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The Citizens and Hanover Insurance Companies Name Michael Christiansen Regional President Experienced executive latest addition to Citizens and Hanover leadership team WORCESTER, Mass., July 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Citizens and Hanover Insurance Companies have named Michael R. Christiansen, CPCU, ARM, as president of its New England Region, effective July 11. Christiansen formerly was a senior executive with Liberty Mutual's independent agent and broker distribution channel and president and chief executive officer of Peerless Insurance Company. In this role, Christiansen will be responsible for the company's personal and commercial lines activities throughout New England, with the exception of the Massachusetts personal lines operation. "We are thrilled to have Mike join our team," said Marita Zuraitis, president of the Citizens and Hanover property and casualty companies. "He is an extraordinarily talented individual who brings to us great passion, tremendous experience and market knowledge, and a track record building successful agent-focused personal and commercial lines organizations both regionally, with Peerless in New England, and nationally, with Liberty Mutual." "In particular, Mike's regional company experience and skills are a great complement to our existing national and regional company capabilities," Zuraitis said. "Over the past year, we have invested a great deal to build a field and home office support team that delivers the best attributes of both national and regional company models. As a result, we provide a broad portfolio of quality products and services, ease-of-doing business solutions, and the local market teams that help our agent partners grow their businesses as we grow ours. Mike adds great strength to our team. With his experience in building regional property and casualty organizations, I am confident he will help us build even more agent-centered business models and programs in both personal and commercial lines, in New England and in collaboration with the presidents of our other regions." "I am very excited to join Citizens and Hanover and to be part of its dynamic, customer-focused leadership team," Christiansen said. "I believe that regional companies with true local decision-making capabilities best serve independent agents and their policyholders. The Citizens and Hanover model is consistent with that theme and is committed to regional excellence." Prior to joining Citizens and Hanover, Christiansen was executive vice president, operations, at Liberty Mutual's Regional Agency Markets business unit, where he was responsible for claims, personal and commercial underwriting, marketing and agency management, information technology, human resources and two specialty areas. Launched in 1997, Liberty's RAM markets personal lines and small to mid-sized commercial lines products in 44 states, exclusively through a network of approximately 5,000 independent agents and brokers, generating revenues of approximately $4 billion. Prior to assuming operations responsibilities at Liberty's RAM in 2003, Christiansen was president and chief executive officer at Peerless Insurance, a Liberty RAM company, with about $900 million in direct written premiums, primarily in the Northeast. He joined Peerless as a regional marketing manager in 1984, and rose through the ranks, serving in a number of underwriting, marketing and management positions. He began his career as a commercial property underwriter with Kemper in 1975. A graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Christiansen earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and completed the Advanced Executive Education Program at The Wharton School of Business. The Citizens and Hanover Insurance Companies are ranked among the 35 largest property and casualty insurers in the country and are members of Allmerica Financial Corporation (NYSE:AFC). Worcester, Massachusetts-based The Hanover Insurance Company, founded in 1852, and Howell, Michigan-based Citizens Insurance Company of America, founded in 1915, offer a range of property and casualty insurance coverages to individuals, families and businesses through a wide network of independent agents. Note to editors: For a photograph of Mike Christiansen, please contact Mike Buckley using the e-mail address or telephone number below. Investors: Media: Sujata Mutalik Michael F. Buckley E-mail: E-mail: 1-508-855-3457 1-508-855-3099 DATASOURCE: Allmerica Financial Corporation CONTACT: Sujata Mutalik, +1-508-855-3457, , or Michael F. Buckley, +1-508-855-3099, , both of Allmerica Financial Corporation

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