Category: Bond Articles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Larry Taylor, Chair SFAA Board of Directors
Phone: (515) 243-8171
E-mail: [email protected]

Contact: Bryan Surcouf, Communications Manager
Phone: (202) 778-3629
E-mail: [email protected]

Covington to Lead The Surety & Fidelity Association of America
Association Salutes Retiring President and Welcomes New Leader

JULY 19, 2018, Washington, D.C. – The Surety & Fidelity Association of America?s (SFAA) board of directors is delighted to announce that J. Lee Covington II will become the trade association?s President on October 1, 2018. Covington will take the place of retiring President Lynn Schubert who has led the SFAA for more than two decades. Schubert will become President Emeritus until her retirement on December 31, 2018.

?In the past 22 years, Lynn Schubert has transformed the SFAA into the thought leader and trusted adviser for the surety and fidelity industry, as well as for government agencies and legislators,? said Board Chair Larry Taylor. ?Now the industry marks the beginning of a new era with Lee Covington.?

The SFAA works every day to educate lawmakers and stakeholders about the benefits of surety and fidelity bonding and the critical role it plays to protect public and private interests. In 2017 alone, the surety industry provided over $600 billion in protection to consumers, taxpayers and businesses. The organization represents more than 425 property and casualty insurance companies providing public policy advocacy and education, as well as statistical and actuarial services and information. SFAA members write over 97 percent of the surety and fidelity premium in the United States.

?It is an honor to become President of the SFAA and I welcome the opportunity to lead the organization as it continues to achieve its mission and seize new opportunities to expand the use of the valuable products and services offered by the association?s members,? said Covington.

Covington currently is the Senior Vice President, Governmental Affairs and General Counsel for the Insured Retirement Institute, a position he held since 2009, leading its legislative and regulatory initiatives at both the federal and state levels. His focus on insurance law began in 1993 in Little Rock, Arkansas where he rose to become the deputy commissioner of the Arkansas Insurance Department. Covington honed his leadership skills as the Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance from 1999 to 2002, where he served on the Executive Committee of National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and then moved to positions of influence on the national stage in Washington D.C.

?It has been my honor to serve the SFAA,? said President Lynn Schubert, ?and I am thrilled to turn over the reins to such a capable leader who will take our vibrant organization of experienced staff and active member company representatives and enhance it for the membership and the entire industry.?

###

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) is a trade association of more than 425 insurance companies that write the vast majority of surety and fidelity bonds in the U.S. SFAA is licensed as a rating or advisory organization in all states and it has been designated by state insurance departments as a statistical agent for the reporting of fidelity and surety experience.

View PDF version

Public:

• 2018-2019 Board of Directors list
• News Release – SFAA Elects Board Members and President

Members:

• Commercial Surety Advisory Committee presentation
• International Advisory Committee presentations
• 2018-2019 Executive Committee list
• 2017-2018 Annual Committee reports (Member Services, Committees …)
• 2018-2019 Advisory Committee Members (Member Services, Committees …)
• Annual Meeting presentations and videos

Engineering New Record (ENR) Surety Section 2018 posted.

View previous ENR Surety Supplements

SFAA Bill to Address Missouri Case Law on Bonding Public Works Projects Introduced

Missouri HB 2453 would amend the existing procurement law to clarify that bonds are require when a construction manager agency is used.

Members should visit Government Relations / General Info (Members) for more information.

Illinois Proposed Rules for Insurance Company Bonds Contain Provisions SFAA Sought

The proposed rules that the Illinois Department of Insurance has issued contain provisions implementing changes SFAA has long sought to make the bonds required for insurance companies to cover their employees and officers more workable. The proposed rules would eliminate the minimum discovery period in the bond and would instead require the coverage to be on a “discovery basis.” The proposed rules also would change the required bond amount so that it would be based on the guidance in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Financial Condition Examiners’ Handbook. Currently, the bond amount is based on the amount of admitted assets of the company (as determined from year to year) filed with the Department in the company’s annual statement.

Members should visit Government Relations / General Info (Members) for more information.

This guide is designed to serve obligees who may want to verify the
authenticity of surety bonds that they are being asked to accept. The
most reliable way to authenticate a surety bond is to contact the
issuing surety company directly. However, it is often difficult to
ascertain the correct address, telephone number or person to contact at
the surety.

Accordingly, this guide contains a list of SFAA surety
company members that have volunteered to be included together with
information as to how they can be contacted for the purposes of
authenticating a bond. Since participation in this program is voluntary,
not every surety company is listed.

Verify Your Bond – Bond Obligee Guide

Indiana Bill to Require Bonding in P3s Goes to Study

Indiana HB 1301, as introduced, contained the amendments that SFAA drafted to require the design and construction portion of P3s to be bonded in Indiana. Our bonding amendments were part of the Insurance Department’s bill, and would have required 100% bonds, just as the Indiana Little Miller Act requires for any other project. In the House Insurance Committee, the bill was amended to require 50% payment and performance bonds, and on second reading on the House floor, the bond amount was further reduced to 25% before it later passed the House. It was not possible to reach an agreement to move HB 1301 forward in the Senate. It is likely that the issue of bonding on P3 projects in Indiana will be sent to a summer study committee, which is where the issue was last summer.

Members should visit Government Relations / General Info (Members) for more information.