Maryland Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Birrane appointed William Fawcett as associate commissioner for property and casualty for the Maryland Insurance Administration.
Fawcett will oversee the insurance administration’s property and casualty division, which comprises a rates and forms review unit and a complaints unit. By law, all insurance companies that sell property, casualty, surety, mortgage guaranty, or title insurance, are required to file with the commissioner all policy forms, endorsements, rates, rating plans, rating rules and amendments to these items. The rates and forms review unit reviews these filings to determine compliance with the insurance article and regulations. The complaints unit is primarily responsible for investigating property and casualty insurance complaints filed by consumers. The unit handles nearly 5,000 complaints per year.
Fawcett comes to the Maryland Insurance Administration after a career as a senior insurance industry executive. Most recently, he was general counsel, secretary and head of legal at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, the commercial division of the world’s largest insurance company. Prior to that, he served for four years as CEO and general counsel at Haverford Holdings Ltd., an investment holding company with insurance, reinsurance, aviation and manufacturing subsidiaries around the world.
He also was a co-founder and CEO of St. Bernard Assure Ltd., the first exclusively online insurance company based in Europe. He oversaw the growth of the company from a startup to a respected market player.
“Bill Fawcett is an incredible addition to the Maryland Insurance Administration executive staff,” Birrane said. “The vast experience and knowledge of the property and casualty insurance industry that he brings to the table will serve all of our Maryland stakeholders well.”
Fawcett holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations and religion from Colgate University, a doctorate of business administration from the International School of Management in Paris and a juris doctorate from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. He also served for nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
“I am excited to join the Maryland Insurance Administration team, which has a tremendous reputation for fairness and excellent consumer protection," Fawcett said. “After all of my years in private industry, I look forward to assuming a regulatory role and bringing a different and useful perspective to the position.”