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Arthur Seifert has joined Southwest Insurance Partners Inc. (SWIP) as chief executive officer of Houston-based Bunker Hill Insurance Agency (BHIA), SWIP’s wholly owned underwriting agency subsidiary.

Seifert has been in the insurance industry for more than 30 years. In 1994 he founded Lighthouse Underwriters, which he subsequently sold in 2006 to U.S. Risk, headquartered in Dallas. He was chief underwriter with U.S. Risk for four years.

Seifert is a director of Target Markets Association and has also served as its president. Seifert is expected to expand BHIA’s national programs to include new lines of business and more widespread distribution. BHIA recently signed new management agreements with highly rated insurance companies and hired new teams of experienced underwriters in such diverse fields as alternate workers’ compensation in Texas and international aviation. BHIA offers admitted and non-admitted markets for small to medium size accounts and program business.

John W. Hawie has joined Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corp. (LWCC) as senior vice president and chief investment officer. He left a position as senior vice president and chief investment officer for Commerce Group in Webster, Mass., to take the newly created LWCC post.

Prior to the Commerce Group, Hawie served as team leader/portfolio manager for General Re-New England Asset Management in Farmington, Conn. Hawie has extensive experience in property/casualty company asset management in the United States and Europe.

Texas Mutual Insurance Co. hired Mike Dileo as senior vice president, Claims. Dileo has 15 years’ experience managing claim, underwriting, loss prevention and premium audit operations. He comes to Texas Mutual from the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC), where he most recently served as vice president of agency relations and underwriting operations.

The IMA Financial Group Inc. named Ron Prince as director of client services IMA of Texas. Prince brings significant experience in property and casualty insurance, risk management and alternative risk transfer mechanisms, such as captives. Prince also has international insurance expertise, and he counsels international companies on insurance strategies for worldwide operations. At IMA, he will focus on expanding IMA’s services for hospital and health care industry clients.

Prince began his insurance career in 1977 as a multi-lines adjustor and claims manager for a regional insurance carrier in Texas. He has also worked as the director of insurance and corporate claims management for an international Fortune 1000 corporation. He has spent his agency career providing insurance services at Texas-based regional and national brokerages.

The National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) has honored John Latham, regional president with Markel, for his contributions as an excess and surplus lines professional. He received the Charles A. McAlear/NAPSLO Industry Award at NAPSLO’s annual convention Oct. 9 in Orlando.

This award was established by NAPSLO in the 1980s to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the surplus lines industry. The award was renamed in 1994 to recognize the Association’s first president and founding member.

Latham has been actively involved on the NAPSLO board of directors and committees, legislative efforts and its educational foundation, according to John Wood, president, NAPSLO. Latham has 42 years of experience in the insurance industry. For the past six years he has been at Markel, where he has held several leadership roles including president and chief information officer.

Rob May and Michael Williamson have joined London American Risk Specialists Inc. in its Houston office.

May joined London American Risk Specialists as vice president of Transportation. His responsibilities include underwriting and brokering transportation business, as well as managing the carrier contracts. He has extensive experience in commercial auto liability, motor truck cargo and physical damage coverage. May served as underwriting manager for U.S. Risk Insurance for the last five years.

Williamson joined the Houston office as an all lines underwriter and broker. Williamson began his insurance career in 1996 as a commercial property and casualty underwriter with Evergreen General Agency and spent eight years as an underwriter/broker with Crump Insurance Service of Houston.

Insurance holding company W. R. Berkley Corp. has named W. Robert Berkley Jr. as president and chief operating officer of the company. Berkley will manage all of the company’s operating units, adding oversight of the company’s reinsurance and international segments to his current responsibilities. He has been responsible for the oversight of the domestic insurance operations, including its specialty, regional and alternative markets businesses, since 2005.

Berkley joined W. R. Berkley Corp. in 1997 and has served as its executive vice president since August 2005. In addition, he has served on the board of directors since his election in 2001. He held a number of positions in the company, including senior vice president for specialty operations, overseeing the operations of the specialty segment, and president of Berkley International.

William R. Berkley is founder of the company, as well as chairman and CEO.

Topics USA Texas Workers' Compensation Excess Surplus Underwriting Property Casualty