CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwire) -- 11/10/08 -- Fort Dearborn Life Insurance Company announces the appointment of Craig Nordyke as vice president and chief actuary. Nordyke will be responsible for the planning, directing and controlling of the actuarial operations of Fort Dearborn Life.

"With Craig's extensive experience in actuarial and management roles, he will be a valuable addition to our senior management team and will be instrumental in driving our growth," said Anthony F. Trani, president and CEO. "I know that he will provide the leadership and vision necessary to enhance the performance of Fort Dearborn Life."

Nordyke will also be responsible for actuarial operations at Colorado Bankers Life Insurance Company; both Colorado Bankers Life and Fort Dearborn Life are companies in the Life and Subsidiary Operations division of Health Care Service Corporation.

Nordyke has more than 30 years of experience in the life insurance industry and has spent more than 20 years in actuarial management and operations. Previously, he served as vice president and actuary at TIAA-CREF in North Carolina, and chief actuary of Paragon Life Insurance Company, a MetLife company in St. Louis, Missouri. He has been extensively involved in all life insurance actuarial functions, including product development and pricing, statutory and GAAP valuation, asset adequacy testing, in-force product support, and cash flow testing.

Nordyke received a bachelor's degree in actuarial science from Drake University in Iowa. He is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

With nearly 40 years of experience, Fort Dearborn Life is among the country's leading providers of employee benefits. Fort Dearborn Life markets group life, short- and long-term disability, dental and individual annuity programs. Fort Dearborn Life has $2.2 billion in assets and $153 billion of life insurance in force. Fort Dearborn Life is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, affirmed November 1, 2007,(1) and is rated A+ (Strong) by Standard and Poor's for financial strength in its most recent report. Fort Dearborn Life is a subsidiary of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), a Mutual Legal Reserve Company.

(1) A.M. Best Company rates the overall financial condition of a company using a scale of A++ (Superior) to F (In Liquidation).