Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Elected As 2017 NAIC President

MADISON, Wis., Dec. 15 -- The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance issued the following news release:

Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Ted Nickel was elected as President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) on December 13, 2016. The annual elections comprise the votes of all commissioners.

"I extend my congratulations to our Insurance Commissioner, Ted Nickel, who has become the new NAIC President," said Governor Walker. "Ted has been an outstanding insurance commissioner for Wisconsin and he will be an exemplary leader for the NAIC."

"I am honored and humbled to lead the NAIC and appreciate the support of my fellow commissioners," said Commissioner Nickel. "Wisconsin was one of the founding members of the NAIC, and our first insurance commissioner served as the organization's first president. As a result, Wisconsin has long appreciated the work the NAIC does to protect consumers and assist states with regulating their domestic insurance industry."

The NAIC is an organization created in 1871 and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Through the NAIC, state regulators take a number of actions including establishing standards and best practices, coordinating regulatory oversight, and conducting peer review of member regulators. The NAIC staff provides support for these efforts as well as representing the views of state regulators both domestically and internationally.

The following officers were elected by NAIC membership:

* President: Theodore K. Nickel, Wisconsin Commissioner of Insurance

* President-Elect: Julie Mix McPeak, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance

* Vice President: Eric A. Cioppa, Superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance

* Secretary-Treasurer: David Mattax, Texas Insurance Commissioner

Newly elected officers will assume their duties on January 1, 2017.

For more information on the NAIC, visit naic.org.

Created by the Legislature in 1870, Wisconsin's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) was vested with broad powers to ensure that the insurance industry responsibly and adequately met the insurance needs of Wisconsin citizens. Today, OCI's mission is to lead the way in informing and protecting the public and responding to its insurance needs.

30FurigayJane-5726716 30FurigayJane