Jordan B. Lotsoff recently joined Integro as principal in the Casualty Practice Group in the Chicago office. Lotsoff, with more than 15 years experience in commercial insurance, will be responsible for complex casualty risks, with emphasis on products and premises policies. Most recently, he served as a director in the Specialty Casualty area with The Hartford. Lotsoff has also held positions with Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and Atlantic Mutual Companies.

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents of Alexandria, Va., named David M. Eppstein director of state affairs. He will be working with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators and other national policy organizations that address insurance legislation and regulation. Additionally, PIA announced the appointments of two new legal project interns, Tonio D.

DeSorrento and Jason Baum.

Eppstein comes to PIA from his previous position as a counsel to the House Committee on Financial Services, where he participated in the drafting of legislation and the selection of witnesses for hearings. Prior to joining the committee staff in 2001, Eppstein was legislative assistant to Rep. Robert Ehrlich (R-Maryland), who is now the Governor of Maryland, and a legal intern in the office of House Committee on Financial Services Chairman Michael Oxley (R-Ohio).

He will develop working relationships among PIA state and regional affiliate staff counterparts and lobbyists, coordinating common PIA policy, positions and actions.

Robert Nickles has been named vice president of risk management at Physicians Insurance A Mutual Co. Thomas Kirchmeier, a company employee since 1985, retired from the position in November.

Nickles most recently worked as an account executive for Willis of Oregon, in the Eugene, Ore., office. From 1998 to 2003, he worked for Physicia, where he handled all facets of the company’s business including risk management, claims, underwriting and marketing. Prior to 1998, he worked for Washington Casualty Co. and was director of risk management for a large hospital in Pennsylvania.

Wells Fargo & Company has named Peter Wissinger to head Acordia Inc., the Chicago-based Wells Fargo company which is the nation’s fifth largest insurance broker. Wissinger, a 20-year Wells Fargo veteran, will succeed Kevin Conboy, who will retire from the company. Wissinger’s appointment combines the leadership for all of Wells Fargo’s insurance businesses under one senior executive. He will report to Dave Zuercher, head of International and Insurance Services, who will continue to serve as chairman of Acordia.

In addition to his new role, Wissinger will continue to be responsible for Wells Fargo’s retail insurance businesses (Wells Fargo Insurance); for the Minnesota-based Rural Community Insurance Services (RCIS); the product development and direct sales of insurance in Community Banking; and remain liaison for insurance with Wells Fargo’s Home and Consumer Finance Group. He will continue as a member of the board of Acordia Inc., and a member of the Management Committee of Wells Fargo & Company, as well as retain his chairmanship of the Wells Fargo Insurance Governance Group.

Conboy, a 20-year Acordia veteran, became president and CEO of Acordia Inc. in March 2003. Prior to that, he was in charge of the east region for Acordia. He was promoted to chief operating officer in June 2002.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Itaska, Ill., announced that Michael P. Golden has been appointed Northeast Regional Manager of the company’s Brokerage Retail Division, White Plaines, N.Y. He will report directly to James S. Gault, president of the Brokerage Retail Division in Itaska.

Golden, who joined Gallagher in early October 2005, has more than 24 years of insurance industry experience. After serving in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear submarine engineering officer, he began his insurance career at Marsh & McLennan’s Nuclear Insurance Practice. Over the years, he held many key positions there as Global Practice leader, head of New England Operations, head of New York Operations, chief compliance officer, and most recently chief market relations officer. He also holds an MBA in Finance/Marketing from the University of Connecticut.

Alan Jay Kaufman, chairman, president and CEO of Burns & Wilcox, announced today that Jeff Diefenbach has been named branch manager of its Indianapolis office. Burns & Wilcox is a national specialty insurance wholesaler and managing general agent serving more than 30,000 insurance agents from its network of 34 offices in 24 states. As branch manager, Diefenbach is responsible for managing underwriting, marketing and team development. His areas of specialty include property & casualty, commercial and personal lines. Prior to joining Burns & Wilcox, Diefenbach, a 25-year veteran in the insurance industry, was a regional vice president at Citizens Insurance Company in Indianapolis.

“We are excited to have Jeff on our team,” Kaufman said. “Under his direction, we are confident that the Indianapolis office will become the leader in the Indiana market, committed to providing the best service to our insurance agents and carriers.”

ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of The ACE Group of Companies, appointed David Patterson as president of the Philadelphia-based ESIS Inc., the risk management services subsidiary of ACE USA.

With over 30 years of diverse experience in the insurance arena, Patterson most recently served as executive vice president, ESIS Claims and Account Management where he was responsible for leading the network of claims centers including field operations and heading up account management, throughout the U.S. Patterson joined ACE in 2004, coming from Kemper National Services Inc. where he served in a variety of regional and home office senior leadership roles in claims, systems and operations, culminating with his appointment as president and CEO from 1994 to November 2003.

Topics USA Legislation Agencies Risk Management Casualty