Move reflects exclusive focus on property and casualty business
WORCESTER, Mass., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Allmerica Financial
Corporation (NYSE: AFC) today announced that, effective December 1st, it will
change its name to "The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc." and that its stock will
trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock ticker symbol "THG."
(Logo http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/NEM023LOGO )
"Over the past two years, we have created a very distinctive, super-
regional property and casualty company; one that provides our agent partners
and their customers with the product and service capabilities of a larger
company and the energy and responsiveness of a smaller company," said
Frederick H. Eppinger, Allmerica's president and chief executive officer.
"With that foundation now firmly in place, it is time to re-introduce our
company to our agents and customers, reinforcing our commitments to them and
building a brand that reflects our strength and experience."
Allmerica is a holding company for a group of insurance companies
including The Hanover Insurance Company, headquartered in Worcester, Mass.,
and Citizens Insurance Company of America, based in Howell, Mich. The new
holding company name is taken from the largest and oldest company in the
group, Hanover Insurance, which has been partnering with independent insurance
agents to meet their customers' insurance needs for more than 150 years.
In conjunction with its name change, the company also will adopt a new
corporate logo and tagline. The logo consists of the company name in type,
along with a stylized eagle borrowed and refined from Allmerica's current
identity. The new tagline -- Our Policy is Performance -- summarizes the
company's brand promise to its agent partners and customers.
While the name change will be formally effective on December 1, the
company will begin a broad re-branding campaign immediately, reinforcing the
new name, logo and tagline with the company's key constituents, including
agents, investors and stock analysts, customers, employees and the communities
where it has a significant presence.
The company will use The Hanover Insurance Group as its primary identity
in all of its markets except Michigan, where Citizens Insurance Company of
America is a leading insurance provider and the company benefits from very
strong brand recognition. In Michigan, the company will continue to lead with
the Citizens name, and will identify Citizens as a company of The Hanover
Insurance Group.
About Allmerica
Allmerica Financial Corporation is a stock holding company headquartered
in Worcester, Mass. The lead companies in the group, Hanover Insurance,
founded in 1852, and Citizens Insurance, founded in 1915, market personal and
commercial property and casualty insurance to individuals, families and
businesses, primarily in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest. Taken together,
Hanover and Citizens rank among the top 35 of the more than 950 property and
casualty companies in the country.
About The Hanover Insurance Group
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG) (The Hanover) is the stock
holding company for a group of insurance companies and is headquartered in
Worcester, Massachusetts. The Hanover's two lead property and casualty
companies include The Hanover Insurance Company, founded in New York in 1852,
and Citizens Insurance Company of America, founded in Michigan in 1915.
The Hanover companies offer a wide range of property and casualty products
and services to individuals, families and businesses through an extensive
network of independent agents. Taken as a group, The Hanover ranks among the
top 35 of over 950 property and casualty insurers in the United States. The
Hanover has been meeting its obligations to policyholders and agents for more
than 150 years.
CONTACTS:
Investors: Sujata Mutalik
E-mail: smutalik@allmerica.com
1-508-855-3457
Media: Michael F. Buckley
E-mail: mibuckley@allmerica.com
1-508-855-3099
SOURCE Allmerica Financial Corporation
-0- 10/31/2005
/CONTACT: Investors: Sujata Mutalik, +1-508-855-3457,
mutalik@allmerica.com, or Media: Michael F. Buckley, +1-508-855-3099,
ibuckley@allmerica.com, both of Allmerica Financial Corporation /
/Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/NEM023LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com/
(AFC)
CO: Allmerica Financial Corporation; The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.;
Citizens Insurance Company of America
ST: Massachusetts, Michigan
IN: FIN INS
SU:
CP-DL
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2089 10/31/200509:00 ESThttp://www.prnewswire.com