Seward Named Ncoil President

            ONEONTA, 11/28/2008 --  State Senator James Seward has been named the new president of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL).

                NCOIL is a bipartisan organization of state legislators whose main area of public policy interest is insurance legislation and regulation.  Most legislators active in NCOIL either chair or are members of the committees responsible for insurance legislation in their respective state houses across the country.

            Senator Seward said, “There is no question that as we go through the next year, the financial meltdown is overshadowing just about everything in our personal lives, our financial lives, the priorities of NCOIL, and, of course, our states.”

            He stated, “We have to look out for our constituents—the insurance consumers of our various states—as well as our insurance markets and the companies that provide insurance products to our consumers and provide employment for our constituents.”  

In commenting further on his upcoming tenure, Seward pledged to continue educating Members of Congress regarding the strengths of the state-based regulatory system.  He said that NCOIL would continue to promote state-based modernization efforts regarding speed-to-market, market conduct, and producer licensing, among other things.  He also noted that he looked forward to new NCOIL investigations into the use of education and occupation in underwriting personal lines insurance; credit default swap regulation; crop insurance adjustor licensing; and healthcare reform strategies.

            Seward added, “As president of NCOIL, I will continue the fight for affordable health insurance, as well as making sure the insurance industry remains a competitive player in the employment market.”

As his first duty as president, Senator Seward announced 2009 committee chair appointments which include fellow New York legislators Senator Neil Breslin as chairman of NCOIL-NAIC Liason, and Assemblyman Joseph Morelle as chairman of Financial Services & Investment Products

            More information is available at www.ncoil.org.