Inside Cincinnati

Since our last Letter to Shareholders, these associates merited promotions:


Andy Agerton, AIC – Senior Claims Representative
Lori Bagoly – Underwriting Superintendent
Rich Balestra, CFA – Portfolio Manager
Erin Barlow, API – Underwriting Specialist
Cary Barrow, AFSB – Senior Underwriting Specialist
Vanessa Barry – Senior Claims Specialist
Scott Beckman – Underwriting Specialist
Kevin Beykirch – Regional Director
Marle Billman – Associate Superintendent, Casualty Claims
Chris Boydston, AIC – Senior Claims Representative
Bradley Boyett – Underwriting Superintendent
Sheri Bugher, AIC – Associate Superintendent, Casualty Claims
Sandy Burden, CISA – Group Manager, I.T. Portfolio Management/Architecture
Kristie Bushman – Underwriting Superintendent
Bill Chandler, AIM – Assistant Territory Manager
Dawn Chapel, CPCU, APA, ARe, AU – Chief Underwriting Specialist
Sarah Chiasson – Underwriting Superintendent
Jennifer Conklin, AIM, AIS – Underwriting Specialist
David Conlon, AIC – Senior Claims Representative
Thomas Dameron – Chief Underwriting Specialist
Gregory DePew, CFA – Portfolio Manager
Chris Draper, CPCU, AU – Underwriting Superintendent
James Ducar – Senior Claims Examiner
Rocky Edwards – Senior Claims Specialist
David Ellis, AIC – Claims Specialist
Angie Engelke – Chief Underwriting Specialist
Kyle Fader, AIC – Senior Claims Representative
Carol Fuller – Senior Claims Examiner
Todd Gagnon, API – Underwriting Specialist
Matt Gardner, AIC, AIM – Senior Claims Representative
Thomas Goodwin, AAI, AIM, AIS, ASLI, AU – Underwriting Specialist
Ryan Gustafson, AIC – Claims Specialist
Jenny Harvey – Systems Analyst
Christopher Heldman – Senior Analyst
Rusty Hymer – Chief Underwriting Specialist
Nicole Ippolito, AIC – Claims Specialist
John James, AIC, SCLA – Field Claims Superintendent
Phil Jankowski, CPCU – Senior Claims Representative
Scott Jeschke, AIC – Claims Specialist
Craig Johnson – Superintendent, Casualty Claims
Nolan Joseph – Claims Specialist
Adam Kadish – Programmer
Kathy Kerr, AIC – Senior Claims Representative
Keith Klatt, AIC – Claims Specialist
Gregory Knifley, CPCU – Underwriting Specialist
Joy Knifley – Underwriting Specialist
Mary Kretchmer, AIC – Field Claims Superintendent
Michael Kuhl, AIS – Senior Analyst
Art Leatham – Senior Machinery & Equipment Specialist
Laura Lewis, CPCU, AIM, AIS, API, ARe – Underwriting Specialist
Lynn Lilly – Manager, Payroll

Donnie Lowery – Associate Superintendent, Surveillance
Robert Lozo, AIC – Senior Claims Specialist
John Luebke, CPCU, AIC, AIM, SCLA – Field Claims Manager
Ernie Macke, PMP – Senior Project Manager
Dan Mays, CPCU, AIC, AIM, ARM, CIC, CRM – Senior Loss Control Consultant
Bill McCullough – Chief Underwriting Specialist
Michael McGuire, CPCU – Senior Underwriting Specialist
Dana McKenzie, AIC – Senior Claims Representative
Steve Mikesell – Senior Underwriter
Paul Miller, CPCU, AIM, APA, API, AU – Underwriting Superintendent
Tracy Miller, CPCU, CPIW, AIC – Senior Claims Specialist
Julie Montgomery – Senior Claims Representative
David Morel – P&C Senior Actuarial Analyst
Suzi Morgan – Manager, Machinery & Equipment Support
Laura Nickol – Underwriting Director, Field
Shawn Niehaus, CPCU, AIM, ARe – Underwriting Specialist
Doug Nordhausen – System Engineer
Jeffrey O'Leary, AIC – Claims Specialist
Nick Orgill – Claims Specialist
Roxanna Otto, AIS – Underwriting Superintendent
Heather Paul, CPCU – Underwriting Superintendent
Nathan Perry II, API – Underwriting Specialist
Joseph Pierro, AU – Underwriting Specialist
Wayne Pinney – Machinery & Equipment Field Manager
Sandy Pohlman, CPCU, ARC – Regulatory Specialist
Toni Postell – Supervisor, Workers' Compensation Claims
Bob Rook, AU – Chief Underwriting Specialist
Duane Russell – Claims Specialist
Christina Scherpenberg – Senior Accountant
Andrew Schnell – Manager, Corporate Accounting
Jeff Shive, CPCU, AIM, AIC – Field Claims Manager
Laura Siebert, API – Underwriting Superintendent
Jill Slater – Programmer Analyst
Mike Slusser – Senior Claims Representative
Sue Smith – Senior Systems Analyst
Paul Snyder, AIS – Underwriting Specialist
Jeff Spangler, CPCU, CSP – Loss Control Field Director
Melissa Stegmaier, AIC, AIS, SCLA – Senior Claims Representative
Katie Stickel – Claims Specialist
Cathy Story, CPCU, APA – Senior Auditor
Tim Tiernan – Senior Business Analyst
Donna Vanover – Diamond Systems Specialist
Ernie Wang – Programmer
Shannon Ward – Diamond Systems Specialist
Jennifer Whitmer, AIS – Senior Personnel Specialist
Suzanne Wilkerson – Specialist, I.T. Administration
Steve Wilsbacher, AIC – Senior Claims Specialist
Michael Wood, CPCU, CPA, CIA, AIAF – Manager, Accounting & Agency Services
Dawn Woodrick, CPCU – Underwriting Superintendent
Kip Zepf – Senior Programmer


Professional Development
Agents of Cincinnati Insurance have a new tool to develop educational plans for their staff. Modeled after popular GPS navigation devices, the Agency Development Roadmap helps agencies plan a route to success for each member of their agency team. The roadmap includes checklists to customize training in areas such as personal effectiveness skills, desktop computing efficiency, general insurance or specific knowledge of commercial and personal lines products.

On December 1, 2008, our Education & Training department is changing its name to Learning & Development. Our new name better reflects our philosophy - continuing education works best when the learner values and initiates it. Whether our associates or agents want to conquer a new subject or add deeper layers of understanding to a professional topic they are familiar with, the Learning & Development department is committed to delivering the tools they need.

We encourage and reward associates who continue their professional insurance education, earning credentials by meeting high academic, ethical and length-of-experience standards. Congratulations to the following associates who completed a series of courses to earn a designation; Jeff Poe, Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU); Sandy Burden, Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA); Luana Dillingham, Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI); Steve Dunn, Michelle Gregov, Kevin Gullette and Michael Leininger, Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC); Deborah Naegele, Certified Life Underwriter (CLU); and Nieata Bailey, Mona Helton and Sherry Meyer, Certified Professional Insurance Women (CPIW).

The ABC Award recognizes exemplary productivity, service and quality in exceptional associates. The ABC Award committee recently granted the quarterly Above and Beyond the Call (ABC) award to Shawn Niehaus, CPCU, AIM, ARe, Underwriting Specialist, and Darin Riley, Policy Service Specialist. Congratulations to these quarterly winners! At the Queen City Club on October 29, Robert Meyer, Systems Engineer, was named ABC of The Year. This honor is awarded annually to just one of the quarterly winners. Bob's ingenuity was key to identifying and resolving a problem with a recent software upgrade. He worked extended hours to make the necessary repairs while maintaining system availability. Bob is a consistent performer whose dedication to his job, teammates and customers earn the respect of those around him.

Financial Services
The company's three financial services subsidiaries continue to support our insurance relationships and broaden our offerings. As of September 30, 2008, CFC Investment Company, which offers equipment and vehicle leases and loans, reported 2,253 accounts representing $74 million in net receivables. CinFin Capital Management Company, which offers asset management services, reported $858 million under management in 52 accounts. During the first nine months of 2008, The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company and our wholly owned brokerage, CSU Producer Resources Inc., have begun marketing excess and surplus lines insurance in 23 states, remaining on track to have these products available in 33 active states before year-end. Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters has added the property line of business in five states and will continue to introduce new lines of business throughout the remainder of the year, including miscellaneous professional and excess casualty. Availability of CSU's new offerings has enhanced your company's ability to write new standard market property casualty business, as we work with agents to round out accounts that require both admitted and nonadmitted market solutions.

Public Responsibility
The effectiveness of state-based insurance regulation is again the subject of debate after the federal assistance recently extended to parts of the financial services sector, including some organizations with insurance operations. Advocates for federal regulation of insurance suggest that federal oversight of the insurance industry could have avoided the need for this assistance. Representatives of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners recently testified in Congress that state insurance regulators had no jurisdiction over any of the financial services companies that recently reached the brink of failure. Further, they stated that none of the pending optional federal charter proposals would give that jurisdiction to proposed federal insurance regulators. NAIC representatives also testified that the state-regulated insurance industry continues to face more stringent investment restrictions and capital-to-surplus requirements than the federally-regulated financial services sector.

Policyholder risks and coverage needs vary because of diverse geographic, climatic and economic conditions. We continue to believe that state regulators are in the best position to respond with regulations and insurance products that consider that diversity.



This report contains forward-looking statements that involve potential risks and uncertainties. For factors that could cause results to differ materially from those discussed, please see the most recent edition of our safe harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. To view or print the edition in effect as of this report's initial publication date, please view this document as a printable PDF.