Farmers Insurance Continues Commitment to Oregon, Announces Opening of New ServicePoint Center in Hillsboro

Farmers Insurance Group of Companies announced today it is increasing its innovative approach to customer service excellence by opening a new ServicePoint operations Center in Hillsboro, Oregon. ServicePoint is a call center dedicated to providing second-to-none service and care to Farmers agents and their customers. The Hillsboro Center will be the third ServicePoint operation in the nation. It will be open by mid-year 2008 and will initially house more than 500 Farmers' employees.
A formal press conference to announce the new Hillsboro ServicePoint Center will be held:
• Wednesday, July 25, 2007
• 1:30 p.m.
• At the Hillsboro Civic Center Auditorium, 150 East Main Street, Hillsboro, Oregon 97123.
Oregon State Executive Director Jim Ignozzitto will welcome Farmers home office executives David Travers, Senior Vice President of Service Operations and Lonnie Sproat, Vice President of Service Center Operations. They will be joined at the ceremony by Hillsboro Mayor Tom Hughes; Hillsboro City Council members Ed Dennis and Nenice Andrews; Deanna Palm, President of the Greater Chamber of Commerce and Julie Wilson, Vice President of Member Relations for the Greater Hillsboro Area Chamber.
"We are pleased to see Farmers Insurance Group continue its long-standing commitment to Oregon," said Cory Streisinger, director of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services and Oregon Insurance Commissioner. "The company's decision to open its facility here is a testament to Oregon's business-friendly environment, solid workforce, and exceptional quality of life."
"This is a market-leading approach to customer service and assures our customers world class care," said Jim Ignozzitto. "The Oregon ServicePoint operation will feature top-of-the-line technology in its call-in center. With this move, Farmers is making a clear, solid and large investment in its Oregon customers and showing just how important those customers and the entire State are to the company," he added.
"Farmers Insurance has been an important member of the Hillsboro and greater metro-area business community for many years," noted State Representative David Edwards. "The company's commitment to expand its business in this community sends an encouraging signal that Washington County is business-friendly, offers an exceptional quality of life and has a workforce of hardworking individuals who bring their best to the job everyday."
State Senator Bruce Starr said, "As one who is very interested in the health of the business community in our state and in my district, I am very pleased Farmers Insurance has chosen to locate its new operation in Hillsboro, Oregon. The opportunity for additional job creation related to this move is very exciting for both the city and the county."
"To best meet the needs of this new initiative, Farmers will open the new ServicePoint Center in 2008," explained Lonnie Sproat. "It will include 368 positions from Tigard, Oregon and 180 positions from Pleasanton, California to start. We are looking to grow in Hillsboro and new jobs will be added with that growth. Our ServicePoint Centers are now located in Austin, Texas, Olathe, Kansas, and Hillsboro, Oregon."
Farmers Insurance has been in Oregon since 1932. Today, Farmers is the second largest insurer in the state, insuring more than 475,000 automobiles, 211,000 homes, almost 18,000 small businesses and the lives of more than 51,000 Oregonians.
Farmers has 540 agents, 19 District Managers, and approximately 550 agency staff for a total of 1,109 field force employees in Oregon. Coupled with the 709 Farmers' employees in Oregon, the entire Farmers' workforce exceeds 1,800.
Farmers Group, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services Group, an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Farmers® is the nation's third-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, the insurers comprising the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies provide Homeowners, Auto, Business, Life insurance and financial services to more than 10 million households through 17,000 exclusive agents and district managers. The Farmers Exchanges are three reciprocal property and casualty insurers, including their subsidiaries and affiliates owned by their policyholders and operating mainly under the Farmers brand. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at www.farmers.com.

Contact:
Farmers Insurance Group
Jerry Davies, 213-400-4459
or
Brian Miller, 503-888-7765

Crawford & Company Announces Earnings Conference Call

the world's largest independent provider of claims management solutions to insurance companies and self-insured entities, will issue its earnings release on Monday, July 30, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.



The quarterly conference call, to discuss its quarterly earnings and other developments, will be held on Monday, July 30, 2007, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. This call can be accessed by dialing 1-800-825-7182 (Domestic) or 706-643-3099 (International).
The financial and statistical information for the earnings call will be placed at Crawford & Company's web site at (www.crawfordandcompany.com/quarterlyreleases).
This call is being webcast by Thomson/CCBN and can be accessed at Crawford & Company's web site at (www.crawfordandcompany.com).
The webcast is also being distributed through the Thomson StreetEvents Network. Individual investors can listen to the call at www.earnings.com, Thomson's individual investor portal, powered by StreetEvents. Institutional investors can access the call via Thomson StreetEvents (www.streetevents.com), a password-protected event management site.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Crawford & Company (www.crawfordandcompany.com) is the world's largest independent provider of claims management solutions to insurance companies and self-insured entities, with a global network of more than 700 offices in 63 countries. Major service lines include property and casualty claims management, integrated claims and medical management for workers' compensation, legal settlement administration, including class action and warranty inspections, and risk management information services. The Company's shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbols CRDA and CRDB.

Automobile Insurance

There are two primary reasons for having Mexican automobile insurance when driving in Mexico:U.S. auto insurance is not recognized in Mexico! If your U.S. insurance agent tells you that your U.S. insurance will cover you in Mexico, it is simply a sure sign that the agent is out of touch with the reality of the situation.Under Mexican law the police detain all parties in an accident until guilt has been determined, and some sort of financial settlement reached. This law applies equally to Mexican citizens and foreigners. An insurance policy will demonstrate financial responsibility, even if guilty, and will allow you continue on your way (if possible). Just to protect yourself from the hassle of dealing with the Policia and their jail, it's a good idea to have at least basic liability coverage. (Jail is a common detainment area while accident issues are being resolved.) It's easy to get Mexican vehicle insurance at most border areas. The insurance is rather expensive when purchased on a daily basis (about $5-$8US per day for an auto). There are plans other than the daily ones available at the border - ask about them. I believe that what they do at the border is charge you for the most expensive car on their list, unless you clearly negotiate the appropriate rate.If you will be traveling for two weeks or more, it probably pays to get an annual policy. Request a policy which covers the smallest region within which you'll be traveling.What I do is purchase annual insurance through an agency in Los Angeles. The coverage is good for all of Baja California and the northern states of mainland Mexico. This Mexican insurance is written through: Lewis & Lewis Insurance Agency8929 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 220Beverly Hills, CA 90211(310) 657-1112 (Voice)(800) 966-6830 (Voice)(310) 652-5849 (FAX)Website: http://www.mexicanautoinsurance.com/In May, 2005 the insurance carrier was Qualitas Compania de Seguros. The costs for "Limited Territory Coverage" (states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas) were as follows (all amounts in US dollars):Full Coverage*Value PremiumUnder $5,000 $142$5,001-$9,999 $192$10,000-$14,999 $220$15,000-$19,999 $247$20,000-$24,999 $265$25,000-$29,999 $283$30,000-$35,000 $300Each $5,000over $35,000 $23* Full coverage includes: collision, fire, total theft, glass, liability: $200,000 Combined Single Limit, medical payment: $5/25,000; Legal Service (approximately $74,611 of coverage - defined to be 21,000 days of Mexican minimum salary). There are deductible amounts which apply to the various catagories.MiscellaneousItem PremiumLiability only $106Road service $13Boat liability $115Uninsured motorist $18Business use 20% surchargeExcess liability(increases CSL to $300,000) $48VIP Endorsement 30% of base premium(vandalism, increasedcostof repair, partial theft)They also offer a policy with coverage throughout Mexico, but the cost is considerably higher.Regarding your rights in Mexico following an accident, Hank Morton, the developer of the Bajabound Insurance site (see the link at the bottom of the page), has created some pages on this matter atwww.bajabound.com/guideI find driving in Mexico to not be a problem once I get back into the swing of driving as the Mexicans do:BE ALERT AND SLIGHTLY AGGRESSIVE.Especially, watch for obscure or missing (!) stop signs - the missing ones are spotted by the presence of a matching, and present, stop sign on the diagonal corner (or writing on the street). Don't expect other drivers to come to a complete stop at these stop signs (or even a partial stop!).Here are some links to insurance-related sites. Please note that I can offer no information on the quality of these agencies - you're on your own!. If you come upon websites not mentioned here, please send me some email (ftm @ math.ucr.edu).http://www.bajabound.com/ Bajabound Mexican Insurance: A service which can provide insurance directly over the web - once your application is accepted you are able to print out the insurance certificate on your own printer using either HTML or PDF format. A neat idea, and I'd like to hear from anyone using this service. The insurance underwriter is Seguros Comercial America (the largest insurance company in Mexico), and the company sponsoring this site is International Gateway Insurance in Bonita, California. Reported by Roger Kelley (February 26, 2000):I checked under auto insurance and obtained my vehicle coverage through Bajabound's on-line program. It is straight forward and easy to get the coverage needed. I had one question about obtaining motorhome insurance and a "towed" Jeep. The "towing" coverage does not cover driving the Jeep, and a second insuraqnce policy is required. Hank Morton answered my e-mail question directed to "administrator@bajabound.com" in less than 30 minutes, and was extremely helpful over the subsequent phone call. The insurance was ordered over the web and the Certificate of Insurance printed to my printer. It took less than 10 minutes from start to finish.http://www.mexonline.com/mexpro.htm Mexico Insurance Professionals: Insurance for travelers to Mexicohttp://www.mexicaninsurance.com/ Oscar Padilla - Mexican Insurance Services ( "User-friendly online quotes and printed policy." )http://www.mexonline.com/instant1.htm "Instant" Mexican Insurance Serviceshttp://www.mexicanautoinsurance.com/ Lewis & Lewis - Long-term insurance policies for travel in Mexico (this is the same link given with their address above)http://www.mexicoinsurance.com/ ADA VIS - Global Enterprises, Inc.http://www.bauerwatson.com/ Bauer and Watson Insurance Services (this site is reported to be in the process of adding services for tourists heading south).http://www.amexinsurance.com/ and http://www.insurancextreme.com/ offering online services - quotes and a printed policy are available online.http://www.mexacan.com/ and http://www.drivemex.com/ offering online services for Americans and Canadians - quotes and a printed policy are available online. Mexican insurance for: autos, trucks, airplanes, and RVs.http://www.mexadventure.com/ Adventure Mexican Insurance offers online insurance services for U.S. and Canadian drivers.http://www.mexbound.com/ Online Mexican insurance services.http://www.nancydavisagency.com/ Nancy Davis Insurance AgencyClubs providing insurance coverage to their members (at a lower cost according to their advertising):Club VagabundosDiscover BajaTravelers' ReportsA real horror story from Bill Kitto is linked on the Legal Issues page - click here to go directly to the report.Another experience reported in April '03:I Purchased a Mexican insurance annual policy for my truck and 5th wheel trailer from Vagabundos Del Mar Boat and Travel Club.They quoted me a price for collision and liability with a deductible over the telephone. They took my credit card number and mailed me the policy.I of course had an accident in Mexico. I followed the instructions provided me and called an 800 number. After much difficulty an adjuster was dispatched to examine my damaged 5th wheel trailer. He took pictures, and I filled out a report. He suggested I take the vehicle back to the U.S. for repairs because there were no businesses that specialized in R.V. repairs in that part of Mexico (Guaymas, Sonora).When I returned to San Diego I contacted the broker for the insurance company (Seguros El Potosi S.A.), ADA VIS Global Mexican Insurance Services.They sent me claim forms and I filed a claim that included three estimates. After I filed the claim they informed me that the insurance company would only pay a labor rate of an hour on R.V.'s and an hour for autos on repairs made in the U.S. This was fact not divulged in advance by Vagabundos Del Mar. Labor rates in San Diego for R.V.'s range from to an hour.I complained to E.B. Adair, President of ADA VIS Global. He basically told me I had no recourse, but he was willing to help me out. He gave me the name of a repair facility in Santee, CA. that he said would work at a reduced rate. I talked to the owner of this business and discovered that this was just a scam by ADA VIS Global to further reduce the amount they would have to pay out.This business was not listed in the Yellow Pages under R.V. repair, and it turned out the majority of their work is auto body repair. Also, the owner wanted to see the estimates of the other bidders before he would submit a bid. When I asked the owner about the amount of his work that was R.V. repair, he became defensive and refused to provide an estimate.I asked ADA VIS Global for a copy of the rules they are required to follow when dealing with a claim. They said they would mail me a copy, but I never received it.The claim was filed on February 7th. I was told by ADA VIS Global that the insurance company had 30 days to review and pay the claim. When I last checked on April 11th they said that the insurance company had misplaced my claim.They provided me with the email addresses of several contacts at Seguros El Potosi S.A.:rarredondo.com.mxlariefkohl.com.mxanavarro.com.mxI emailed all three on April 14th. I have yet to receive a response.I also contacted Vagabundos Del Mar on April 7th and asked to speak to one of the company officers (Fred Jones) regarding them not disclosing up front that the labor rates were not disclosed when I purchased the policy. Their office manager's response is they are all traveling and cannot be reached. Supposedly they are all still traveling as of today April 23rd.Anything you can do to warn others traveling to Mexico will be appreciated.These people are running a scam. They know upfront that most of the repairs by people that purchase their policies are performed in the U.S. They also know that most other reputable Mexican insurance companies sell collision that covers the repair performed by U.S. companies at the standard U.S. rates (I checked this out). They are able to sell insurance based on Vagabundos Del Mar supposed reputation at a rate 25% lower than the competition. Most people don't file claims so there is only a minority that finds out they have been mislead.These types of policies were common years ago, but the seller always divulged upfront that the labor rates were different for repairs made in the U.S.Response from the Vagabundos Club (October 27, 2005):Several times he asserts that labor rates were not divulged to him by us. Each policy is accompanied by a sheet entitled Specifications of Risks. In Section 1 a) Collision, Upset and Glass Breakage; it is stated, "The cost of repairs, both for labor and replacement parts shall be settled in accordance with the current costs in the Mexican Republic."[He] states, "These people are running a scam." In a letter dated May 27, 2003, Ada Vis Global President E.B. Adair stated, " In a nut shell, when we discovered [he] had his vehicle repaired and he paid for these repairs out of his pocket the claim took on a new life. He became quite upset when we wouldn't insist that the Mexican insurance company pay him off of now invalid estimates. In addition, we discovered that he had dual insurance with Progressive and we told him to present a claim to them. We informed him that if they pay for his repairs Progressive could subrogate against the Mexican company. This is a standard procedure within the insurance industry, in and out of the United States. We also informed him before the Mexican insurance company would consider any payment on his claim, we needed a letter from Progressive declining any acceptance of the claim."In addition, we informed [him] that receiving double payment from two insurance companies for the same claim is a felony regardless of the country and even though it's a Mexican company they would file criminal charges."