Esurance Brings Car Repair Monitoring Service to Facebook

SAN FRANCISCO, July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal car insurance company, today announced that its RepairView™ online repair monitoring service is available for consumers using Facebook.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090826/ESURANCELOGO)

Using RepairView, customers who have filed a claim with Esurance and have their car repaired at one of the 1,000+ Esurance-approved E-star repair facilities nationwide can monitor the entire car repair process from any computer or smartphone and share the photos on Facebook Non-Esurance consumers can access RepairView on their desktop computer and enjoy the same Facebook-sharing functionality.

Once a user connects RepairView to a Facebook account, the most recent repair photos post automatically to their Facebook Wall. This exclusive feature provides consumers a unique mechanism for sharing their photos with their social networks. Esurance is the first car insurance company in the industry to integrate this unique technology into Facebook.

For smartphone users, RepairView is available through Esurance Mobile, the free app for iPhone®, Android™ and Windows® Phone 7 devices. Other smartphone users can access RepairView via the Esurance Mobile website

"Online repair monitoring has been a customer favorite since we first started offering it in 2007," said Joe Laurentino, Esurance vice president of material damage. "Integrating RepairView with Facebook helps us provide a more seamless online experience for customers and leverages the power of social media."        

RepairView offers customers a better claims experience. Recent Esurance statistics found that:

• In the first quarter of 2011, consumers that used RepairView rated their claims experience nine points higher than those that did not.
• Consumers who take advantage of the RepairView integration with Facebook have their car repair photos viewed seven times more often than those who don't (1).
• Women aged 35 and over, in particular, find RepairView's Facebook integration particularly useful: the number of female users in the 35+ demographic who used RepairView via Facebook outnumbered male users by eight percent during the first quarter of 2011.

RepairView's web-enabled system exemplifies the "technology" aspect of Esurance's best-of-both-worlds approach to car insurance, which promises: Technology when you want it. People when you don't™. View a demo of RepairView at www.esurance.com/repairview.

About Esurance®

Esurance, a subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: WTM), provides personal auto insurance direct to consumers online and through select agents, including sister company, Answer Financial. Esurance is dedicated to constantly improving the way people shop for, buy, and manage their auto insurance. By combining the best of technology with industry know-how, Esurance is able to offer hassle-free coverage with 24/7 customer service and claims handling at competitive prices.

Through Esurance's website, www.esurance.com, customers can get instant car insurance quotes, view comparison quotes, buy an Esurance policy, and print their insurance cards— all in minutes. Esurance also offers policyholders the ability to make policy changes and file claims instantly online, demonstrating its commitment to improving the entire insurance process from quote to claim.

Answer Financial, also a subsidiary of White Mountains, is one of the largest independent personal lines insurance agencies in the country. Answer Financial offers comparison quotes and provides auto and property insurance from more than a dozen top-rated insurance companies through its website, www.answerfinancial.com, and over the phone. In May 2011, White Mountains announced that it signed a definitive agreement to sell Esurance and Answer Financial to The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL), the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary closing conditions, including review by antitrust authorities and state regulators, and is expected to close in the fall of 2011.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included or referenced in this release which address activities, events or developments which we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The words "will," "believe," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "predict" and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements with respect to White Mountains':

• changes in adjusted book value per share or return on equity;
• business strategy;
• financial and operating targets or plans;
• incurred losses and the adequacy of its loss and loss adjustment expense reserves and related reinsurance;
• projections of revenues, income (or loss), earnings (or loss) per share, dividends, market share or other financial forecasts;
• expansion and growth of our business and operations; and
• future capital expenditures.

These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by White Mountains in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will conform to our expectations and predictions is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including:

• the risks associated with Item 1A of White Mountains' 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K;
• claims arising from catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods or terrorist attacks;
• the continued availability of capital and financing;
• general economic, market or business conditions;
• business opportunities (or lack thereof) that may be presented to it and pursued;
• competitive forces, including the conduct of other property and casualty insurers and reinsurers;
• changes in domestic or foreign laws or regulations, or their interpretation, applicable to White Mountains, its competitors or its clients;
• an economic downturn or other economic conditions adversely affecting its financial position;
• recorded loss reserves subsequently proving to have been inadequate;
• actions taken by ratings agencies from time to time, such as financial strength or credit ratings downgrades or placing ratings on negative watch;
• other factors, most of which are beyond White Mountains' control.

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by White Mountains will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, White Mountains or its business or operations. White Mountains assumes no obligation to publicly update any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

(1) Data as of February 3, 2011

SOURCE Esurance

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