Vie to Step Down as Unitrin’s Chairman; Southwell Named Successor

Chicago-based Unitrin Inc. announced that Richard C. Vie will be stepping down as chairman of the board at the end of 2009 and that Donald G. Southwell, Unitrin’s president and chief executive officer, will assume the position of chairman, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

Vie will also be retiring as an employee at year-end, but will continue to be a member of Unitrin’s board of directors. Vie has served Unitrin in a number of capacities since its spinoff from Teledyne Inc. in 1990, including as its chief executive officer from March 1992 until August 2006.

Unitrin provides through its subsidiaries diverse insurance products and services for individuals, families and small businesses. Among the brands in Unitrin’s property and casualty insurance businesses are Kemper and Unitrin Specialty, which sell personal and commercial insurance through networks of independent agents, and Unitrin Direct, which sells automobile and homeowners insurance directly to consumers or through employer-sponsored voluntary benefit programs.

Unitrin uses the registered trademark Kemper under license, for personal lines insurance only, from Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, which is not affiliated with Unitrin.

Source: Unitrin Inc., www.unitrin.com