NU Online News Service, Aug. 1, 3:01 p.m. EDT

The abrupt departure of Joseph P. Lacher as president of Allstate Protection may have been due to comments he made about Allstate’s chief executive, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ, citing “two people familiar with the matter,” reports that Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas J. Wilson “had been growing disenchanted” with Lacher’s performance.

But the story says the final straw occurred at a Ritz-Carlton hotel bar in Orlando, Fla. in May, when Lacher reportedly made disparaging remarks about Wilson over drinks with some of the company’s top insurance agents. The WSJ says “several people familiar with the situation” indicate that expletives were used at the bar after a meeting earlier in the day when Lacher and Wilson discussed a plan to reduce the company’s sales force and change the way commissions are calculated.

For more information, see the WSJ story, “Loose Lips Trip Up a Good Hands Executive.”

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WSJ: Lacher&rsquo;s Allstate Departure May Be Tied to Remarks About Chief Exec.

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WSJ: Lacher’s Allstate Departure May Be Tied to Remarks About Chief Exec.