Festa Named Vice Chair of California Insurance Guarantee Association Board

Stephen V. Festa, senior vice president and chief claims officer for Employers Insurance Company has been named vice chair to the board of governors of the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA), a body that pays the claims of insolvent property and casualty insurance carriers.

Festa most recently served as the CIGA board’s secretary and treasurer. He first joined the CIGA board in 2009, representing Employers as an insurer member, and remains the only C-level claims executive to serve on the board.

Operating under the California Insurance Code, CIGA provides a mechanism for the payment of covered property, casualty, and workers’ compensation insurance claims of insolvent insurance companies.

Festa has served as senior vice president and chief claims officer of Employers Insurance Company of Nevada and Employers Compensation Insurance Company since 2004. Festa has more than 25 years of industry experience.

Reno, Nev.-based Employers Holdings Inc. (NYSE: EIG) is a holding company with subsidiaries that are specialty providers of workers’ compensation insurance and services focused on select small businesses engaged in low-to-medium hazard industries.