Mr. Ingram added that, "I've never seen this before. We've had a complete change in leadership in the House, the Senate and the governor's office. In other states that's meant a change in cabinets and leadership in major agencies, but this means Ernie stays on. This bodes well for the insurance industry. It means we're on the right track."

Earlier this month, Mr. Csiszar told the National Underwriter that if he remained in his position, he had big plans for the captive domicile that during his tenure has experienced such rapid growth. He mentioned links to offshore domiciles as one possibility.

Speaking at the South Carolina Captive Insurance Association's third annual conference, he said that when he met recently with the transition team of Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, "the very first question I was asked was, ?How is the captive program going?' So you've been noticed."

The captive industry, he noted, potentially has a huge impact on the state's economy. "You look at Vermont [as a captive domicile] and 400 [captive] companies have a billion-dollar impact," he said. "Our entire budget here in South Carolina is only $6.5 billion. If you can develop an industry with a billion-dollar impact eventually, I guarantee you'll have somebody's ear."

Earlier this month, Mr. Csiszar also was named secretary-treasurer of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at its quarterly meeting in San Diego.

At the South Carolina Captive Insurance Association conference in Charleston earlier this month, Mr. Csiszar announced the signing of the state's 25th captive in just two years time. He told the conference that he had "expressed to the new governor my interest in continuing in this position."

Mr. Csiszar told National Underwriter that if reappointed to the position, he would like to explore relationships with offshore domiciles, particularly Bermuda. "It would make sense for us to have some type of reciprocal relationship," he said. "If they have an approved captive in Bermuda that wants to set up a branch operation here, why not have an expedited process of some kind?"

He said there are many instances where the same client needs both an onshore and an offshore captive, "so there are some mutual interests here."

Mr. Csiszar said South Carolina constantly considers what can be done to "make ourselves receptive to captives. We're not adverse to pursuing the politics in Washington to make this happen."

For instance, he continued, as a tax incentive, "why not have some type of arrangement with the federal government that recognizes Charleston, or a particular district, as a free-trade zone for captives?" he suggested. "So there are some interesting things we can pursue."