Medical Services employees know that it is their job to understand the health care delivery system. Industry-specific expertise spans most of the developmental objectives for professional job advancement in Medical Services.

The operation recruits its entire loss control staff from the health care industry. Loss control managers have graduate degrees in nursing and on-site health care supervisory experience. When they come to The St. Paul, they acquire a thorough understanding of the medical liability insurance industry. Gone are the days when loss control experts were tagged "inspectors" and considered unwelcome guests. Today, they are valuable consultants, helping their customers prevent medical malpractice.

St. Paul Medical Services policyholders benefit from claim staff who are dedicated exclusively to management of medical liability claims and who average almost 15 years of experience in their positions. These claim specialists resolve lawsuits faster than the industry average, and 96 percent of St. Paul customers say they are satisfied with the medical liability claim and defense services they receive.

Medical Services staff attend over 50 medical conventions per year to keep current on this fast-changing industry, make presentations on medical liability topics and market their services. They also conduct seminars, maintain a current medical liability video library for customers, and publish a highly regarded loss control newsletter, as well as newsletters on medical liability trends and issues for various health care specialties.

St. Paul Surety today is the No. 1 surety company in the United States in terms of premium volume. But, more important, the merger of two of the industry's leading surety companies, USF&G and The St. Paul, brought to one operation resources and expertise hard to match. Our U.S. Surety operation is led by a senior team averaging more than 25 years of surety experience. Our senior leaders in our field offices average 20 years of experience in surety underwriting and marketing. Operating from more than 40 locations throughout the United States, St. Paul Surety's depth and breadth of expertise give us a true competitive advantage.

Surety has its own claim operation with 29 attorneys, three CPAs and three professional engineers. St. Paul Surety is not only well-positioned to reduce losses and expenses by responding promptly and effectively to any type of claim -- its claim staff also provide added value by making in-house expertise available to customers, assisting them with a variety of engineering, legal and accounting issues.

The St. Paul's Surety operation includes the leading Mexican surety company, Afianzadora Insurgentes, with more than 30 percent of the surety market in Mexico.