NEW YORK, July 11, 2007—Assurant, Inc. ("Assurant") (NYSE: AIZ), a premier provider of specialty insurance and insurance-related products and services, announced today that Gene Mergelmeyer, 48, will succeed John B. Owen as president, Assurant Specialty Property, effective July 16, 2007. He will also be appointed executive vice president, Assurant, Inc.
Mr. Mergelmeyer currently serves as executive vice president, Assurant Specialty Property and runs the creditor-placed homeowners business and other related lines. In his new role, Mr. Mergelmeyer will report to Robert B. Pollock, Assurant's president and chief executive officer.
"Gene is well-respected throughout the organization for the tremendous job he has done building our creditor-placed homeowners business and we look forward to his continued leadership," said Mr. Pollock. "His considerable industry experience combined with his strong financial background will be invaluable as we continue to cultivate opportunities within our Specialty Property business for long-term profitable growth."
Gene Mergelmeyer was named executive vice president, Assurant Specialty Property in 2006. He has led Assurant Specialty Property's creditor-placed homeowners division since 1999. Mr. Mergelmeyer has over 27 years experience in financial services and insurance. Prior to joining Assurant, Mr. Mergelmeyer was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Insureco, Inc. which was acquired by Assurant in 1997. Previously, he held senior management positions at a division of Transamerica and at public accountants Peat Marwick (now KPMG). He is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach.
Assurant is a premier provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and selected international markets. Its four key businesses—Assurant Employee Benefits, Assurant Health, Assurant Solutions and Assurant Specialty Property—have partnered with clients who are leaders in their industries and have built leadership positions in a number of specialty insurance market segments worldwide.
Assurant, a Fortune 500 company, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIZ. Assurant has more than $20 billion in assets and $7 billion in annual revenue. The Assurant Web site is www.assurant.com.
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