Agency Markets’ Regional Companies Take Home Applied Systems Awards for Interface Leadership and Partnership

<p align="justify">

Boston, MA - September 30, 2008 – Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, a strategic business unit of Liberty Mutual Group, was recognized this month by Applied Systems as winner of the 2008 Leadership Award for outstanding achievement in interface and the Partner Award for dedication to interface partnerships.

Applied Systems’ Client Network (ASCnet), the user group for Applied Systems agency management technology, also awarded Ms. Susan LaBarre, manager, Special Projects-Agency Services, the Industry Standards and Initiatives Achievement Award for her work in supporting local user groups, industry standards, and workflows that provide agents with ease of doing business.

These awards recognize Agency Markets’ regional companies as being among the best carriers for advancing agency-carrier interface through the use of real-time rating and servicing transactions and download.

Ms. Peggy Scott, assistant vice president, Agency Markets, and manager, Agency Services, accepted the awards during TENCon, the Technology, Education & Networking Conference hosted by ASCnet recently in Anaheim, California.

“These awards really affirm how we work with our agents and the commitment we’ve made to further enhance their real-time capabilities,” said Ms. Scott. “We are honored to be recognized by Applied Systems and ASCnet for our real-time accomplishments to date.”

“We recognize Agency Markets and its regional companies for its advancements in agency-carrier communications for the common good of the industry and for its continued efforts and dedication to agents,” said Doug Johnston, vice president, Partner Relations & Product Innovation, Applied Systems Inc. 

Agency Markets’ regional companies currently use Applied Systems for the following real-time and batch transactions: personal and commercial lines quoting with upload to proprietary systems; first notice of loss; claims and billing inquiries; alerts; commercial policy inquiry; commercial loss runs inquiry; company website sign-on; personal and commercial lines download; commission data download; and claims download.

About Liberty Mutual Agency Markets

Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, a business unit of Liberty Mutual Group, consists of property and casualty and specialty insurance carriers that distribute their products and services primarily through independent agents and brokers. Core property and casualty products, including a comprehensive set of personal and commercial coverages, are available in most states from the following companies:

• America First Insurance™ (Central Region)
• Colorado Casualty™ (Mountain Region)
• Golden Eagle Insurance™ (California)
• Indiana Insurance™ (Midwest Region)
• Liberty Northwest? (Pacific Northwest Region)
• Montgomery Insurance™ (Southeast Region)
• Ohio Casualty™ (Mid-Atlantic Region)
• Peerless Insurance™ (Northeast Region)
• Safeco Insurance (National)

Other operations include:

• Summit® (Southeast region; mono-line workers' compensation)
• Liberty Mutual Surety™

Liberty Mutual Group ranks 94 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations based on 2007 revenues. The company has financial strength ratings of A (Excellent) from the A.M. Best Company, A2 (Good) from Moody’s Investors Service, and A- (Stable) from Standard & Poor’s.

About Applied Systems Inc.

Applied Systems Inc. develops and supports insurance agency and broker management systems and provides services for accounting, customer, policy, claims management, and all related agency functions. More than 129,000 users in 11,000 agencies of every size and complexity level use Applied Systems technology and services. The company leads the industry in agency-carrier real-time and batch communication solutions. Applied Systems automates insurance transactions at every distribution level from consumer through carrier, providing technical support and professional services to maximize customers' return on investment.

About ASCnet

Founded in 1985 and based in Altamonte Springs, Fla.., the Applied Systems Client Network, Inc. (ASCnet) is an international association representing more than 110,000 insurance professionals in 11 countries and territories. The only authorized user group for Applied Systems solutions, ASCnet promotes successful technology and business practices through education and advocacy.

Contact:

Christopher Goetcheus, 774-279-5923
or [email protected]