N@N

W. R. Berkley Corporation Announces Executive Appointments at Berkley Medical Excess Underwriters, LLC

^{Published on 2010-05-06 17:40:15 - Market Wire}
 

GREENWICH, Conn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) today announced the appointment of Collin J. Suttie as president of Berkley Medical Excess Underwriters, LLC (BerkleyMed).

"Collin has been a key part in the development of BerkleyMed and creating its business strategy from its inception. He and Matt share in-depth knowledge of our clientsa™ needs and demonstrated leadership skills that position BerkleyMed for continued success."

Based in St. Louis, Missouri, BerkleyMed was formed in 2001 to provide professional liability insurance to hospitals on a nationwide basis. Its products consist of excess insurance and reinsurance. Mr. Suttie succeeds BerkleyMed founder J. Michael Foley, who will continue to be involved with W. R. Berkley Corporation.

Mr. Suttie has more than 23 years of experience in the hospital professional liability industry. He is currently the chief operating officer of BerkleyMed and has been a member of the companya™s senior management since its inception. Mr. Suttie graduated with a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS).

In addition, W. Matthew Fessler has been appointed senior vice president of BerkleyMed. Mr. Fessler has more than 29 years of experience in the hospital professional liability industry. For the past eight years he has served as a vice president of BerkleyMed. Mr. Fessler graduated with a B.S. from Carthage College and holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.

Commenting on the appointments, William R. Berkley, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of W. R. Berkley Corporation, said: aCollin has been a key part in the development of BerkleyMed and creating its business strategy from its inception. He and Matt share in-depth knowledge of our clientsa™ needs and demonstrated leadership skills that position BerkleyMed for continued success.a

Founded in 1967, W. R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that is among the largest commercial lines writers in the United States and operates in five segments of the property casualty insurance business: specialty insurance, regional property casualty insurance, alternative markets, reinsurance and international.