Unitrin Increases Quarterly Dividend; Julie M. Howard Joins Unitrin’s Board

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Unitrin, Inc. (NYSE: UTR) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, an increase of $0.02 per share over the prior quarter. The dividend is payable on March 1, 2010 to its shareholders of record as of February 12, 2010.

Unitrin also announced that, effective February 3, 2010, Julie M. Howard, President and Chief Operating Officer of Navigant Consulting, Inc., a Chicago-based specialty consulting firm, has become a member of Unitrin’s Board of Directors. Ms. Howard has also been appointed a member of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees of Unitrin’s Board of Directors. Ms. Howard, 47, is currently responsible for the overall management of Navigant’s operations, including its business consulting, corporate operations, international development and strategic planning. Ms. Howard joined Navigant in 1988 and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.

Unitrin is a diversified insurance holding company, with subsidiaries that provide life, health, auto, homeowners and other insurance products for individuals and small businesses.

Unitrin's principal businesses are:

• Kemper⁽¹⁾, which provides auto, homeowners and other insurance products to individuals through a network of independent agents,
• Unitrin Direct, which markets auto and homeowners insurance to consumers via direct mail, the Internet, employer-sponsored employee benefit programs and other affinity relationships,
• Unitrin Specialty, which provides auto insurance through a network of independent agents and brokers to individuals and small businesses which have had difficulty procuring insurance through traditional channels, usually due to adverse driving records or claim or credit histories, and
• Unitrin's Career Agency Companies, which specialize in the sale of life insurance products to persons of modest incomes through a network of employee agents.

¹ Unitrin uses the registered trademark “Kemper” under license, for personal lines insurance only, from Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, which is not affiliated with Unitrin.

Additional information about Unitrin is available by visiting its website (www.unitrin.com).

Unitrin, Inc.
Frank J. Sodaro, (312) 661-4930
[email protected]

Source: Unitrin, Inc.