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Promotions
The Hartford Appoints Matt Scott To Lead Northeast Division Field Sales And Underwriting For Middle and Large Commercial
“With more than 20 years of experience at The Hartford, Matt is an accomplished leader with an inspiring leadership style and deep knowledge about our Middle and Large Commercial business,” said Ant. “I am confident he will help us deepen our relationships with our agents and brokers, and continue our focus on providing specialized insurance solutions for our customers.”
Scott joined The Hartford in 1997 and has held a number of leadership positions with the company’s Claims organization. Most recently, he was head of The Hartford’s Claims Solutions organization with accountability for a number of divisions, including legal operations, data analytics, claims sales and service, special investigations, and reinsurance center of excellence, among others.
Prior to joining The Hartford, he was a litigation associate for Cooney, Scully & Dowling in Hartford where he engaged in all facets of insurance defense litigation with an emphasis on professional liability defense work for medical and legal professionals.
Scott holds an LLM in Insurance Law from the University of Connecticut Law School, a J.D. from Western New England University School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is also a 2003 graduate of the Executive Development Program at the Wharton School of Business.
Appointments
W. R. Berkley Corp. Names Daniel R. Westcott President of Berkley Re America
W.R. Berkley Corp. today announced the appointment of Daniel R. Westcott as president of Berkley Re America, a Berkley Company.
Mr. Westcott has over 20 years of experience in the property casualty reinsurance market. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with a minor in mathematics from Rollins College and a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and marketing from the New York University Stern School of Business.
Commenting on the appointment, W. Robert Berkley, Jr., president and chief executive officer of W. R. Berkley Corporation, said, “Berkley has long been committed to disciplined and profitable participation in the global reinsurance market. Dan’s experience and expertise in the reinsurance market will be a strong complement to our depth and breadth of talent at Berkley Re America. Under Dan’s leadership, BRAM will continue offering meaningful lead capacity to its trading partners using its innovative and collaborative underwriting approach. We are pleased to welcome Dan to Berkley.”
Berkley Re America is a specialty P&C reinsurance underwriter with an emphasis on providing solutions for insurance companies, or units within insurance companies, that have a successful business model built upon specialization in the products they underwrite.
Member News
Connecticut-Based Halpert Insurance & Financial Services Joins SAN Group
Satellite Agency Network (SAN) Group, Inc., the leading alliance of independent insurance agencies in the Northeast, today announced that Halpert Insurance & Financial Services of Windsor Locks, CT has joined the network. Agency Owner Jason Halpert and SAN Chief Operating Officer Frank Waters made the announcement jointly.
Halpert Insurance & Financial Services is a full-service agency offering all lines of personal and business coverages, as well as financial services. The office is in northern Connecticut at 30 Suffield Street in Windsor Locks, just miles from the Massachusetts border. In addition to Halpert as Principal Agent, the agency employs four insurance agents, one customer service representative, and two financial advisors.
“Our decision to join SAN was due largely in part by the wide-ranging support provided by their field teams and personnel, as well as various revenue opportunities that they offer,” says Halpert. “We look forward to working and growing with the alliance, particularly in expanding our commercial lines business, so we can provide our clients more choices than ever before, while also ensuring proper coverage at competitive rates.”
Halpert began his career in the insurance industry in 2012, opening Halpert Insurance & Financial Services from scratch in the exclusive arena. His agency quickly became one of the top-performing agencies in the region, as well as one of the largest, having acquired four fellow agencies in the same number of years. Halpert has been honored with numerous awards for his business achievement and is a member of the Million Dollar Round Table, an international network of leading insurance and investment financial services professionals and advisors. He currently holds his CLCS designation.
“Halpert Insurance wants to further strengthen its product offerings in commercial insurance, expanding upon their existing P&C, life and financial services offerings,” says Waters. “This agency has a proven ability to be successful and will no doubt continue to thrive with the dedicated resources that SAN offers.”
Deland, Gibson Insurance Renews Five Star Agency Designation
“While Deland, Gibson Insurance has maintained its core values of loyalty, knowledge, integrity, respect, trust and having fun, it has grown and changed in many ways. It is not the same agency it was when it first began its Five Star journey, however what has remained constant is the agency’s ability to look at itself and find ways to become better,” stated Heather Kramer, COO/VP of MAIA.
“We saw strengths that have only gotten better. We saw the implementation of many new initiatives, and ideas being developed as part of their ongoing commitment to continuous quality improvement. Deland, Gibson has demonstrated that they are a top agency within the Five Star Agency Designation program. It is without hesitation that we renew their designation,” said Kramer.
CEO Chip Gibson stated, “We believe in open and honest communication, empowerment, and involvement. We understand that our agency and our successes are based on the whole of the agency and no one individual.”
COO Ted Gibson agrees. “We all are working towards the common goal of advising our clients appropriately, managing their insurance needs, and continually looking to improve,” he said.
More about the MAIA Five Star Agency Designation from the Association:
The MAIA awards its Five Star Agency Designation to independent agencies that go through a vigorous review based on key criteria that affect an insurance agency and how it operates. Upon earning a qualifying score, an agency becomes a Five Star Agency Designee and must go through an intensive review process every three years to prove that they continue to provide superior service, knowledge and value.
For further information about the program, please contact Heather Kramer at hkramer@massagent.com.
