AmTrust Financial Service’s E&S unit launched its new excess casualty underwriting division and has hired a former Everest Reinsurance Division to lead it. An ex-RSA executive will lead Bershire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s new office in Spain.

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AmTrust Financial Service’s E&S unit launched its new excess casualty underwriting division and has hired a former Everest Reinsurance Division to lead it.

To lead the new business unit, AmTrust E&S welcomes Jeff Lynn, who brings 15 years of experience building and growing excess casualty business. To be based in Los Angeles, this new division is designed to expand the product offerings of AmTrust E&S, an excess and surplus underwriter of specialty insurance.

The new business unit will write excess liability, both supported and unsupported in all 50 states, offering limits up to $25 million to small and medium-sized U.S. companies spanning a broad range of industries including manufacturing, contracting, habitational, hospitality, commercial real estate owners and operators, retail stores and wholesale distributors.

Lynn joins AmTrust from Everest Reinsurance, Los Angeles, where he served as Vice President, Excess Casualty Manager. Prior to joining Everest, Lynn worked with Ironshore Insurance Services, Los Angeles.

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Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has expanded into Spain.

The company opened an office in Madrid to build business in the country. BHSI will initially underwrite property, casualty, financial lines, construction and engineering insurance, with the expectation to steadily expand its product lines and services in Spain.

Ignacio Almazan will run the new office, with a title of Country Manager.

Almazan has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience, most recently as Country Manager for RSA Spain over the last decade. Prior to that, he was Sub-director of the Energy Department at Willis Spain, and Leader of the Energy Department at Aon Spain. He began his insurance industry career as a Risk Engineer, then a C&E Underwriter, at Royal & Sun Alliance Spain.

Sources: AmTrust Financial Services, BHSI