Tom Steidinger
Executive Vice President, AXIS U.S. Property
 
Led by Tom Steidinger in Chicago, AXIS U.S. Property is a unit of AXIS Insurance specializing in the underwriting of midsize to large commercial property accounts. As Executive Vice President, he directs property underwriting strategy and has overall management responsibility for the unit's network of regional offices, which work with retail brokers across the United States. Tom was part of a team from Aon's Combined Specialty Group that established AXIS' U.S. insurance operations in November of 2002. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Property Underwriting, serving as the Senior Property Officer for all CNA property underwriting on a global basis. Tom joined CNA in 2000 as Senior Vice President, Risk Management Property, following a 20-year career at Wausau Insurance, where he held a variety of property underwriting and managerial positions.
E-mail tom.steidinger@axiscapital.com or go to our Contact List.

Lynn Underwood
Assistant Vice President, Property Engineering
 
Lynn Underwood has nearly 40 years of fire protection experience. Based in Chicago, he is responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring property engineering standards and services. Lynn also serves as an engineering resource for underwriters in all of AXIS' property insurance operations. He previously was Assistant Vice President of Engineering for CNA Risk Management Property. Prior to that, Lynn spent 25 years at Wausau HPR/Property Special Risk, where he held various field and home office engineering positions. He also worked four years with a fire sprinkler contractor and five years with the Tennessee Inspection Bureau (now ISO) as a field inspector and plan reviewer. Lynn has a long list of professional designations, including the NICET Level IV Certification in Automatic Sprinkler Systems Design. He also is a member of the national and local Society of Fire Protection Engineers and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). He serves on the NFPA's Technical Committees on Sprinkler System Installation and Ovens and Furnaces, and he is on the Technical Correlating Committee on Automatic Sprinklers.
E-mail lynn.underwood@axiscapital.com or go to our Contact List.

Jim Berringer
Senior Vice President, Midwest/Southeast Region
 
Jim Berringer is a Regional Vice President of AXIS U.S. Property based in Chicago. Jim has nearly 20 years of property insurance experience, and he manages underwriters in Chicago and Alpharetta, GA, who handle property business in the Midwestern and Southeastern regions of the country. Prior to joining AXIS Insurance, Jim served in a similar capacity at CNA Risk Management Property. His prior work experience also includes 3 years at Reliance Insurance and 11 years at AIG in their Commerce & Industry and American Home subsidiaries.
E-mail james.berringer@axiscapital.com or go to our Contact List.

John Montgomery
Senior Vice President, West/Southwest Region
 
John Montgomery has been in the property underwriting field for over 25 years. He is currently located in Los Angeles and serves as a Senior Vice President for AXIS U.S. Property, responsible for commercial property business in all Western and Southwestern states as far east as Louisiana. John manages underwriters in Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Previously, he was a Vice President at CNA Risk Management Property. John also previously was the Los Angeles Branch Manager of Property for Zurich North America's Corporate Customer unit, and he was the Chief Property Underwriter for LMG Property. John began his career with Wausau Insurance, starting as a trainee and advancing into senior underwriting and management roles.
E-mail john.montgomery@axiscapital.com or go to our Contact List.

Nancy Usic
Senior Vice President, Northeast Region
 
As a Senior Vice President of AXIS U.S. Property, Nancy Usic is based in New York City. Nancy manages underwriters in New York City and in Hartford, CT, who handle property business in CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT and WV. She began her career in insurance over 30 years ago as an inland marine trainee at Fireman's Fund and went on to hold manager positions at Fireman's Fund and Chubb. Nancy joined St. Paul Insurance Company to manage their Special Property business, and she was later elected Vice President and Chief Property Underwriter of St. Paul's National Accounts division. Following a 13-year career at St. Paul, Nancy served as a Managing Director and Chief Property Underwriter at LMG Property, and she most also previously was a Deputy Director at Aon Risk Services.
E-mail nancy.usic@axiscapital.com or go to our Northeast Region.