Executives.

Tiller Is President of ERC Life

John Tiller has been named president and chief operating officer for ERC Life Reinsurance Corp. and Employers Reassurance Corp., Overland Park, Kan.

Tiller joined the company in 1998 as executive vice president in charge of capital management and business development. ERC Life and Employers Reassurance are owned by Employers Reinsurance Corp.

Tiller will lead the firm's life and health reinsurance business in North America.

Previously, Tiller was a principal-in-charge of KPMG Peat Marwick's insurance consulting practice in the United States. He and his wife, Denise Fagerberg Tiller, wrote Life, Health and Annuity Reinsurance, a book that many in the industry consider to be a guide to the life reinsurance business.

21st Century's COO Resigns

Paul Farber, an executive vice president and chief operating officer for 21st Century Insurance Group, has resigned.

Farber "plans to pursue other interests," the company said. He joined the company in 1984 and has worked in the claims, marketing and operations areas of the company.

Farber leaves as the Woodland Hills, Calif.-based company gains a new chief executive officer, Bruce W. Marlow, who joined the company in February to succeed William Mellick, who resigned unexpectedly to "pursue other personal interests," the company said. Marlow was Allstate Corp.'s president of independent agency markets.

Marlow plans to assume Farber's operations and responsibilities, the company said.

XL Capital Taps President-COO

XL Capital Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda, has appointed David C. Stevens president and chief operating officer of newly formed XL Capital Assurance Inc., a New York-domiciled financial guaranty insurer.

Stevens was formerly executive vice president and chief underwriting officer of XL Capital Products Ltd. In his new role, Stevens will head a team of professionals specializing in the credit enhancement of asset-backed securitizations and essential project infrastructure financings.

Axa Re Life Appoints President

Axa Re Life Insurance Co., a member of the Axa Re Group, has appointed Michael W. Pado as president.

In his new role, Pado is responsible for the company's strategic direction and operating processes. He succeeds Robert Lipincott, who was named chairman of Axa Re Life.

Before joining Axa Re Life in 1998, Pado held key positions at Swiss Re Life & Health, Coopers & lybrand and MONY.

Former Oxford CEO to Lead Launch Of Online Health Insurance Market

Stephen Wiggins, the founder and former chief executive officer of Oxford Health Plans Inc., has been named chairman of BenefitPort, an Internet-based network for group health insurance sales and employee-benefit services, launched in March.

Backed by $60 million in venture capital, the Internet portal, www. Benefit port. corn, will be the gateway to the company's group of more than 50 insurance companies, 17,000 brokers and 35,000 employer groups, according to a company statement.

Among the insurance carriers represented by BenefitPort are Oxford Health Plans Inc., Aetna U.S. Healthcare, Cigna, Delta Dental, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., Midatlantic Healthcare, Prudential Insurance Company of America and Sun Life of Canada.

Brokers include Ron Kilpatrick Insurance Brokerage Inc. and Associated Group Brokerage in Texas, Association Plan Concepts Inc. in the midAtlantic region, Agents' Umbrella Group in Florida and Weston Insurance Brokerage in the Northeast.

The new portal will give brokers access to online quoting, electronic enrollment, client databases, physician locators, physician network analyses, forms warehouse, carrier Web site links, sales reporting and commission tracking.

Brokers and employers also will be able to handle most of the day-to-day transactions relating to their health insurance plans, the company said.

Stamford, Conn.-based Benefit-Port has a commitment of $60 million in financial backing from The Trident Partnership L.P., a private equity fund advised by Marsh & McLennan Capital and J.P. Morgan.