Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst announced today the opening of a Washington, D.C. office to further assist insurers throughout the world embrace the modernization of insurance regulation. Washington and the international community are poised to have a strong influence on the regulation of insurers and reinsurers, and with its new office, Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst will be at the heart of insurance policymaking and regulation. Federal involvement with the regulation of insurance, global oversight of financial markets, and the highly anticipated report from the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) have the insurance industry braced for increased scrutiny.

Mike Nelson, chairman of Nelson Levine and the firm’s team of regulatory experts, which includes Susan T. Stead, Molly E. Lang, and Peg Ising, have been closely following the Federal Insurance Office and other potential regulatory hurdles for the insurance industry. The firm publishes a newsletter covering the latest developments at the FIO.

“I am very excited about the firm’s presence in D.C.,” said Nelson. “From the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to terrorism risk, flood insurance, and solvency, the federal government has made it abundantly clear that it will have a greater influence on the insurance industry. These issues are top of mind for insurers, and our presence in D.C. will further allow us to have a finger on the pulse of the industry to best serve our clients.”

The D.C. office will be led by Susan Stead, Chair of the firm’s Insurance Regulation Practice. Stead, the former Assistant Director for the Ohio Department of Insurance, will split her time between the firm’s Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C. offices. She will continue to devote her national practice to insurance regulatory matters with a special emphasis on compliance and market regulation.

John J. Geer, Jr., a member of the firm’s executive board and former Vice President of Claims and member of the Board of Directors at GEICO, said, “This is a tremendous move for the firm, and the new office will allow Nelson Levine to maintain its expertise in issues surrounding the modernization of the insurance industry.”

The firm’s next Executive Committee meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. at The Georgetown University Hotel on May 15-17.

The Washington office opens at 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.