Maryland Governor Announces Appointment of Insurance Commissioner

Gov. Martin O’Malley announced Thursday, Sept. 6, that Ralph S. Tyler has been named Maryland Insurance Commissioner and will oversee regulation of Maryland’s $26 billion insurance industry. Tyler currently serves as chief legal counsel for the O’Malley-Brown Administration.

“Maryland’s regulatory and legislative environment has been challenging for insurers, particularly since Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Even under the previous Republican administration, modernizing the state’s burdensome regulations proved difficult. NAMIC congratulates Commissioner Tyler on his appointment and will work with him to balance the needs of Maryland’s consumers and insurers. After all, the consumer is the true beneficiary of a modern competitive insurance market as most recently illustrated in New Jersey and South Carolina,” said Tami Stanton, NAMIC’s Central Region state affairs manager.

Tyler served as one of the governor’s closest advisors as chief legal counsel and led the effort to reconstitute Maryland’s Public Service Commission with independent and professional regulators. Tyler helped to develop the administration’s first annual budget and legislative agenda to improve the health of Chesapeake Bay and make historic investments in education and school construction. Tyler also served as the executive director of the O’Malley-Brown transition team, leading the effort with Lt. Gov. Brown to recruit highly-competent, professional administrators to run Maryland’s state agencies.

“Ralph Tyler has been a steadfast advocate for the working families of our State, and there is no one better to lead the Maryland Insurance Administration,” said O’Malley. “One of the most important things our administration will accomplish is making government work again for working families of our state – standing up for middle-class families when special interests try to take advantage of them.”

As Baltimore’s city solicitor, Tyler successfully led the lawsuit against the Maryland Public Service Commission and a pending BGE 72 percent utility rate increase this past summer. The lawsuit is credited with allowing the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation to keep utility rates affordable and give utility companies more flexibility in purchasing electricity.

Tyler will replace Peggy Watson, who served as interim Maryland insurance commissioner, while also serving as O’Malley ’s deputy chief of staff.

Source: Maryland Office of the Governor press release

Posted: Thursday, September 06, 2007 12:00:00 AM. Modified: Friday, September 07, 2007 9:18:02 AM.

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We are 1,400 property/casualty insurance companies serving more than 135 million auto, home and business policyholders, with more than $196 billion in premiums accounting for 50 percent of the automobile/homeowners market and 31 percent of the business insurance market. We are the largest and most diverse property/casualty trade association in the country, with regional and local mutual insurance companies on main streets across America joining many of the country’s largest national insurers who also call NAMIC their home. More than 200,000 people are employed by NAMIC members.