Merchants Will Open Dallas-Fort Worth Office

July 6, 2009

New Office just part of expansion for 2010. 

Merchants Bonding Company is excited to announce the opening of a new contract surety office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We are also announcing the promotions of several people within our organization as we prepare for growth. The expansion will take place by the end of this year.

Senior Underwriter Aaron Raschke, a native Texan, will move from Merchants’ home office to Dallas-Fort Worth to lead our contract surety efforts there. Aaron will continue working with his current agents to ensure a smooth transition. 

Since Merchants Bonding Company uses a team approach to serving agents' needs. We always have a team of underwriters, rather than just one, who is familiar with your accounts and can quickly service it. Our teams also have the advantage of being assisted by our executive team.  Executive Vice President Mike Foster, Board Secretary, Bill Warner Jr. and President Larry Taylor take active roles when needed to provide the highest quality service.

Merchants’ Austin branch office, under the leadership of Assistant Vice President Josh Penwell, has served Texas since 1969, and they will continue to do so. They will concentrate their efforts on the rest of Texas as well as the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Austin will serve all of the contract surety needs in Texas except for the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex area.

Commercial Surety will continue to be handled by the Austin office for all of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Commercial Department of the Austin office is under the direction of Assistant Vice President Audrey Williams.

Assistant Vice President Steve Dorenkamp will move to the Claims Department, becoming Claims Manager in 2012. Steve will work with Executive Vice President and Claims Manager Stan McCormack over the next two years to transition to Claims. He will also be assisting all of his current agents as they move to other team members. Steve will continue to be available throughout the changes and beyond, to maintain our tradition of great service.  

 We are expanding our contract production teams in 2010. Senior Underwriters Tim Foreman and Ed Sipfle will be promoted to Assistant Vice Presidents and will head up two new production teams. 

You will continue with your current underwriters for the remainder of the year and we will provide you with updates on any transitions that might affect you as we progress. Please contact us with any questions at 1-800-678-8171. 

For the past 75 years, Merchants has continued to grow and expand, offering national service, larger bonds and becoming a true partner with our agencies. We are proud to be ranked among the top 20 surety writers in the United States by the Surety and Fidelity Association of America, with an A.M. Best rating of “A” (Excellent) for more than 50 consecutive years.

During these economic times we feel fortunate to be carrying out our plans for expansion. We look forward to our future with you, and thank you for being a part of our growth!