St. Johns Insurance Co. Opens Doors for Fla. Homeowners

December 19, 2003

Homeowners insurer, St. Johns Insurance Company, announced that it is open for business in the state of Florida.

St Johns, which is rated "A" Excellent by Demotech, is writing voluntary homeowners policies in all counties and offering both a standard and preferred product.

St. Johns Insurance Company, a privately-held insurer, is owned by St. Johns Holding Company. The primary shareholder in the new venture is Braishfield Associates, a managing general agency and program developer with more than a decade of experience in marketing and underwriting homeowners in Florida. South Carolina-based Seibels Bruce, a minority shareholder, will provide claims adjusting and catastrophe services and Web-based policy management systems.

According to James McCahill, CEO of Braishfield Associates and chairman of St Johns, "Our goal is to bring stability to our exceptional and dedicated agents and reinsurers in the highly volatile Florida homeowners market. Their support, along with the hard work and expertise of our strategic business partners, has helped us overcome the considerable challenges of bringing a new voluntary homeowners company to the state. We are committed to building a high-quality insurance company that is a solid, consistent player over time. We have assembled the strong, experienced management team we need to live up to that commitment."

Michael Hoagland has been named president of St. Johns Insurance Company. He has 25 years' experience in the property/casualty business in Florida. Other members of company management include: Reese Bowen, Russel Beck, Scott More, Debra Hendry, Robert Lucas, Edward Falzarano and Michael Culbertson.

St. Johns Insurance Company is headquartered in Orlando at 5950 Hazeltine National Drive. Its products will be available exclusively through agents.

For more information, contact Neil Biscuiti at (407) 856-7779.