While industry association members who have worked with the outgoing New York insurance superintendent point to his handling of the AIG meltdown, the World Trade Center coverage dispute and his willingness to confront controversial issues as his major accomplishments, Eric Dinallo shifts much of the credit to the agency he will be departing next month.

Indeed, in an interview with National Underwriter, Mr. Dinallo said his biggest accomplishment over the last two years was recognizing the quality of the department he inherited and making few, if any changes. He said it was the agency and the people in place that allowed him to step right into large-scale, thorny issues such as AIG's woes and the World Trade Center dispute.

Industry members said it was Mr. Dinallo's approach as a regulator that allowed him to step up on the big issues.