Allstate to Auction Recovered 1965 Volkswagen Bus, Donate Proceeds to Charity

BOTHELL, Wash., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Allstate (NYSE: ALL) announced today that it will sell a recovered 1965 Volkswagen bus at auction and donate the proceeds to Lydia Place, a nonprofit organization in Washington state serving homeless women and children impacted by domestic violence. "Allstate has a long and proud history of supporting domestic violence survivors," said Michelle Lee, field vice president of Allstate's northwest region. "It's our hope that the tremendous public interest in this unique vehicle and its unique history will translate into a significant contribution to Lydia Place."In 1974, the VW bus was reported stolen by an Allstate customer, a resident of Washington state.  Allstate paid the customer's claim and, as part of the claims process, the vehicle title was transferred to Allstate.  The vehicle was missing for 35 years until October of this year, when it was discovered during a U.S. Customs Service inspection of a shipping container departing for the Netherlands.  U.S. Customs, the California Highway Patrol, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau conducted an investigation of the vehicle's history, which includes several possessors in multiple states across the country during the last 35 years, and concluded that Allstate is the lawful titleholder."Typically, if we do recover a stolen vehicle, it's in worse shape than before it was stolen and it's worth less – sometimes far less – than the amount we paid to our customer to settle their claim," noted Paul Huber, Allstate's director of claims in the company's northwest region. "The situation with this bus is so unique that we thought it required a unique approach." Working with national auction vendor, Copart, Allstate will make the 1965 VW bus available for public auction on Friday, December 18, 2009. Members of the public interested in participating in the auction via the Internet or in person are encouraged to visit www.copart.com. Copart is currently taking preliminary bids for the van up until the live, virtual auction that begins at noon PST on Friday, December 18.  Buyers can enter a maximum bid during preliminary bidding and have Copart bid up to that amount for them in the live auction, or they can place their bids themselves during the live auction. Anyone can bid on the van by becoming a member of Copart.  For detailed information about participating in the auction, visit the Copart website at www.copart.com. The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help more than 17 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.SOURCE Allstate