For immediate release: Feb 20, 2009

John M. Huff Named to Director Position at DIFP

JEFFERSON CITY, MO - - John M. Huff has been confirmed by the Missouri Senate to become the Director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration.  Governor Jay Nixon selected Huff as his choice for director earlier this month, selecting him to lead the state agency which oversees several aspects of financial markets in the state.  Mr. Huff’s sixteen years of insurance experience will be utilized in protecting Missouri insurance consumers and investors in light of the current difficult economic times.

“I am honored to have been chosen as the director of this department.  At this time in our state’s history, it is of the highest importance to enact measures that not only protect consumers, but also allow for fair business,” stated Mr. Huff.  “I will utilize the experience I have in the industry to make sure our department does everything in its power to provide consumers the protection they need and deserve, as well as promote Missouri as a great place to conduct business.”

For the past several years, Mr. Huff has worked at Swiss Re, a leading provider of reinsurance in the industry.  In his role as managing director and strategic claims officer, he oversaw matters within the company’s strategic and emerging claims portfolio.  In 2008, Mr. Huff was promoted to the position of global head of key case management and moved to Swiss Re’s global headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.  In this position, he managed some of the company’s most-complex dispute resolution matters.

Mr. Huff earned his bachelor's in business administration at Southeast Missouri State University. In May 1987, he earned an MBA at St. Louis University, and he graduated from the Washington University School of Law with a juris doctorate in May 1990. Mr. Huff and his wife, Donna Phelps, have an eight-year-old daughter, Ann Huff.
The department is the chief regulator in the state of Missouri for insurance, banks, credit unions, and various professional licenses.  The agency is divided into seven divisions, with four of those divisions overseeing the insurance market in this state.

About the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration

The Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration (DIFP) is responsible for consumer protection through the regulation of financial industries and professionals.  The department’s seven divisions work to maintain consumer confidence by examining and monitoring industries and professions and by establishing coherent and evolving policies.  DIFP works to enforce state regulations both efficiently and effectively while encouraging a competitive environment for industries and professions to ensure consumers have access to quality products.

For further information, contact: the department at (573) 751-2562.