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New Jersey-based Synergy Professional Associates has hired Thomas Dattoli as manager of its professional liability unit. Dattoli will be responsible for underwriting professional and excess liability for lawyers, and underwriting Synergy’s insurance agents and brokers professional liability program for MGAs and program managers. Dattoli began his career with Continental Insurance Co. and has worked as a retail and wholesale broker, risk manager and national underwriting manager.

Pittsburgh-based Iroquois Mid-Atlantic has hired Kurt Keller to help the agency network further expand its presence in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Keller served previously as an underwriter for Travelers in Pittsburgh. Before that he worked as an agency producer.

E&S brokerage firm Connecticut Underwriters has named Darren Valencia as director of its professional lines business. Valencia has 10 years of experience underwriting and brokering professional liability coverage, and has held positions at several companies. He most recently served as assistant vice president for another brokerage. Valencia began his career at Chubb Specialty Insurance, where he was responsible for underwriting D&O, EPL, fiduciary, crime and kidnap & ransom coverage.

New Hampshire-based fire investigation company NEFCO has hired Hopkinton, N.H. Police Chief David M. Wheeler as a fire loss investigator. Wheeler is a certified fire investigator, expert witness and college instructor of fire investigation who led a New Hampshire State Police Arson Strike Force before becoming a police chief. NEFCO President and CEO David Eddy said his firm’s team of analysts now includes 22 investigators from Maine to New Jersey. Wheeler will be assigned to investigate fire losses throughout Northern New England.

New Jersey-based Risk Enterprise Management Ltd. (REM) has named Michael Ebert as vice president of programs. Ebert has more than 20 years of insurer and producer sales, marketing, account management and service experience. He joins REM from PMA Group, where he led corporate development of PMA’s program segment as program development manager since 1999. He began his insurance career with Liberty Mutual. Ebert will lead REM’s program segment practice and have responsibility for program development, sales, analytics and service quality. REM provides property/casualty third-party administration services.

Maine-based insurer Acadia Insurance Co. has named Christopher Rourke as its new regional vice president-Connecticut branch manager. Rourke will develop and monitor underwriting, marketing, loss control and claims strategies for the Connecticut office. He will also be responsible for the management and development of the agency force, including coordination of the relationships with other specialty business units such as marine and agribusiness. He began his career as an underwriting trainee at The Hartford, ultimately serving as as regional vice president for the Boston office before joining William Gallagher Associates where he was chief financial officer. Rourke most recently served as senior vice president at Aronson Insurance Agency.

New Jersey-based insurer Selective Insurance Group Inc. has made several executive promotions. Darryl P. Holmes has been promoted to vice president, commercial lines underwriting. Holmes joined Selective in February 2009 as assistant vice president of commercial lines underwriting. Prior to that, he was a branch manager at Zurich North America.

Robert J. McKenna has been promoted to vice president, infrastructure architecture and engineering for Selective’s ITS department. Previously, he served as assistant vice president, infrastructure planning and integration. Prior to that, McKenna was a senior engineer/team lead for Prebon Yamane.

Raymond J. Farinella has been promoted to assistant vice president, billing services. Previously, he served as billing services manager. Farinella joined Selective in May 2006 as a manager of direct bill accounts.

Topics Agencies Underwriting New Jersey Connecticut