State Commissioners Elect Maine’s Iuppa as President

Members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners have elected Maine Insurance Superintendent Alessandro Iuppa as president.

They also elected regulators from Alabama, Kansas and New Mexico to key positions at the organization’s 2006 officers during the Association’s Winter National Meeting.

Iuppa stressed the need for further uniformity among state insurance laws and regulations in his presidential remarks.

“The cooperation and collaboration demonstrated by state insurance departments during the weather-related disasters this year proves the state of state-based insurance regulation has never been stronger,” Iuppa said. “As president of the NAIC, I pledge to work toward continuing progress in uniformity and modernization efforts whenever and wherever possible. I believe we must aggressively work toward making the interstate compact operation by January 2007. In addition, I will work to solidify our position in financial services sector discussions on the international front.”

Iuppa was initially appointed Maine’s Superintendent of Insurance January 1998 and was re-appointed to a second term by Gov. Baldacci in March 2004.

He is an active participant on insurance issues at both the national and international levels. He currently serves as a member of the NAIC Executive Committee and is chair of the NAIC Reinsurance Task Force. He has also been designated by the NAIC to represent the U.S. at the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, where he serves as chair of the Executive Committee. During the past several years he has made numerous presentations on a number of insurance matters in China, India, South Africa, Japan and Europe on behalf of the NAIC, IAIS, and OECD.

Previous experience

Prior to joining the Maine Bureau of Insurance, Iuppa consulted to state insurance departments on the rehabilitation of financially impaired insurance companies. From 1986 to 1991, he was deputy insurance commissioner in Nevada.

Iuppa holds a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University School of Management in Boston and a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont. He is a resident of Yarmouth, Maine.

Walter Bell, Alabama Commissioner of Insurance, was selected as NAIC president-elect. He became commissioner of insurance for the state of Alabama in January 2003. Commissioner Bell began his insurance career as a financial professional with The MONY Group in 1983. He served as their national director of emerging markets from 1996 until 1999, at which time he became vice president of corporate diversity in New York City, leading diversity marketing and recruiting initiatives until his retirement in 2002.

Sandy Praeger, Kansas Insurance Commissioner, was elected to the post of NAIC vice president and Eric Serna, New Mexico Insurance Superintendent, was elected as NAIC secretary-treasurer.

Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Diane Koken will serve as the Association’s immediate past president.

Topics Alabama Maine