Amlin, the leading Lloyd’s insurer, is to establish a representative office in Chicago. Amlin Illinois Inc, will work within the existing Lloyd’s infrastructure, utilising the Lloyd’s licence in Illinois to write admitted business which may not otherwise reach the London market.

Amlin has recruited Paul Glenton as Vice President to build this new operation specialising in property, casualty, auto and marine cargo business and reporting to Amlin Illinois President, David Harris. Glenton helped set up Navigators’ Midwest property and casualty operation which currently writes business in six US states including Illinois. Amlin Illinois plans to open for business in early August.

As demonstrated in Singapore, Amlin’s strategy for international distribution is to work with their broking partners to increase business within Lloyds but importantly, to use the representative offices to better understand regional market requirements and the role that Amlin can play using the underwriting expertise they have in place.

Duncan Dale, Divisional Underwriter of Property and Casualty, commented, “We already write some admitted business through Lloyd’s Illinois and we see this new development as beneficial in servicing that business. It will also afford us a keener understanding of local market conditions and the opportunities available to us by working within the admitted licence framework provided by Lloyd’s.”

David Harris, President, Amlin Illinois said, “Our approach to international development has been to work with our broking partners and to support and use the existing licence structure provided by Lloyd’s. We believe Chicago gives us a strong base from which to support our existing relationships, build new partnerships and encourage more business into the London market where we can demonstrate our underwriting expertise.”

Amlin plc is a recognised leader in the London insurance and reinsurance market, providing a global client base with risk management solutions. Amlin specialises in four business areas: Aviation; Marine; UK commercial; and International property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. A FTSE-250 quoted company, Amlin owns 100% of its £825m capacity for 2008, which is written through Lloyd’s Syndicate 2001. Amlin’s Syndicate is rated ‘A+’ (Excellent) by AM Best and ‘A1’ (Stable) by Moody’s.

In November 2005, the company established Amlin Bermuda, a reinsurance business capitalised at US$1 billion and rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best and A by Standard & Poor’s. In November 2007, the company established Amlin Singapore as part of the Lloyd’s Asia platform, to provide regional clients with marine energy, cargo, property, sabotage and terrorism insurance.

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Founded in 2004, Mortgage Banking Insurance Group, a part of JMB Insurance Agency, is an independent insurance brokerage, specializing in insurance for the mortgage banking community. ALB board member Lee Brodsky, CPCU, a 30-year veteran of mortgage banking insurance and former CEO & Chairman of the Board at Bankers Insurance Service, heads up a talented staff, experienced at putting together policies for mortgage lending institutions.

"I admire the entrepreneurial spirit of our clients," said Lee. "It encourages us to be equally resourceful. My 30-year familiarity with mortgage banking, plus Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and warehouse lender and secondary market requirements, enables me to satisfy investor requirements as well as the risk management needs of our customers."

As an independent insurance broker, MBIG can compare and contrast coverages from a spectrum of qualified insurance carriers and negotiate to help obtain the right coverage at the best value for their clients.

As specialists in insurance for mortgage bankers and brokers, MBIG can arrange coverages for Mortgage Bankers Bonds including Fidelity Bonds and E&O, Mortgagee’s E&O / Mortgage Impairment, Directors & Officers Liability, Professional Services Liability, Employment Practices Liability, Lender-Placed / REO Coverage, State License Bonds and other General Business Insurance including Employee Benefits.

As veterans in financial institution insurance, MBIG can simplify the decision making process by summarizing policy differences for their clients. They can also provide recommendations based on their years of experience and help clients choose the coverages that satisfy investor, warehouse lender and GSE requirements while meeting risk management objectives.

As a part of JMB Insurance Agency, one of the 100 largest insurance brokerages in the US, MBIG is small enough to recognize the importance of each client, yet large enough to enjoy leverage with a wide variety of carriers.

For more information, please call (312) 915-2200 and ask for the Mortgage Banking Insurance Group, email them at MBIG@jmbins.com or visit them online.

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Insurance Associates are wrapping up one of their most successful summers ever. IA memberships and attendance at events continue to grow as they head into a busy fall season. The next event will be a casual Bears game happy hour at the Jefferson Tap at 325 N. Jefferson on Thursday, August 28. Everyone, even non-members, is encouraged to attend for a night or football, food and fabulous cocktails. Send your questions or RSVPs to iaevents@gmail.com.

Other fall events will include the ALB golf outing on September 22 at the Itasca Country Club and a Whirrly Ball extravaganza in October.

IA brings together young professionals from all insurance industry disciplines to establish peer networks for increased business opportunities and educational advancement.

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Crystal update
Lloyd’s Illinois has just completed an extensive update of their compliance information on Crystal at lloyds.com. Register on Crystal to get complete guidance on placing and processing your Lloyd’s business in Illinois. Crystal gives you quick and easy interactive access to key global trading and regulatory information for Lloyd’s business.

Licensed premium and claims bordereaux
Please remember to email copies of your licensed premium and claims bordereaux to Lloyd’s Illinois at mail@lloydsillinois.com.

Streamlined Lloyd’s Illinois surplus line procedures
Lloyd’s Illinois and the Surplus Line Association of Illinois have worked together to provide one-stop electronic processing for producers of Lloyd’s surplus lines business in Illinois.

Insuring documents should be submitted to Lloyd’s Illinois at mail@lloydsillinois.com and MUST include either the SLA member number or the name of the Illinois surplus line producer. Lloyd’s Illinois then submits a daily data file of all processed surplus line transactions to the SLA.

SLA members will receive an email to let them know that their SLA filings have been accepted and their SLA countersignature numbers and confirmation pages are available on the SLA Electronic Filing and Reporting System.

Lloyd's Illinois compliance team

Doug Heitzman	(312) 407-6211	doug.heitzman@lloydsillinois.com
John Dinges	(312) 407-6210	john.dinges@lloydsillinois.com
Tom Oberwetter	(312) 407-6204	tom.oberwetter@lloydsillinois.com

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Bill Wroblewski retires from Willis of Illinois
Former ALB board member Bill Wroblewski retired from the Risk Management Practice at Willis of Illinois on July 1, 2008.

Bill joined Willis of Illinois in 1997 as a Senior Marketing Analyst in the property department. Before his retirement, he was responsible for the marketing of global and domestic property accounts, including Boiler Machinery. Bill leaves Willis with over 30 years of experience in the property insurance area - beginning with Factory Mutual Engineering.

Bill recently commented on the Association of Lloyd's Brokers. "Keep doing what you're doing," he said. "To find an organization dedicated to helping the insurance industry beyond the borders of personal gain is critical to the health of our industry."

ALB wishes Bill a wonderful and well-deserved retirement.

Maryanne Swaim to chair Chicago chapter of APIW
Maryanne Swaim, President of Lloyd's Illinois, has been named Chairperson of the Chicago chapter of the Association of Professional Insurance Women. APIW is dedicated to the advancement of professional insurance women and to the recognition of their contributions to the industry.

Sarah Willard joins Lloyd’s Illinois as Compliance Technician
Sarah Willard has accepted a full-time position with Lloyd's Illinois as a Compliance Technician. She will be responsible for maintaining efficiency in front-end data recording and working with Illinois coverholders. She has worked part-time for Lloyd's Illinois, logging new submissions into the LIFT system, since August 2007.

Sarah is a recent graduate of Florida State University, with a BA in English. She will telecommute from her home in Orlando, Florida. Contact Sarah at sarah.willard@lloydsillinois.com.

Kathryn O’Hara is promoted to Compliance Analyst at Lloyd's Illinois
Kathryn O'Hara has accepted a full-time position at Lloyd's Illinois as a Compliance Analyst, with responsibilities in binding authority business. Katie has worked part-time at Lloyd's Illinois since June 2006. Most recently, she has been instrumental in the implementation of the LIFT data system at Lloyd's Kentucky.

Katie works closely with a number of Illinois coverholders and looks forward to expanding her business relationships and taking on more project work. Contact Katie at kathryn.ohara@lloydsillinois.com.

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ALB Golf Outing
Monday, September 22, 2008 | 1:30 pm shotgun start | $125 per golfer | Itasca Country Club | Register here

ALB Legislative Update Seminar
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 | 9 am to noon | Chicago Cultural Center | Register here
Speakers
Mark Boozell of Dykema, Dean Conlin of Locke Lord Bissell, Mark Goodman of Dewey LeBoeuf

ALB Annual Meeting
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 | Noon to 2 pm | University Club Cathedral Room
Keynote speaker
LoriAnn Lowery, President, Lloyd's America

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