Montgomery Insurance™ Announces New Team in Virginia

Positions field resources to maximize agency service and growth 

Charlotte, N.C. - July 24, 2007 – Montgomery Insurance, a member of Liberty Mutual Group, today announced the recent addition of dedicated Virginia personal and commercial field underwriting specialists, territory managers, and underwriting staff in Central and Southern Virginia to support its appointed agents and targeted growth in that region.

Mr. Jeremy Giard was named assistant vice president, Commercial Underwriting for the Southeast Region; and Mr. Mark Dedrick was named manager, Commercial Underwriting for Virginia. Mr. Don Waterhouse is the new territory manager for Central Virginia; and Mr. Bryan Van Vranken is now territory manager for Southern Virginia appointed agents. A personal lines field specialist and three commercial lines field specialists were also added to the territory to increase local presence.

“We are emphasizing our commitment to grow profitably in this state by quadrupling the size of our team devoted solely to our Virginia agents,” said Nancy Newmister, regional vice president, Montgomery Insurance. “Delivering on local decision-making by providing the regional support our agents need is just as important as consistently giving them ease of doing business technology to meet our mutual goals.”

In May, Montgomery Insurance was recognized for the second consecutive year by ACORD® for leadership in providing its appointed agents with real-time workflow to quote personal and commercial lines business.

Montgomery Insurance has delivered state-of-the-industry, ease of doing business technology to its appointed agents in Virginia and throughout its Southeast territory, with the introduction of Personal IQ SmartRisk™ and Commercial IQ SmartRisk™, web-based pricing tools that provide agents with fast and consistent quoting and submission of new business with significantly simplified eligibility guidelines.

Montgomery Insurance also added real-time policy inquiry, endorsement quoting, and electronic endorsement submissions to the roster of functions available to its agents for Home, Auto, Umbrella, and Packages through Personal IQ™. In May, the company upgraded Commercial IQ® to provide agents with automated rating for most inland marine coverages, resulting in quicker underwriting decisions and less manual data entry.

About Montgomery Insurance

With underwriting companies dating back to 1848, Montgomery Insurance offers property and casualty products, including a comprehensive set of personal and commercial coverage, distributed only through appointed independent agents. Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Montgomery Insurance employs more than 300 people and operates in Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia with additional offices in Georgia and Maryland. 

Montgomery Insurance is part of Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, a business unit of Liberty Mutual Group, consisting of property and casualty and specialty insurance carriers that distribute their products and services primarily through independent agents and brokers.  Liberty Mutual Group ranks 95 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations based on 2006 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 (Strong) from Standard & Poor’s.

Contact:

Christopher Goetcheus
774-279-5923
Christopher.Goetcheus@montgomery-ins.com