Jon Palmquist Joins NARS as General Counsel and Director of Field Operations

Altamonte Springs, Fl, 6/27/11 – North American Risk Services (NARS) has appointed Jon Palmquist to the newly created role of General Counsel and Director of Field Operations. Palmquist has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and claims industry, including his most recent position as executive vice president, general counsel, secretary and chief claims officer with Star & Shield Insurance Group where he assisted in the formation and operational development of the company.

“Jon brings a tremendous background in claims management, process improvement, and leadership that will serve both our clients and our company well,” says Robert Ruryk, President and CEO of NARS. “He has extensive experience leading management teams. We are excited for him to bring his expertise to NARS as we continue to expand our client base and operations.”

At Star & Shield he was responsible for the claims, legal, regulatory, and legislative matters, and developed the claims policies/procedures with third party administrators for the handling of daily and catastrophe claims. He also developed overall standards and metrics, integrating claims management with the underwriting and pricing process.

Palmquist’s career has included serving as vice president and assistant general counsel with Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company where he oversaw legal, regulatory, legislative matters and claims litigation for the company’s Eastern U.S. Direct Agency Group. He also managed outside counsel and provided guidance and training to claims associates in 17 states on claims, lawsuits, bad faith, coverage, case valuations, fraud, mediations, trials and litigation strategy.

Prior to that, he spent six years as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary for Tower Hill Insurance Group where he was responsible for all legal, regulatory, compliance and claims legal matters for 28 foreign and domestic companies. He successfully instituted mass litigation strategies for mold, sinkholes, hurricanes and valued policy laws. He has also held similar roles at USAA P&C Insurance Company and Progressive Insurance Company.

Headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Fla., NARS (www.narisk.com) provides nationwide claims, data and risk management TPA services to businesses, insurers, reinsurers and brokers throughout the United States. NARS is known for the experience and expertise of its employees and the application of those skills in controlling its customers’ loss and administrative costs. NARS also provides its customers with a diverse array of ancillary services including auditing, medical cost management, recovery specialization and a state-of-the-art, web-based information system that is easily shaped to meet each customer’s specific needs.

Contact: Jamie Bernardo, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
321-441-1336, jbernardo@narisk.com