FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

CONNECTICUT’S “NUMBER ONE” RANKED AUTO INSURER

Beats Allstate, Progressive, Nationwide, GEICO & The Hartford

Meriden , CT - September 29, 2004 - For the second consecutive year, the Response Insurance Group, which includes Teachers’ Insurance Plan, beat all of the household-name insurers, as measured by the fewest number of complaints against the companies, according to the Connecticut Insurance Department’s recently released rankings. The companies were ranked “number one.”

The ranking placed the companies well ahead of the state’s largest auto insurers, including: Allstate, which has the most policyholders in Connecticut yet ranked number 44 out of 66 insurance companies/groups; Progressive, which ranked number 39; Nationwide (number 48); GEICO (number 41); and The Hartford (51). In fact, the Response companies and Teachers’ beat all of the state’s ten largest insurers.

“For each of the two years we were rated we came in at ‘number one,’ ” stated Stephen Zerio, Connecticut Manager of Teachers’ Insurance Plan. “The educators who are part of Teachers’ Insurance Plan deserve the best, and that’s what we give them.”

The entire Response Insurance Group, including Teachers’ Insurance Plan, was found to have not a single “justified,” or even “questionable,” complaint against it in any of the rated categories, which included claims, policy service, sales, marketing, underwriting, and other potential areas of complaint.

The ranking was in the category of companies that have more than $1,000,000 in automobile earned premium for the year 2003. The list included 66 insurance companies and groups, which combined have more than 350 licensed insurance companies authorized to sell in the state. The complete rankings can be found at the Insurance Department’s web site: www.ct.gov/cid/.