SFAA Elects Board Members and President

WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Surety and Fidelity Association of America issued the following news release:

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) elected Ross Fisher from The Hartford as Chair of the Board for 2017-2018. Mr. Fisher serves as the Senior Vice President of specialty commercial insurance for The Hartford, which includes the company's national accounts, captive programs and bond business. As one of the largest underwriters of surety and fidelity bonds in the U.S., The Hartford has been writing bonds for more than 100 years and provides surety and fidelity products to companies of all sizes. Mr. Fisher is a 25-year veteran of the surety and insurance industry. He joined The Hartford in 2003 and had previously held various management positions in the industry.

Larry Taylor was elected as Vice Chair of the Board. Mr. Taylor is the President of Merchants Bonding Company Group. He joined Merchants Bonding Company TM in 1989 and became the company's President in 1996.

Also elected to the SFAA Executive Committee were John S. Welch, President and Chief Executive Officer, CNA Surety; Bob Murray, Executive Vice President and Head of Surety for Zurich North America; and Stephen Haney, Division Chairman, North America Surety, and Chief Underwriting Officer, Global Surety, Chubb Surety, as well as the SFAA Board Immediate Past Chair, Ex Officio.

In addition to those companies, SFAA members elected to serve on the Board were: AIG Property Casualty represented by John Phinney, Chief Underwriting Officer; Amtrust Group represented by Dan Young, Chief Underwriting Officer; Great American Insurance Group represented by Gary Dunbar, President, Bond Division; The Guarantee Company of North America represented by Stephen C. Ruschak, President and Chief Operating Officer; The Hanover Insurance Group represented by Theodore Martinez, Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer; Liberty Mutual Group represented by Timothy Mikolajewski, President; Markel Surety Corporation represented by John Knox, Jr., President, and Chief Executive Officer; Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company represented by Antonio C. Albanese, Vice President-Head of Surety; Old Republic Surety Company represented by Alan Pavlic, President and Chief Operating Officer; The Travelers Companies, Inc. represented by Thomas M. Kunkel, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Westfield Insurance Group represented by Dennis Baus, National Surety Leader and Senior Executive. Hannover Ruck Reinsurance represented by Eric Arnst, General Manager and Senior Vice President, also was elected as the reinsurance representative on the Board.

Lynn M. Schubert was re-elected as SFAA President.