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WORCESTER, Mass., May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG), a leading provider of property and casualty insurance, today announced a partnership with Identity Theft 911, a leader in identity management and data-breach response services.

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The arrangement will enable The Hanover's agent partners to provide their mid-size business customers with value-added protection against data breaches and identity theft at no additional cost.

"We are very pleased to partner with Identity Theft 911 to enable our agent partners to help their customers respond to the growing threat of data breaches," said Jack Roche, president, business insurance group. "This program, combined with our already strong loss control services, will arm policyholders with some of the most innovative tools, helping to significantly reduce their risk of data breaches and identity theft. At the same time, it will offer them the services they need to respond in the event their customer or employee personal information has been compromised."

The Identify Theft 911 offering includes several services that mid-size business customers can use to be proactive about protecting against and mitigating the impact of data breaches, and any subsequent identity theft. These include a 24-hour hotline, which is staffed by experts who can help prepare for and respond to data breaches.

"Data breaches continue to occur in a wide range of organizations that are entrusted with protecting the confidential personal information of their customers, partners and employees – and the effects can be devastating," said Matthew Cullina, chief executive officer of Identity Theft 911. "This innovative data risk management solution from The Hanover can help businesses anticipate and mitigate potential data breaches."

Identity Theft 911 can act fast to help avert a crisis when a data breach occurs.  Its experts will assess the severity and damage of the breach, advise on regulatory and consumer notification, provide crisis management assistance and create action plans for responding quickly and efficiently. Identify Theft 911 can assist with customer-notification letters and, for larger breaches, help design and implement a password-protected Web site to communicate with those who are affected. Services also include conducting computer forensics analysis, information security consulting, incident response damage reviews and digital-evidence preservation.

About Identity Theft 911®

Identity Theft 911®, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., is an industry leader in identity management, providing innovative, enterprise-level fraud solutions and consumer education to Fortune 500 companies, many of America's largest insurance companies and corporate benefit providers, and a wide spectrum of financial institutions, colleges, and universities. More than 12 million households are enrolled in Identity Theft 911's comprehensive identity management programs. For more information, call 480-355-8500 or visit www.identitytheft911.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, Mich., and their affiliates. The Hanover offers a wide range of property and casualty products and services to individuals, families and businesses through an extensive network of independent agents, and has been meeting its obligations to its agent partners and their customers for more than 150 years. Taken as a group, The Hanover ranks among the top 30 property and casualty insurers in the United States.

SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.