The Hanover Expands Small Commercial Capabilities in Seven States Adding Access to Business Owners Policy and Point-of-Sale

WORCESTER, Mass., April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG), a leading provider of property and casualty insurance products nationwide, today announced that it will further expand its small commercial capabilities in six West region states, including Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington, and in the District of Colombia.

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As part of its commitment to being the best partner for winning independent agents, The Hanover will now be offering its total portfolio of differentiated small commercial products by making its business owner's policy (BOP) available in these states through a team of talented local professionals. The Hanover's BOP offers industry-leading coverage for over 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.

"We have established significant positive momentum in the West and in the Washington DC area since expanding to these markets with middle market and specialty commercial products," said Marita Zuraitis, president of The Hanover's property and casualty companies. "By bringing our small commercial capabilities to these states, we are demonstrating our strong commitment to offering a broad and complete product set for our partner agents in all markets where we do business."

At the same time, the company will expand its "point-of-sale" system to these seven states and Washington DC, enabling its agent partners to qualify, quote and issue BOP, commercial auto, umbrella and workers' compensation policies quickly and efficiently. Together, theses enhancements ensure that the company's agent partners have access to a total account solution for small businesses.

"Based on the tremendous response we have had to our small commercial capabilities in other states, we continue to accelerate our commitment to a national footprint for our agent partners," said Michael Keane, president of small commercial at The Hanover. "With this in mind, we are pleased to add BOP and POS in these states, supported by local sales staff, knowledgeable underwriters, and a dedication to quality service."

The BOP product also includes industry specific coverage for small technology businesses, an increasingly important market. With an appetite for more than 35 new classes of business within the information technology services, electronics manufacturers and telecommunication services sectors, the comprehensive solution also offers coverage for property, liability, errors & omissions, workers' compensation, commercial automobile, umbrella, marine, crime and directors & officers.

The BOP introduction complements The Hanover's already strong middle market capabilities in these areas. The local teams support a full suite of middle market, niche, professional liability, management liability and specialty products.

"The Hanover model of being a national company with a strong local market presence mirrors our own model, and we are excited to work with The Hanover on many of our multi-location accounts for BOP and workers comp," said T. Scott Kennedy, CRM & CIC, President of Cheery Creek Insurance in Denver. "As a partner of The Hanover for middle market and specialty niches such as private schools, The Hanover gives us a competitive edge by appointing only a limited number of agents. At the same time, in addition to having longstanding relationships with the company's local team, we appreciate the fact that if we need access to expertise, management or underwriting authority anywhere in the country, The Hanover will be there."

Agents interested in more detail should contact one of The Hanover's local branch offices or visit the Agent section of the company's web site at 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 their affiliates.

The Hanover offers a wide range of property and casualty products and services to individuals, families and businesses through a select group of independent agents. 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. The Hanover maintains excellent ratings from A.M. Best, Standard & Poor's and Moody's. For more information, please visit www.hanover.com.

SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.