FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ILLINOIS AND NORTH DAKOTA CHOOSE STATE BASED SYSTEMS

GRAPEVINE, Texas (Dec. 6, 2008) - The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) announced today that two state departments - the Illinois Division of Insurance within the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the North Dakota Insurance Department - have chosen State Based Systems (SBS) as their regulatory system of choice.

"We believe that technology is the most important tool for improving our ability to rapidly respond to an ever-expanding customer base, while also contending with limited resources," said North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm. "SBS, along with its full integration with key NAIC and NIPR initiatives, allows us to dramatically improve our online toolset, while minimizing our costs."

"Achieving regulatory uniformity with other insurance departments is a key priority for our division," said Illinois Insurance Director Michael McRaith. "SBS offers the unique opportunity to compare our processes and procedures with those of other SBS states simply by implementing the system. The decision to move to SBS illustrates our commitment to participating in uniformity initiatives and streamlining regulatory compliance processes for our producers and insurers."

"We are pleased to add Illinois and North Dakota to the family of SBS states," said NAIC President and Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger. "SBS is a key initiative for state-based insurance regulation. And, as an NAIC product, it is uniquely positioned to continue to grow and improve over time based on its sole focus of meeting the needs of our members."

In addition to Illinois and North Dakota, SBS is the solution of choice in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.

For more information about SBS, visit www.statebasedsystems.com.

About the NAIC

Formed in 1871, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is a voluntary organization of the chief insurance regulatory officials of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. The NAIC has three offices: Executive Office, Washington, D.C.; Central Office, Kansas City, Mo.; and Securities Valuation Office, New York City.

The NAIC serves the needs of consumers and the industry, with an overriding objective of supporting state insurance regulators as they protect consumers and maintain the financial stability of the insurance marketplace. For more information, visit www.naic.org.

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