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Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is President Barack Obama’s choice for secretary of health and human services. Sebelius, 60, is seen as a solid choice to head HHS because as a governor responsible for the Medicaid program in Kansas, she faced …

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Richard G. “Dick” Clarke, senior vice president of J. Smith Lanier & Co. in West Point, Ga., has been elected 2009 president of RiskProNet International, a network of 25 independent insurance brokers in North America. Clarke is a veteran of …

State Farm Recalls Promotional Teddy Bears Made in China

U.S. insurer State Farm said on Tuesday that more than 800,000 teddy bears given out in North America as part of a company promotion were being recalled because of a choking hazard. The toys, called the “State Farm Good Neigh …

Cawley Named Chief Actuary at Valiant Insurance Group

New York-based specialty insurance firm Valiant Insurance Group has named Kevin J. Cawley as senior vice president and chief actuary. Cawley, who will be based in New York, most recently served as chief actuary for Liberty International Underwriters – North …

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Robert J. Ray has been appointed vice president and treasurer of Rogers & Gray Insurance Agency in Massachusetts. Ray joined the agency in July 2008 as chief financial officer. He previously worked at Hub International, formerly Brewer & Lord, and …

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Seacrest Partners Inc., a Savannah, Georgia-based insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm, has named J. Cliff McCurry as vice chairman. McCurry will oversee business development activities for the agency. McCurry has been involved in the Savannah insurance and business …

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San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. announced its management team for the combined insurance businesses of Wells Fargo and Wachovia Corp. Reporting to Dave Zuercher, group head of International and Insurance Services, are Neal Aton, head of Wells Fargo Insurance …

The Hartford Reported In Talks to Sell Life Insurance Unit

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is in talks to sell most of its life insurance subsidiary to Sun Life Financial Inc. of Canada, Bloomberg News reported, citing anonymous people. Splitting the Hartford, Conn.-based insurer in two and unloading most of …

AIG’s AIA Gets Prudential (UK), Manulife Offers; China Life Declines

The UK’s Prudential Plc and Canada’s Manulife Financial Corp made preliminary offers for American International Group Inc.’s Asian unit, but Prudential’s offer fell short of what AIG wants for the business, sources familiar with the matter said. Chinese insurer China …

Best Raises RSA Operating Companies’ Ratings; S&P Sees No Change

A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength ratings (FSR) to ‘A’ (Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a” from “a-” of the rated UK operating subsidiaries of the UK’s RSA Insurance Group plc. Best …