Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) today announced that it has expanded into Life Agent & Broker Dealer Professional Liability Insurance and named Atea Martin as head of claims for this specialized line.

“We are pleased to bring the expertise, financial strength, and long term commitment of BHSI to the life insurance agent and broker dealer errors and omissions insurance market,” said Tom Kocaj, Senior Vice President and Head of Financial Institutions, Executive & Professional Lines, BHSI. “Atea rounds out our dedicated underwriting and claims team for this segment, enabling us to bring exceptional expertise to resolving its unique claims.”

Underwriting of the new line is overseen by Paul Humel, AVP, Financial Institutions, Executive & Professional Lines, BHSI, and will initially target broker dealers and life insurance companies with field forces of more than 500 registered representatives or agents.

Atea comes to BHSI with 25 years of claims and litigation experience with a particular focus on broker dealers. She was most recently Director, Life Agents Broker Dealer Claims, at CNA Specialty Claim. Before that, she was Complex Claims Director, Financial Institutions/National Accounts, at AIG. She was also Assistant Director of Litigation at an independent broker-dealer, Investec Ernst and Company, and a Litigation Associate at Snow Becker Krauss P.C. Atea holds a bachelor’s degree from Bates College and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. She will be based in BHSI’s New York office.

For more information on BHSI’s Life Agent & Broker Dealer Professional Liability Insurance, contact tom.kocaj@bhspecialty.com or 917.960.2450

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (www.bhspecialty.com) provides commercial property, casualty, healthcare professional liability, executive and professional lines, surety, travel, programs, and homeowners insurance. The actual and final terms of coverage for all product lines may vary. It underwrites on the paper of Berkshire Hathaway's National Indemnity group of insurance companies, which hold financial strength ratings of A++ from AM Best and AA+ from Standard & Poor's. Based in Boston, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Ramon, Stevens Point, Auckland, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto.