Hill Insurance Agency, is joining Glatfelter to be president of the new company. He will be responsible for leading the sales and marketing operations for the company’s programs. Seifert has a history in the program insurance business. In 1994 he founded Lighthouse Underwriters, which he subsequently sold in 2006 to U.S. Risk in Dallas. He was then chief underwriter with U.S. Risk. In 2009, he joined Southwest Insurance Partners Inc. as CEO of Bunker Hill Insurance Agency. Seifert is a past president of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association.

United Fire & Casualty Co., based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, announced that Ray Dudonis, its East Coast regional office branch manager, has been named vice president. Dudonis joined Mercer Insurance Group, a subsidiary of United Fire & Casualty, in 2006 as underwriting vice president. He has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Allstate Insurance Co. said Thomas V. Ealy will become president of its independent agency unit, Encompass Insurance. Ealy is replacing Cynthia Young, president since 2006, who has left the company.

Encompass, which sells home and auto policies through about 3,000 independent agents, writes about $1 billion in business, or less than five percent of Allstate’s total premiums sold by its 12,000 contract agents. The Encompass book of business has been shrinking in recent years.

Ealy joins Allstate from Willis Group Holdings, where he most recently served as national partner of the Midwest region for its North American retail operations. Earlier in his career at Willis he served as chief operating officer of its $750 million revenue North American division. Prior to Willis, he was with national broker USI.

Young’s departure comes after the July exit of Joseph Lacher, president of Allstate Protection, its property/casualty subsidiary, who left the company after being in his job for only two years. Allstate also announced in May it is spending $1 billion to boost its online sales by acquiring two popular online insurance sellers — Esurance and the associated site, Answer Financial.

The insurer group, American Insurance Association, has hired Ron Jackson to serve as its Southeast region assistant vice president for state affairs. Jackson currently is the assistant commissioner for the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. He also has been a staff member of the Georgia Legislature and staff attorney for the Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs.

Chicago-based CNA Select Risk, which includes excess and surplus insurance business, as well as wholesale property accounts, has appointed Carol Stark as vice president of casualty and programs. Stark comes to CNA with 21 years of business experience, including five years practicing insurance legal defense; eight years in insurance claims management at Zurich; and eight years of underwriting experience at Zurich and AIG/Chartis. Prior to joining CNA, she served as vice president and casualty manager for Chartis’ Global, WorldSource Division.

Medical liability insurer MAG Mutual Insurance Co. in Atlanta has named cardiologist Joseph S. Wilson Jr., M.D. as chairman and CEO. Wilson replaces Roy W. Vandiver, M.D., who retired recently. The company sells malpractice insurance in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Topics Georgia Casualty