Percent of business in Illinois by line:
Personal: 100%

Are you currently appointing new agents? Yes. Mercury is looking to appoint new agents throughout the state of Illinois.

What type of agency is your company looking for? Mercury looks to appoint agencies committed to growth and profitability in personal lines. We seek agents dedicated to building a strong, long-term relationship with a top-notch personal lines carrier.

What are your premium volume requirements? We require a first year minimum commitment of at least $100,000 with a three-year requirement of $250,000.

Are you currently doing any niche-marketing program? Mercury's "niche" is Personal Lines. We write a variety of auto programs as well as homeowners and personal umbrella.

What is your company's most aggressive line of business? Mercury has always specialized in Personal Lines Auto with a variety of different programs, including ultra-preferred, preferred, standard and non-standard. We introduced a Homeowners program last year, which has been very well received by our agency force. We also continue to offer a Personal Umbrella policy.

Do you use credit scoring? We currently use credit scoring as an underwriting tool on our auto and homeowners programs.

Do you currently download/upload with your agencies? Mercury utilizes a full upload/download system through our state of the art automation.

What methods do you use to distribute your insurance products? Mercury's only form of distribution is through our own network of independent agents. We are 100% committed to the independent agency system and will not use any other form of distribution.

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? Mercury has a very unique philosophy and way of doing business that sets us apart. Any agency that places a high value on solid front line underwriting, excellent renewal retentions, financial stability and outstanding claims service would make a good candidate for appointment with Mercury. The company is also very committed to growth in IL and is aggressively looking to write new business. We also offer one of the most lucrative compensation packages in the industry with significant financial rewards for consistent profitability.

If we had agents agree to sell homeowners policies with actual cash value endorsements, would you write more business in southern Illinois? We have just entered the central and southern portions of the state, so it is a little early to anticipate our writings in those areas. We are wide open for homeowners business in the entire state.

What are the major ways in which you are interfacing electronically with your agents today? Are you pleased with the results? All Mercury agents utilize our automation system, which provides a full upload to the company. We also download to agency management systems using an AL3 download format, including Applied, AMS & Doris.

Are you planning enhancements to these interfaces in the future? We are working on many new automation advances and are committed to providing our agents with a very user-friendly, fast and reliable system.

Additional Comments: Mercury Insurance has been in business since 1962. They are the largest writer of Automobile insurance in California through the independent agency system. All of the Mercury Insurance Group companies are rated "A+" by the A.M. Best Company and "A++ Superior" by Standard and Poors. Mercury entered the state of Illinois in 1990 and is a full operating company with a local office in Vernon Hills, IL. Mercury prides itself on providing outstanding customer service. The company's claims service is second to none, using their own outside field adjusters so that all claims are handled to the high standards of the company. All underwriting, billing, policy issuance and marketing are performed by local, knowledgeable Mercury employees. The company is currently looking to grow through new agency appointments as well as enhancing the opportunities within the existing agency force. 2002 represents the best year the company has ever achieved in Illinois for both growth and profitability and they are very excited about their future in Illinois.