MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Columbus, OH (6/29/22) - On June 29, Encova Insurance was announced as a winner of the 2022 Aite-Novarica Insurance Technology Awards for their Personal Lines Transformation. With 65 technology project submissions, Encova was one of 12 winners, and one of three winners in the category of core systems: large property/casualty.

“We are honored to receive this award that showcases the technology we have implemented in recent years,” Encova Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer John Kessler said. “The decision to move forward with personal lines and invest in Guidewire’s state-of-the-art technology did not come easy; but it was absolutely the right strategy. We are proud of our cross-functional internal team who implemented this new solution during a pandemic and the outstanding support we received from strategic partners such as PwC and Cognizant to see this through to fruition.”

Encova’s Personal Lines Transformation consolidated six legacy systems to improve the online experience for policyholders and agents, using Guidewire’s InsuranceSuite and Digital Portals to create one system. Encova has implemented this project in 10 states so far, with plans to expand. New business counts in 2021 increased by 144% year-over-year, and straight-through processing for issued new business has risen from 0% to 56%.

“This transformation reinvented who we are in regard to our personal lines offerings and has modernized our capabilities,” Encova Executive Vice President, Personal Lines, Matt Wilcox said. “Our new system provides our agents and policyholders with a best-in-class experience with state-of-the-art digital capabilities. I couldn’t be prouder of how far we have come and the coverages and digital experience we are now able to offer.”

Through this technology, Encova has implemented paperless delivery and automated payments for policyholders, in addition to e-signature and API integration. difficult projects insurer IT organizations can undertake, but they’re often vital for enterprise agility and risk reasons,” Aite-Novarica Group Head of CIO Research Harry Huberty said. “As Encova’s case study demonstrates, these projects can be massive and complex; coordinating missioncritical workstreams across hundreds of resources takes exceptional communication. When they are successful, they can create transformative impact for their organizations.”

The success of this transformation was the result of a detailed strategy and plan, effective collaboration and defined goals amongst the team and partners.

“We congratulate Encova Insurance on being recognized with a 2022 Insurance Technology Impact Award by Aite-Novarica and for their successful personal lines core systems transformation project with Guidewire InsuranceSuite,” Guidewire Software Chief Customer Officer Christina Colby said. “We are impressed with the work they have done and are delighted that they have been recognized with this well-deserved honor.”

Fond du Lac, WI (7/7/22) - Society Insurance recently had its overall financial strength affirmed as A- (Excellent) with Stable Outlook by international rating agency A.M. Best Rating Services.

“It’s gratifying to see our A- (Excellent) rating and Stable Outlook affirmed by A.M. Best, because it speaks to our financial stability and historically profitable operating results,” said Heather Boyer, Society Insurance president. “In partnership with our independent agents, we are focused on serving our policyholders, while also expanding geographically and growing profitably.”

A.M. Best provides ratings that assess the creditworthiness of more than 16,000 insurance companies across the world. An A.M. Best rating is an informed summary opinion of a company’s ability to pay claims, debts and other obligations as they arise.

Society’s A.M. Best rating is effective June 16, 2022. For the latest rating, access www.ambest.com.

Company has placed in the Ward's 50 group of topperforming property and casualty insurers for 2022. The recently released list includes the best industry performers of nearly 3,000 U.S.-domiciled companies. West Bend is recognized for its outstanding financial results in the areas of safety, consistency, and performance over a five-year period (2017-2021). It is the eighth consecutive year the company has been included on this list.

The Ward Group's methodology evaluates key safety and consistency measurements and performance tests. Ward's 50 identifies companies that pass financial stability requirements and measure their ability to grow while maintaining strong capital positions and underwriting results. To be awarded the designation on the 2022 list, insurance companies must pass minimum thresholds of performance.

"Being included again in the Ward's 50 list of top property and casualty insurers in the U.S. is a great honor for us," stated Kevin Steiner, president and CEO. "I extend my thanks to our associates for their outstanding performance and to the independent agents who represent West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, who are why we've achieved this success."

Sheboygan, WI (7/11/22) - Acuity has been named to the 2022 Ward’s 50 list of top-performing property-casualty companies, putting the company in the top 2 percent of insurers nationwide. Acuity has earned a spot on the Ward’s 50 every year since 2000, making the company one of only four insurers, and the only regional carrier, to be named to the list for 23 consecutive years. Ward Group is the leading provider of benchmarking and best practices studies for insurance companies.

“We recognize Acuity for outstanding financial results in the areas of safety, consistency, and performance over a five-year period,” said Jeff Rieder, partner and head of Ward Group. “In selecting the Ward’s 50, we analyze the financial performance of nearly 2,900 property-casualty insurance companies, identifying the 50 companies that pass financial stability requirements and demonstrate the ability to grow while maintaining strong capital positions and underwriting results.”

“Acuity’s continued strength, stability, and consistency are essential to all the families, businesses, agents, and employees who count on us,” said Ben Salzmann, Acuity President and CEO. “We are honored to be recognized by Ward Group for 23 consecutive years as a top performer, which demonstrates our ability to fulfil our promises to customers and grow our business.”

Acuity continues to outperform the industry. Over the past two decades, the insurer’s rate of sales and surplus growth has been more than double that of the industry. The company’s combined ratio, more than 6 points better than the industry average in 2021, has been under 100 for 11 consecutive years, meaning it has generated an underwriting profit in each of those years.

Acuity Insurance, headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, insures over 125,000 businesses, including 300,000 commercial vehicles, and nearly a half million homes and private passenger autos across 30 states. Rated A+ by AM Best and S&P, Acuity employs over 1,500 people.

Cottonwood, MN (7/15/22) - North Star Mutual Named to Ward’s 50® Top Performing Property-Casualty Insurance Companies for the 18th Consecutive Year.

On July 11, 2022, the Ward Group named North Star Mutual to their list of 2022 Ward's 50® Top Performing Property-Casualty Insurance Companies for the eighteenth consecutive year. The Ward Group is the leading provider of operational and compensation benchmarking and best practices services for insurance companies. The Ward Group analyzes the financial performance of nearly 3,000 property-casualty insurance companies across the nation and identifies the top performers in each segment based on objective data and subjective quality measures. Each company on the 2022 list has passed all safety and consistency screens and achieved superior financial performance over a five-year period (2017-2021).

“It is always an honor to be selected for to the Ward’s Top 50.” said President and CEO, Pete Hellie, “It is a special recognition to the efforts of the North Star Mutual staff and the continued great support from our Independent Agents.”

North Star Mutual Insurance Company is a Midwest property-casualty insurance company serving the states of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. The company writes $500 million in premium annually and is rated “A+” Superior for financial stability by A.M. Best.

For more information about the Ward Group and the Ward's 50®, please visit the organization's Website at www. ward.aon.com. For more information on North Star Mutual Insurance Company, visit www.northstarmutual.com.