Percent of business in Illinois by line:
Commercial: 75% Personal: 25%

Are you currently appointing new agents? Yes. Central Insurance is primarily looking for agents in the central third of the state. The company appointed two agents in 2002 and would like to do the same this year.

What type of agency is your company looking for? Professional, well established independent agencies seeking long term agency/company relationships.

What are your premium volume requirements? Minimum profit sharing volume requirement is $250,000.

Are you currently doing any niche-marketing program? No.

What is your company's most aggressive line of business? Commercial: light industrial risks, manufacturing risks, wholesalers, artisan contractors. Personal: upscale personal lines that incorporates a packaged concept. Auto- home combinations receive preferred commissions.

Do you use credit scoring? Credit scoring is taken into consideration as a part of our premium calculation formulas. It is used as an underwriting tool on new and renewal policies.

Do you currently download/upload with your agencies? Yes.

What methods do you use to distribute your insurance products? Independent Agents exclusively.

What do you think makes your company different, or stand out from all the rest in Illinois? Why would an agent want to contract with your company? Long term relationships, ease of doing business, high level of automation, above average service standards, knowledgeable, well educated staff.

If we had agents agree to sell homeowners policies with actual cash value endorsements, would you write more business in southern Illinois? Agents agreeing to write ACV homeowners would not be a determining factor relative to our market penetration in any part of Illinois.

What are the major ways in which you are interfacing electronically with your agents today? Through agency management systems and the internet. Personal lines can be done entirely on the internet from start to finish. A policy quote remains in the system 60 days and can be altered during that time. We are satisfied with the results and continuously improve and enhance our automation.

Additional Comments: Central has approximately 25 agents. They are located in the northern two thirds of the state primarily due to service reasons. Central has approximately 25 million in premium volume in Illinois. For further information, the Central Insurance Companies encourages you to visit our website.