N.Y. Senate Confirms Mills as Insurance Superintendent

May 18, 2005

The New York State Senate confirmed today Governor George E. Pataki’s nomination of Howard Mills as Superintendent of the New York State Insurance Department. Mills has been serving as acting superintendent since January 2005.

Mills succeeds Greg Serio, who resigned to take a job with a consulting firm headed by former U.S. Sen. Alphonse D’Amato.

Mills was a New York State Assemblyman, representing Orange and Rockland counties, for three terms (1998-2004) and served as that chamber’s Deputy Minority Leader while also sitting on the Assembly’s Banking, Housing, Insurance and Ways and Means Committees.

“Howard Mills brings an extensive knowledge of insurance regulation, legislative expertise, and management experience to one of the most important regulatory positions in the financial services industry,” Pataki said.

He was first elected to public office in 1989, winning the first of two terms as a Councilman in the Town of Wallkill. Mills was elected Wallkill Town Supervisor in 1993 and re-elected to that position in 1995 and 1997, a six-year period during which he cut taxes, improved the Town’s bond rating, reduced the size of government and completed many public works projects, including a landfill closure, three major bridge replacements and a town-wide road improvement program. Mills is a Major in the New York Guard, 56th Brigade. In the wake of September 11, 2001, then-Assemblyman Mills was briefly called to active duty and later awarded the New York State Defense of Liberty Medal.

Prior to beginning his public service career, he served as the director of development at Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, N.Y., where he also was an adjunct instructor of geography. He has worked as a business consultant to the telecommunications industry and was the business development and public relations officer for the Myles Financial Services Group in Florida, N.Y..

Mills received his undergraduate degree from Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and earned a master’s degree in government and public affairs at The American University in Washington, D.C.

The Superintendent of Insurance is responsible for the monitoring and regulation of more than 1,000 insurance companies with total assets exceeding $2 trillion. The position, which has an annual salary of $127,000, also includes oversight responsibility for more than 100,000 brokers, agents and financial intermediaries and the management of approximately 1,500 Department employees.

For an interview with Superintendent Mills, read the May 23 print issue of the East edition of Insurance Journal and/or listen here:
Topics New York Legislation Politics

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