Specialty insurer Argonaut Group Inc. in San Antonio announcedtoday that Dale H. Pilkington, president of its Colony Groupsubsidiary, has been appointed to the new position of president ofArgonaut Group's excess and surplus lines segment.

Argonaut Group's E&S segment writes commercial property andcasualty accounts on a primarily nonadmitted basis through ColonyGroup and Argonaut Specialty.

The company said both Colony and Argonaut Specialty will reportto Mr. Pilkington in his role as president of excess and surplusLines. Mr. Pilkington will retain his position as president ofColony Group until a successor is named.

Mr. Pilkington joined Colony in 1993 and assumed the role ofvice president, underwriting, in 1994. He joined Argonaut Group aspart of the acquisition of Colony's parent company in 2001, and wasnamed president of Colony Group in November 2002. Previously, Mr.Pilkington held positions at General Reinsurance and EH Crump, inaddition to owning and managing a retail operation in Florida.