The Hanover Insurance Group Launches Popular Connections Auto Product in Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Wisconsin

WORCESTER, Mass., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. , a leading super regional property and casualty company, announced today that its popular Connections(TM) Auto product is now available in Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/NEM023LOGO )

Connections Auto, a state-of-the-art, multi-variate auto product with nearly limitless customer segmentation capabilities, has driven private passenger automobile new business growth of more than 150 percent, and is now available in 16 states including Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

"We are pleased to introduce Connections Auto in these four important markets," said Jim Hyatt, president of The Hanover's personal lines business. "Our agent partners have consistently told us that Connections Auto offers the broad market reach, competitive rates and ease of doing business that they need to easily insure their clients. The product's tremendous success speaks to our ability to listen to our agent partners and deliver the quality products and services they need to meet their customers' needs, and to grow their own businesses."

With the availability of Connections Auto in Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, our agents now have access to a sophisticated insurance product that allows them to quote and issue new business for 90 percent of the market.

"Connections Auto presents a great opportunity for Oklahoma residents," said Jimmy Irwin, principal, Insurance Solutions by Irwin Agency, Inc. "Multi-tiered rating engines have proven to be successful in the insurance industry. With that in mind, we believe that this new auto product will be very successful locally. As a total package, Connections Auto combined with The Hanover's strong homeowners and umbrella liability products offers our clients great protection at a competitive price."

Connections Auto is part of The Hanover's personal lines product suite, which offers coverage for all lines of personal insurance including auto, homeowners and umbrella coverage. The Hanover's personal lines product suite is fully supported by strong, local management, a responsive service team and a streamlined, single platform point-of-sale new business application that makes it easy for agents to do business with the company.

About The Hanover

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. , 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 35 property and casualty insurers in the United States.

CONTACTS: Investor Relations Media Relations Sujata Mutalik Amy Lynn Banek smutalik@hanover.com abanek@hanover.com (508) 855-3457 (508) 855-4486