Covr Financial Technologies names Mark Merritt its Chief Distribution Officer

BOISE, Idaho, March 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mark Merritt has joined Covr Financial Technologies, a digital, multi-carrier life insurance platform, as its chief distribution officer.  He will be responsible for business development, sales execution and key account management, Covr CEO Michael Kalen announced. 

Mark joins Covr from Nationwide Financial, where he worked for 14 years, most recently as the Managing Director of Relationship Strategies for its life, annuity and mutual fund product lines, leading the relationship team for the financial institutions division serving banks, national broker-dealers, regional firms and other strategic national accounts. 

As chief distribution officer, Kalen said, "Mark will deepen and expand Covr's footprint by introducing Covr's digital insurance platform to the country's most progressive financial institutions and emerging life insurance distribution channels.  Mark's passion for helping financial advisors and financial institutions integrate insurance into financial planning has helped many clients do more for their clients'.  

"During his tenure at Nationwide," Kalen added, "Mark established high quality relationships with many of Covr's current and target clients, making him an ideal choice for this role."

Merritt added, "I'm excited to join Covr at this important point in the development of the company. Covr's insurance platform is truly unique in the market, and presents a tremendous opportunity for financial services institutions to deepen existing client relationships by providing the comprehensive financial planning assistance clients want.  Most clients believe they need life insurance, but up to now they have been deterred by the complicated process. The Covr platform takes away their reluctance."

Prior to joining Nationwide, Merritt held sales management positions at Prudential and the Hartford. He was a divisional sales manager with American Skandia and Prudential Annuities.  Before Prudential, he spent five years with The Hartford in various sales positions, including Relationship Manager for the Putnam Investment relationship. Merritt has earned the Fellow Life Management Institute (FLMI) and Certified Business Coach designations. He will be working out of Covr's new sales office in Hartford, Ct.

The Covr platform connects life insurance products from nearly twenty major insurers to financial institutions and financial advisors, enabling them to offer insurance protection that is simple, straightforward and transparent to their customers.

The Covr Advisory Board includes: Chairman Brian Finn, former president of Credit Suisse First Boston; Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest as well as senior executive roles at Bank of America, Citigroup and Smith Barney; Hans Morris, managing partner, Nyca Partners, chairman of Lending Club, formerly president of Visa; Brady Dougan, former CEO of Credit Suisse; Greg Fleming, CEO Rockefeller Capital Management and former president of Morgan Stanley Wealth and Asset Management and COO and president of Merrill Lynch; Gary W. Parr, senior managing director at Apollo Global Management; Neal Wolin, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury and former executive vice  president and general for The Hartford Financial Services Group; and Matt Muta, vice president, IT Innovation and Commercial Technology, Delta Air Lines, formerly Microsoft's global managing director for Hospitality and Travel. 

About Covr
Covr is a digital life insurance platform that makes it easy to protect what matters most: you and your family. Covr partners with financial institutions that share the belief that life insurance should be both simple and transparent. Through Covr's technology, financial advisors and their customers can research and purchase affordable life insurance from well-known insurance companies without the hassles of the traditional process - all within a matter of minutes. Offices: Boise, New York, Austin, Minneapolis, Hartford.

For more information https://covrtech.com/

SOURCE Covr Financial Technologies