Western Financial Group Selects Applied Systems Epic®

Enterprise Broker Management Platform to Integrate Operations and Support Continued Growth

UNIVERSITY PARK, IL, Nov. 6, 2012 /CNW/ - Western Financial Group, owner of the largest property and casualty distribution network in western Canada, has selected Applied Systems Epic broker management system to integrate its more than 120 Network locations and over 1500 employees located throughout Canada's western provinces, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Epic is the insurance industry's fastest-growing agency and brokerage management system. Its modern, flexible and secure architecture provides agents and brokers with a single scalable platform to automate workflows, mitigate risk, reduce operating expenses and drive sustainable growth and profitability. In less than three years, Epic has been adopted by more than 600 agencies with over 20,000 users.

"Applied Systems Epic was the best choice as an enterprise broker management system for Western," said Scott Tannas, President and CEO of Western Financial Group.  "As we streamline our internal processing and meet the demands of the changing consumer, the Applied Systems solutions aligns very well with our strategy."

"As we look to continue to grow our business, one of our core growth strategies is through mergers and acquisitions," said Tannas "Epic's modern architecture and automated work flows provide the advanced technology required to easily and, most importantly , successfully integrate acquisitions with consolidated financials and unlimited scalability."

"The selection of Applied Systems Epic by Western Financial is further validation of the business benefits and competitive advantages that have established Epic as the insurance industry's fastest-growing agency and brokerage management system," said Applied Systems CEO Reid French. "Based on the significant market demand we are pleased to introduce Epic into the Canadian marketplace with the release of Epic 7."

About Applied Systems

Applied Systems is a leading provider of software that powers the business of insurance. The company is recognized as a pioneer in agency management systems and data exchange between agencies, brokers, carriers and their clients. By automating the insurance lifecycle, Applied Systems software enables millions of people around the world to safeguard and protect what matters most. To learn more, please visit www.AppliedSystems.com.

About Western Financial Group

Western Financial Group is a western Canada based, diversified, financial services company serving more than 600,000 customers. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in High River, Alberta, Western provides insurance, banking and investment products and services through more than 120 office locations, the Internet (www.westernfinancialgroup.ca) and other distribution channels. With a skilled team of approximately 1,500 employees, and backed by the strong resources of its owners, Western is committed to building the strongest financial services company in western Canada.

Western Financial Group is a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada.

SOURCE: Western Financial Group