NEWS RELEASE
Sept. 27, 2010
ABIA Media Contact: Jonathan Snowling
(202) 663-5468
E-mail: jsnowlin@aba.com

ABIA ELECTS 2010-2011 BOARD MEMBERS

WASHINGTON–The American Bankers Insurance Association elected 14 new members to its board of directors during the association’s annual conference this week in Phoenix.

"We are delighted to welcome such capable and prestigious new members to our dynamic board of directors, said ABIA Executive Director Valerie Barton. “The involvement of our highly experienced and dedicated Board of Directors provides crucial guidance towards fulfilling our mission and responding to our members.”

ABIA’s mission is to develop policy and provide advocacy for banks in insurance and support bank-insurance operations through research, education, compliance assistance and peer-group opportunities.  A separately chartered affiliate of the American Bankers Association, ABIA is the only full-service association for bank-insurance interests based in Washington.

Board members elected today include:

• Thomas R. Anderson, president, BW Insurance Agency, Inc.;
• Theodore P.  Augustinos, partner, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP;
• Ross Barnette, president, Central Insurance Services;
• Jeffrey C. Chesky, president and chief executive officer, Insuritas;
• D. David Cissell, head of financial institutions division, American Modern Insurance Group;
• Joan Cleveland, senior vice president, business development, Prudential Financial;
• Patrick A. Cozza, CEO and regional head of insurance, NA, HSBC Insurance;
• Brian Duffy, president and chief operations officer, RSI Insurance Agency;
• Joseph Fico, president and chief executive officer, TD Insurance;
• Paul G. Petrylak, president, CIT Insurance Services;
• Dean Purvis, senior vice president, Aegon Direct Marketing Services;
• John Sorensen, president and CEO, Iowa Bankers Association;
• Val J. Teagarden, president and CEO, First United Insurance Group; and
• Jonathan Yee, senior vice president, Chartis Insurance.

In addition, the ABIA board of directors, convening immediately after its conference, elected these officers:

• President and Chairman - Paul Petrylak, president, CIT Insurance Services;
• Vice President - Thomas Anderson, president BW Insurance Agency, Inc.
• Secretary - David Cissell, head of financial institutions division, American Modern Insurance Group;
• Treasurer - Neal R. Aton, president and CEO, Wells Fargo Insurance.

# # #

The American Bankers Insurance Association (ABIA) is the separately chartered insurance affiliate of the American Bankers Association (ABA) and is the only Washington, D.C.-based full service association for bank insurance interests.  The ABIA’s mission is to develop policy and provide advocacy for banks in insurance and to support bank insurance operations through research, education, compliance-assistance and peer group networking opportunities.  ABIA Membership consists of banks, and their affiliated agencies, insurance companies, marketing, and administrative services suppliers, non-bank lending organizations and other firms involved in the bank affiliated insurance industry.  Additional information on the ABIA can be found on the Internet at www.theabia.com.