Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced the appointment of John Finston as General Counsel for the California Department of Insurance. Finston, who has served as Deputy Commissioner for Corporate and Regulatory Affairs for three years, will replace outgoing General Counsel Adam Cole.

“John Finston’s in-depth knowledge of insurance law and regulation and his well-honed advocacy skills will be critically important to my highest priority, the ongoing proactive protection of insurance consumers,” Commissioner Jones said.

Finston has practiced regulatory law for 35 years, and currently serves on the Conservation and Liquidation Office Governance Committee, and as a Board Member of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.

Before joining CDI, Finston was a partner in two large insurance law firms for more than 25 years. During that time his practice emphasized insurance regulation, reinsurance, corporate transactions, and insurance company insolvency matters.

During his tenure at CDI, Finston has increased California’s influence at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners by serving as Chair of the Receivership and Insolvency Task Force, Vice Chair of the Reinsurance Task Force, Chair of the Qualified Jurisdictions Working Group, and Co-Chair of the Guaranty Fund Working Group.

Finston is well versed in international insurance regulatory issues which are becoming increasingly important for consumer protection, and has participated in international meetings of insurance supervisors reviewing the operations of a number of international insurance groups, including Allianz, Zurich, Farmers, and AmTrust.

He will begin his new assignment on July 6.