Eric Schaffnit Email & Phone Number

Troy, Ohio, United States

Provide leadership, guidance and direction to the underwriting staff to achieve profitable underwriting results. Ensure high quality service is delivered to the independent agents and support the underwriters as they manage each agent for profitability and growth.

- Coordinated underwriting and call center operations the Defender personal auto product in the states of Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia- Successfully launched Defender product in Pennsylvania in 2006 with $2.5 million in written premium, more than tripling expected first year growth - Maintained $34 million premium in 2008 even with change in company focus away from product- Achieved profitability in each of the last 6 years with an average combined loss ratio of 97.1%- Realized a high customer retention rate for product- Maintained consistently strong customer service standards, resulting in high customer satisfaction and excellent agent feedback- Managed 15-20 Underwriters and Customer Service Representatives, experiencing high employee retention- Organized marketing campaigns specific to Defender personal auto, enhancing growth of all personal lines products

- Concurrently managed Defender personal auto department and led transition of and was sole underwriter for a book of commercial Public Entity business Defender personal auto- Seamlessly relocated Westfield's Defender underwriting and call center operations to Westfield's Home Office hiring an entirely new staff.- Grew written premium from $20 million in 2000 to $55 million in 7 states by 2004- Maintained consistently strong customer service standards during and after transition to Home OfficeCommercial Public Entity book- Led transition of and was sole underwriter for a book of Ohio Public Entity business obtained from Personal Service Insurance, adding nearly $4 million of profitable written premium while also managing the Defender personal auto product - Developed rates and forms to meet the unique needs of municipalities such as Fireman’s Errors & Omissions coverage and Emergency Medical Technicians Liability, creating an attractive package policy in a highly competitive market- Retained majority of Personal Service Insurance transfer book - Coordinated communication to Westfield Agents regarding unique relationship with managing agency for Public Entity policies

- Leader of the underwriting and call center operations for Westfield's Defender personal auto program from product inception in February 1997.- Successfully brought the new personal lines auto product to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, Tennessee and Iowa.- Led a team of 15-20 underwriters and customer service representatives focused on high quality results and excellent customer service.- Worked directly with Product Development to increase competitiveness of premiums, coverages and options.- Partnered with IT to improve rating and issuing software ease of use.

Personal Lines Auto- Directed the underwriting, processing, and servicing of all standard and high risk personal auto policies- Modified and updated rate structure of the high risk auto product, enhancing competitive position and reducing adverse selection- Proactively identified manual processing inefficiencies and developed automated solutions - Monitored accuracy of third party rating software used for the high risk auto products and resolved issues with vendor- Selected for project team responsible for choosing the software vendor for a personal lines information management system, gathered and communicated requirements, and implemented the new rating, issuance and reporting systemCommercial Lines - Underwriter and processing manager of commercial public entity package policies and public officials liability policies- Developed and implemented the commercial lines rating, endorsement and policy issuance systems used for Public Entity business from 1989 to 2000, resulting in increased productivity, shorter response times and increased accuracy- Restructured personal and commercial lines processing units into well trained, efficient, customer focused service units, improving the relationship with agents and customers