Liberty Mutual Holding Co., the third-largest seller of property-casualty coverage in the U.S., hired Colin Dowling to lead its public affairs office in Washington as policy makers weigh capital standards and laws on terrorism protection.

Dowling joins from Citigroup Inc. (C) where he was a managing director, running state and local government-affairs programs, according to a Business Wire statement today from Boston-based Liberty Mutual.

U.S. and international lawmakers are scrutinizing the balance sheets of the largest financial companies as they seek to avoid a repeat of the 2008 rescues required to prop up banks and insurers such as American International Group Inc. Policyholder-owned Liberty Mutual, which didnt take a bailout from the U.S. Treasury Department, said its government-relations group is also evaluating possible changes in laws about taxes, trade and terrorism.

At a time of increasing convergence of state, federal and international policy initiatives, Colins broad experience at both the state and federal levels and across the insurance and banking sectors, makes him an ideal person to run the Washington office, Paul Mattera, the insurers chief public affairs officer, said in the statement.

Mark Costiglio, a spokesman for New York-based Citigroup, declined to comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Megan Hickey in New York at Mhickey18@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dan Kraut at dkraut2@bloomberg.net

Originally posted here:

Liberty Mutual Hires Citigroup’s Dowling in Washington