Allstate Agents Group Sees Growth in Membership Following Union Affiliation

<table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tr><td align=right>Copyright: </td><td>(c) 2011 A.M. Best Company, Inc.</td></tr><tr><td align=right>Source: </td><td>A.M. Best Company, Inc.</td></tr><tr><td align=right>Wordcount: </td><td>339</td></tr></table><!-- start_body --><br><p><org>The National Association of Professional Allstate Agents</org> has seen an uptick in membership since the nonprofit group recently agreed to affiliate with a union.</p><p>Since its members overwhelmingly voted to affiliate with the <org>Office and Professional Employees International Union</org> (Best's News Service, <chron>Aug. 17, 2011</chron>), NAPAA has received about 200 membership applications, Executive Director <person>Jim Fish</person> said.</p><p>The affiliation with the union has "given us a more positive track to run on trying to help the agents," Fish said, who has previously said the morale among agents is at "rock bottom."</p><p>He noted that <org value="NYSE:ALL" idsrc="xmltag.org">Allstate</org> has delayed by one year plans to revamp its commission structure.</p><p>"While it's not a victory, it's a step in the right direction," Fish said. During the investors' day presentation in June, <org value="NYSE:ALL" idsrc="xmltag.org">Allstate</org> announced it is changing its compensation to agents, with variable compensation, which is tied to performance benchmarks, increasing to 25% from the current 10%. It also said it was increasing the average size of agencies to improve performance.</p><p>Fish expects additional new members when his group's quarterly magazine, ExclusiveFocus, hits the mailboxes of all <org value="NYSE:ALL" idsrc="xmltag.org">Allstate</org> agents in October. Dues to join NAPAA are <money>$350</money> a year. Benefits include assistance paying errors-and-omissions deductibles, continuing education, identify-theft protection and scholarships. Fish has said that 10% to 12% of the <org value="NYSE:ALL" idsrc="xmltag.org">Allstate</org> agency force are members of NAPAA.</p><p><org value="NYSE:ALL" idsrc="xmltag.org">Allstate</org> Chairman, President and Chief Executive <person>Thomas J. Wilson</person> has said the company's agency force is highly supportive of its strategy (Best's News Service, <chron>Aug. 1, 2011</chron>).</p><p>The <org>Office and Professional Employees International Union</org>, a member of the <org>AFL-CIO</org>, represents more than 125,000 employees and independent contractors in fields including banking, higher education, transportation and shipping, medical services and other fields.</p><p>In midday trading on <chron>Sept. 19</chron>, shares of <org value="NYSE:ALL" idsrc="xmltag.org">Allstate</org> (NYSE: ALL) were changing hands at <money>$24.29</money>, down 2.59% from the previous close.</p><p><org>The Allstate Insurance Group</org>, the largest publicly traded U.S. property/casualty writer based on 2010 net premiums written, has a current Best's Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior).</p><p>(By <person>Diana Rosenberg</person>, senior associate editor, BestWeek)</p>