The Hanover Counters Industry Trends, Deploys 60 New Small Commercial Field Underwriters to Local Markets

WORCESTER, Mass., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG), a leading provider of property and casualty insurance products nationwide, today announced that it has further enhanced its small commercial operating model to include even more small commercial field underwriters. As a result, the company has boosted its field team with the deployment of nearly sixty new small commercial underwriters in local markets throughout the country. The company plans to add more field underwriters in 2012.

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The announcement follows the expansion of The Hanover's small commercial capabilities nationwide, including enhancements to its suite of differentiated products, and the launch of a customizable small commercial quote proposal. The new proposal helps its agent partners demonstrate the added value that The Hanover brings to its small business customers. Today, The Hanover offers a broad commercial appetite, robust capabilities, and a unique operating model, making it the better choice for small commercial.

"Small businesses are local businesses and they deserve access to small commercial underwriters that understand the nuances of their local market environment," said Michael Keane, president, small commercial. "While others may have scaled back, we continue to make investments and, as a result, have established strong momentum with our agent partners. By adding even more local underwriters to help our partners capitalize on opportunities in their marketplaces, we are demonstrating our commitment to being the better choice for small commercial."

The most recent group of small commercial field underwriters have been deployed in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Texas and Tennessee, bringing additional local capabilities and relationships to the company's agent partners.

The Hanover's small commercial field underwriters have specialized small commercial expertise as well as the local market knowledge to work with the company's agent partners to offer a total solution for small businesses. Partner agent feedback has been very positive indicating that the new operating model and local underwriters deliver exactly what they want most from an insurance carrier: being responsive, focused on business growth, local relationships, knowing their agency, having strong underwriting expertise and authority to make decisions locally.

In addition to local underwriters, The Hanover's unique small commercial value which includes an innovative business owner's policy (BOP), which offers industry specific coverage options for more than 500 classes of business, and access to unique broadening endorsements that offer efficient and affordable ways for small business owners to extend important coverages and increase limits.

The company also offers an easy to use point-of-sale system that enables its agent partners to qualify, quote and issue BOP, commercial auto, umbrella and workers' compensation policies quickly and efficiently.

Agents interested in more detail should contact one of The Hanover's local branch offices, which can be located through the Agent section of www.hanover.com.

About The Hanover
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG), based in Worcester, Mass., is the holding company for a group of insurers that includes The Hanover Insurance Company, also based in Worcester, Citizens Insurance Company of America, headquartered in Howell, Michigan, and Chaucer Holdings PLC, based in London, and their affiliates. The Hanover offers a wide range of property and casualty products and services to businesses, individuals, and families through a select group of agents and brokers. The company is ranked among the top 25 property and casualty insurers in the United States and has been meeting its obligations to its agent partners and their customers for nearly 160 years. Through Chaucer, the company also underwrites business at Lloyd's of London in several major insurance and reinsurance classes, including property, marine and aviation, energy, U.K. motor and casualty. For more information, please visit www.hanover.com.

SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.