NATION

Wausau Insurance Cos. announced that Gerald D. Viste, president and chief operating officer, will take early retirement at age 62 in line with a recovery and restructuring plan announced in June. The company did not immediately name a replacement for Viste, who had been with the company since 1946.

A second executive and longtime employee, Reinhold R. Klein, 59, also elected to take early retirement from his post as executive vice president-insurance operations.

The Wausau, Wis.-based company, which like many companies in the property and casualty business has suffered heavy losses recently, is seeking to reduce its nationwide work force by about 10%.