What’s new: In brief (January 04, 2005)

Law firm Miller Thomson LLP has expanded its presence into Quebec, merging with Pouliot Mercure. The Montreal-based firm has 56 lawyers, bringing Miller Thomson’s total professional staff to more than 500. The Quebec office will operate under the name Miller Thomson Pouliot.

New York Insurance Commissioner Greg Serio has decided to leave office for a position in the private sector later this month, after serving less than four years in the position. His replacement, nominated by Governor George Pataki, will be State Assemblyman Howard Mills, subject to confirmation by the State Senate. Mills is a former member of the state assembly’s insurance committee.

U.S. workers’ compensation insurer Safety National Group says it has suspended two employees as a result of an internal investigation which revealed improper “quotation practices” with broker Marsh. Safety National, a subsidiary of Delphi Financial, says, “the instances that the company has been able to specifically identify in this regard are limited in number and involved modest amounts of premium”.