Counties Receive $1.5 Million in Dividends from Member-Owned Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation 
Taxpayers to Benefit from Strong County; Company Partnership

Taxpayers are once again the winners this year as the 55 member counties of the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation (County Mutual) will receive dividends from the insurer totaling $1.5 million for 2004.

"The return of these taxpayer dollars is a testament to the strong partnership between our member counties and the County Mutual and it is this collaboration which lies at the foundation of the success of this company," said Jon H. Hochkammer, Director of Insurance Operations for the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA), the corporate manager of the County Mutual. "The ongoing distribution of dividends can be directly attributed to our strong risk-prevention philosophy and proactive claims management. We are pleased to once again give back to our 55 member counties."

Three-quarters of the 72 counties in the state are covered by the County Mutual, which carries an A.M. Best rating of A- and is administered by Aegis Corporation of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Of the 55 member counties, all 55 will receive dividend checks in 2004. Three county programs also received dividend checks.

"These dividends are the end result of our members’ commitment to the claims philosophy of the County Mutual and effective risk management efforts by individual counties," said Robert Wurtz, President of Aegis Corporation. "We are able to return a portion of member counties insurance premiums that were not needed because of this dedication and are pleased to again realize a positive underwriting position."

In addition to providing comprehensive liability insurance, the County Mutual offers a wide array of services to member counties. Some of these services include loss control incentive programs, video loss prevention services, safety newsletters, safety training seminars and new this year, online safety training.

"Among other insurance companies in this market, the County Mutual stands clearly above the competition because of our tenacious dedication to loss control and effective risk management," said John Dirkse, Executive Vice President of Aegis Corporation. "Our staff makes over 500 on-site visits a year to educate our counties on critical safety issues and because we put safety first and foremost, we have ultimately been able to save taxpayer dollars and make substantial market impacts."

The Wisconsin Counties Association, along with county officials from around the state, created the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation in 1987 to provide quality liability insurance substantially at cost to its members. The County Mutual is a unique non-profit insurance company because it is member owned and is able to pay dividends to counties in low loss years.