FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 2007
MSO BOP AVAILABLE IN NEW YORK

Glen Rock, NJ - MSOŽ, Inc. (The Mutual Service Office, Inc.) has announced that their popular Businessowners program is now available in New York. Highlights of the MSO BOP include a package style, combining property and liability provisions and conditions in one form. The MSO BOP is designed for main street type businesses. MSO will work with companies to customize eligibility requirements to meet a company's marketing and underwriting requirements.

A highlight of the MSO Businessowners is its flexibility. Separate coverage forms are available for Residential and Commercial Condominium Associations, and Landlords. A Named Perils version is also offered, providing named perils coverage on buildings as well as business personal property. This gives companies the option to write business that might not otherwise be eligible. Business Income coverage in the BOP is offered on an Actual Loss Sustained basis. It may also be written with dollar limits, or be deleted entirely.

In the BOP, as in all MSO programs, dollar limits are not hidden in the policy forms. They are listed together on a single page supplement. The BOP's Declarations Supplement is easily customized to meet a company's marketing and underwriting requirements. The Declarations Supplement is also a good marketing tool for agents. Another highlight of the MSO BOP is that MSO's exclusions are pure exclusions. Exceptions to exclusions are shown as supplemental coverages. This helps avoid confusion.

The BOP's streamlined rating structure enables a policy to be rated in minutes. In most states, MSO uses rates, not loss costs. This is especially beneficial for smaller companies. The BOP uses a combined property and liability rate. Coverage enhancements include automatic coverage for Building Code/Law and Building Glass. Another unique feature is the ability to provide "all risk" contents coverage, but exclude theft.

Other MSO programs available in New York include Commercial Auto, House of Worship, Commercial Property and Commercial Liability. Commercial Umbrella is pending in the state.

MSO distributes manuals and forms to member companies on a quarterly CD-ROM, at no extra charge. Companies also have access to manuals and forms on the Internet. The CD-ROM may also be sent to independent adjusters to help with claims handling.

MSO has long been an industry leader, offering programs that are comprehensive and easy to use. MSO's plain language programs save companies money by clearly excluding coverage for claims that were never intended to be paid. Consistency of language between the programs also makes claims handling easier.

MSO programs are sensitive to societal changes, and recent court decisions. For example, MSO programs exclude computer hacking and computer virus losses. In many cases, optional coverage is offered for those insureds who wish to purchase it.

Various MSO programs are available in Delaware, District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Programs will be filed in other states as needed.

MSO is the oldest property/casualty rating service bureau. We have been providing product development and rating services to the insurance industry since 1945. MSO staff is available to assist companies with creating customized rates, rules and forms.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DECEMBER 2006
MSO INTRODUCES VIRUS EXCLUSION

Glen Rock, NJ - MSOŽ, Inc. (The Mutual Service Office, Inc.) recently announced the introduction of specific exclusions for contamination by viruses or other pathological agents, such as anthrax. More recent examples of such contaminants in the news include avian flu and SARS. The potential economic impact of such an outbreak could be devastating. This was seen when a post office building was closed for several years after the discovery of the presence of anthrax. Such business interruption losses were never intended to be covered. The purpose of the virus exclusion is to clarify that these types of losses are not intended to be insured in a standard policy.

MSO was the first bureau to file exclusions to address these potential problems. Filings were made in 2005 and approved in early 2006. The exclusions are currently separate endorsements. The wording will be incorporated into the main policy forms in the next revisions.

While viruses could be argued to be contamination or irritants under the wording of standard pollution exclusions, the new exclusions explicitly refer to any virus or other disease causing pathological agent. In addition to excluding losses caused by actual contamination, the exclusions also apply to governmental requirements that deal with cleaning up, testing for or monitoring for viruses or other pathological agents.

Virus exclusions are available for Personal Lines Property (Homeowners, Mobilehomeowners and Combination Dwelling), and Commercial Lines Property and Liability, including the Businessowners, Garage, Contractors, Farmowners and House of Worship programs, in addition to the monoline Commercial Property and Liability programs and Commercial Multiperil Package. A Commercial Umbrella virus exclusion is also available. MSO will continue to monitor the issue in states that will not currently approve such exclusions.

MSO is the oldest property/casualty rating service bureau. We have been providing product development and rating services to the insurance industry since 1945. MSO staff is available to assist companies with development of policyholder notices to announce this new exclusion, or to address any other policy coverage or wording issues.