Joseph H. Wehrle, Jr. Named Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer

DES PLAINES, Ill., March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Robert M. Bryant, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, is pleased to announce the appointment of Joseph H. Wehrle, Jr., as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for NICB.

From 2003 - 2007, Mr. Wehrle was Senior Vice President, then President of USAA Property and Casualty Insurance Group. As President of USAA,

Mr. Wehrle led nearly 11,000 employees located in six national and two international locations catering to over five million members. He had overall responsibility for an $8 billion book of business, which experienced record growth for auto, property and homeowners insurance during his tenure.

Mr. Wehrle completed a distinguished 33-year career in the United States Air Force having risen to the rank of lieutenant general. He served in various leadership positions with the U.S. Air Force and retired in 2003 as the

Air Force Assistant Vice Chief of Staff.

Mr. Wehrle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York (1970), and a Masters Degree in business administration and management from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (1979). He is also a graduate of the Air Force Air Command and Staff College (1983) and the National War College (1987).

"Mr. Wehrle brings a tremendous portfolio of experience, talent and proven leadership, both in the military and the insurance industry. His accomplishments are most noteworthy and he assumes a position at NICB that will allow him to build on his excellent record," said Robert M. Bryant.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: Headquartered in Des Plaines, IL, the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.