Steve Peeters Joins The Main Street America Group to Head Commercial Lines

Steve Peeters, former president and chief operating officer of Zurich Insurance Services (Jacksonville, Fla.) has joined The Main Street America Group as vice president, commercial lines product. Peeters will be a member of Main Street America's senior management team and report to Tom Van Berkel, the carrier's chairman, president and CEO. He replaces Henry Pippins, the organization's former head of commercial lines, who has moved into a new role as president of Main Street America's Midwest Region.

"Steve will be responsible for all product development, underwriting standards, pricing processes and compliance for Main Street America's full portfolio of commercial lines products and coverages," comments Van Berkel said. This includes business owners policy (BOP), commercial auto, workers' compensation and umbrella. "Steve is also responsible for ensuring the sustained profitability and growth of our company's commercial lines business."

Main Street America's commercial lines business comprises 55 percent of the company's $815 million in net written premium.

"Steve's background and track record of industry accomplishments will serve him well in his new position at Main Street America," Van Berkel continues. "Steve has the experience, vision and leadership to build upon Henry Pippins' very successful tenure leading our commercial lines business and the marketplace momentum we have created with the impactful rollouts of our Main Line BOP small business owners' product and Main Street Station for Commercial Lines policy processing system. Additionally, Steve has intimate knowledge of what it takes to be successful in our small commercial 'Main Street' niche."

For the past two years, Peeters led Zurich Insurance Services, a privately owned program administration and insurance services company strategically linked with Zurich North America Insurance Company. In this role, Peeters was responsible for $950 million of written premium, primarily in the Zurich Small Commercial business line, according to a Main Street America Group news release.

Prior to being named president and COO of Zurich Insurance Services in December 2007, Peeters was the company's executive vice president and chief underwriting officer, according to the news release. His industry experience also includes several executive roles at Zurich North America: senior vice president and chief underwriting officer, Zurich Small Business; president, East Region, Zurich Small Business; and vice president, Small Business Solutions Underwriting. Peeters was also at Hartford Financial Services Inc. for 15 years.

Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio