Kingstone Insurance Company Joins Trusted Choice

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 20 -- Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America issued the following news release:

Kingstone Insurance Company is the newest member of the Trusted Choice(R) consumer branding program for independent insurance agents and brokers. Kingstone Insurance Company, headquartered in Kingston, New York, has joined 71 other leading companies nationwide as a Trusted Choice(R) company partner.

"Trusted Choice(R) is excited to welcome Kingstone Insurance Company as a company partner," said Dave Evans, Trusted Choice(R) executive director. "For more than 131 years, Kingstone Insurance has partnered exclusively with independent insurance agents to protect and provide personalized service to their policyholders. By joining forces with Trusted Choice(R), the Kingstone Insurance Company team is further demonstrating its commitment to the independent agent community and serving the needs of agents and the insurance customers they serve."

Kingstone Insurance Company traces its history to 1886 when the Co-Operative Fire Insurance Company of Catskill, New York, was organized. Co-Operative Fire Insurance Company was the first advance premium company in the State of New York. In 1976, the Company name was changed to Commercial Mutual Insurance Company to be more descriptive of the Company's operations as they were at that time. In July 2009, the Company converted to a stock property and casualty insurance company and changed its name to Kingstone Insurance Company.

"We are pleased to have been approved to be a part of the Trusted Choice program," said Barry Goldstein, Kingstone chairman and CEO. "Kingstone distributes its insurance products exclusively through independent agents, never direct to consumers. It is with education, training, and experience the agent can best advise and guide the consumer."

Trusted Choice(R) was launched by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big "I") and several independent agency companies to highlight the benefits independent agencies and brokerage firms offer consumers--choice of companies, customization of policies and advocacy support. It is the premier consumer brand for independent insurance agents and provides national advertising and other strategic tools to reach consumers.

Trusted Choice(R) educates consumers about the benefits of using independent agents and brokers for their insurance needs: choice of companies, customized policies and advocacy support. Trusted Choice(R) is the consumer marketing identity for more than 26,000 independent insurance agencies and brokerage firms and 71 leading insurance companies. For more information, go to www.TrustedChoice.com.

Founded in 1896, the Big "I" is the nation's oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of approximately a quarter of a million agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance--property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.