Savage Appointed Oregon Insurance Commissioner

Lou Savage, Oregon’s interim insurance commissioner for the past seven months, has been appointed to the position permanently. He replaces Teresa Miller, who left in November 2011 to accept a position with the federal government.

Savage initially planned to return to his former DCBS position as the agency’s senior policy advisor, a position he held for more than eight years.

As an attorney, he has represented both consumers and businesses on insurance-related issues in the nonprofit and private sectors.

The Insurance Division, with approximately 100 employees and a $10.5 million annual budget, licenses insurance companies and agents, reviews policies for consumer protections, investigates potential violations of insurance law, and approves rates on health insurance policies held by about 12 percent of all Oregonians. It is part of DCBS, Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency.