CIG entered 2022 with high expectations and an overarching goal to come together. With the world opening, this became our theme as we strived for more time together as colleagues and with our agents — and we accomplished this goal with flying colors.
This year, we excitedly held our Agency Roadshow and Agency Council meetings in person. We took a different approach by bringing agents to Reno so we could collaborate as a group. This enabled us to deliver our go-forward message and permitted more staff to attend the event to interact and share the great things occurring at CIG. Connecting staff with agency personnel was incredibly rewarding. This is where CIG rises above our competition: proactively building partnerships that bring maximum value to agencies.
Equally as important was our ability to bring CIG staff together. By deploying a hybrid working model, we created opportunities for creative and social interaction. Whenever people came together, energy levels rose significantly. Insurance is a people business. Through both our partnerships with agents and the relationships between CIG’s many departments, people make the business successful and fun.
Coming together was just one of many successes for 2022. A gratifying achievement was CIG’s continued recognition as a Great Place to Work®. Our engagement score saw an overall nine-point improvement with increases across all focus areas, illustrating our progress as an employer of choice among insurance professionals. Our internship program and newly introduced Eaglets curriculum for Claims trainees have grown. These initiatives are designed to promote CIG as a company where one can begin and build a long-term career. CIG’s engagement, alignment, and productivity have never been higher, which will manifest in greater value to agencies and their staff.
I cannot mention our successes without referencing our financial results. Within the report you’ll find details from our Chief Financial Officer, Rob Zic, but there are two key items to share here. CIG turned in another favorable combined ratio at 96.7% and grew by 11.3%. Profitable growth will be the foundation for achieving our long-term goals.
Our many successes are due to the contributions from our amazing agency partners. Over the course of 2022, we undertook and implemented many initiatives designed to fulfill agency expectations. Within this annual report, you will hear from the leaders who continue to bring advancements that strengthen our partnerships.
Finally, we ended the year with some great news from AM Best. Having our A rating affirmed is a testament to our hard work, outstanding accomplishments, and incredible support from Auto-Owners. This is yet another illustration of how CIG is in a great position to be agencies’ most valued partner for the long term.
On April 4, 2023, we will be celebrating our 125th year of protecting families, farms, and businesses on the West Coast. April 5 will be the beginning of the next 125 years, with the introduction of our 10-year strategic goal. Complete with an incredible team of employees and amazing agency partners, I am convinced we will see a safer world where dreams soar.
May you all have a wonderful 2023!
Andrew J. Doll President & CEO
We asked our senior leadership team what partnership means to them. Read their reflections here and throughout the pages of this year’s annual report.
Andrew J. Doll, FCAS President & Chief Executive Officer
“Partnership is something much greater than a relationship. Partners work together for mutually beneficial results, in fact, for shared outcomes. I compare the relationships with friends in my youth to the partnership I’ve shared with my wife for over 30 years. We have raised six children, bought multiple homes, and experienced the loss of many loved ones over this time. We have been in this together, supporting each other as partners while weathering difficult times and celebrating good times. I can just as easily insert CIG’s agencies into this definition of partnership, which is something that gives me great pride.”
Michael Ackerman, CPCU, CLU Vice President & Chief Information Officer
“Commitment, trust, hard work, and communication. It takes all four working in harmony for a partnership to work. If one or more of these elements is not present, then the partnership will not reach its full potential. At CIG, we are dedicated to making our partnership even stronger in everything we do.”
“At CIG, we closely scrutinize potential partners, be they vendors, employees, or independent agents. This is because it is better to work alone than in a bad relationship. When we commit, we do so with all our heart and soul, for it is strong, long-term partnerships that access the transformative nature of free enterprise.”
Daniel Moskala, FCAS, CPCU Assistant Vice President & Chief Actuary
“A partner is someone you can depend on being there when you need them. In good times and bad, having someone to rely on can make all the difference. At CIG, our partners have helped us overcome some of the greatest challenges we’ve faced as a company. As we look to the future, I’m excited about all the possibilities that we can achieve together.”
Shan Muthukumarasamy Assistant Vice President, Information Technology
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When John F. Kennedy created a shared mission in 1961 of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade, only 15% of the technology had been created. Yet, this vision led to numerous acts of daring and courage through partnership. This same drive and commitment to partnership can bring employees from across regions and from different business units, functions, cultures, and nations to form one community working towards the mission of CIG.”
As the head coach of the New England Patriots, Belichick made history by bringing the team to the Superbowl nine times and winning six.
(dollars in thousands)
Robert Zic Assistant Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer“Capitalizing on our partnerships, we have been able to utilize the strengths and expertise from multiple departments within CIG to develop solutions to complex challenges. By working together, we move towards a common goal of data integrity, ensuring confidence in our Finance team’s communications with both our internal and external partners.”
Going into 2022, we planned to grow on the successes of the previous year. To do so, we added a new Director of Agribusiness Underwriting, Dustin Lewis, and regional underwriting leadership in our Farm & Ag segments. These new partners will help us expand our classes of business and continue to update our Farm & Ag forms. In Commercial Lines, we saw nearly $50,000,000 in new business written in 2022. This number surpassed all expectations and is by far the largest amount of new business written by CIG in the last decade or more. We hope our agency partners see these numbers as a testament that CIG is a premier commercial property insurer on the West Coast.
19.1%
13.4% growth in written premium in Ag Lines
92.3% premium retention ratio achieved in Ag Lines
We look forward to building upon last year’s success in the coming years. Commercial Lines is on its way to becoming CIG’s flagship product line, and with your partnership we hope to continue driving positive growth.
“I want to compliment you guys on how exceptional the people at CIG are. It’s a pleasure to work with you and my hope is a long and continued relationship. Thank you so much for all that you do for our business!”
Goldman Property Group“ Thank you for your help. The process and communication with the agent and all involved made everything very easy, which helped me be less stressed.”
– Lighthouse Farms, LLC Kevin Okelberry Vice President & Chief Underwriting Officer“I realized early on in my insurance career that our needs must be aligned with our customers’ and business partners’ needs. In partnership with both our independent agents and CIG’s staff, this alignment is what creates success. We are able to accomplish more together than on our own.”
These golf legends teamed up to win the Canada Cup, now called the World Cup, four times in the span of five years. Nicklaus stated their success came from focusing on playing as a team rather than as individuals.
“ What a great opportunity to meet the movers and shakers of CIG. I am very impressed with the company culture. I think CIG, being a regional carrier, should be smaller and nimbler. You and your team can dream and implement within days. The big boys will take months to plan and analyze.”
– Randy Taylor, Basin Pacific“ Thanks for including me in the CIG Roadshow. It was a really nice event, and it is always good to hear how well CIG is performing and how we can help you meet your company goals. CIG is a great partner of our agency, and we appreciate this partnership..”
– Eric Bossuk, B&B Premier Insurance Solutions Inc.
“I thought you guys did a magnificent job relaying your (CIG) message for the future. I felt connected to it, I feel it is very achievable, and it has motivated me to do much more with CIG both on Personal Lines and Commercial Lines. I thought the entire two days had a great pace to it and offered all participants a great opportunity to build on relationships and form new ones. I know from experience that putting together an event such as this is very challenging, and I want you guys to know that I thought you did a fabulous job.”
– Alon Ben-Nun, Universal Risk Insurance Services
As we flipped the calendar from 2021 and rang in the new year for 2022, there was a palpable change in the air. Alongside the rest of the world, our field staff was ready to get back out and engage with our business partners. Most importantly, we were welcomed back by our agencies. To acknowledge how important our partnerships are, CIG leadership and field staff renewed our commitment to the independent agent in 2022 by visiting more agencies, holding an Agency Roadshow, and reestablishing our Agency Councils.
In the last year, CIG revamped its Total Agency Compensation program, growing Policies In-Force (PIF) count, and increasing market share within many agencies. This progress highlights how increasingly valuable our partnerships are to one another. With renewed focus, we came together and supported our agency partners to help them achieve and surpass their 2022 goals.
John La Porta Assistant Vice President, Sales & Marketing“At Capital Insurance Group we have many strengths and focuses that set us apart from the rest of the industry. One of our most valued strengths at CIG is our partnership and commitment to the independent agency channel. In 2022, we had many initiatives, projects, and process enhancements. Through it all, our main focus has never wavered: how can we do more for you, our most trusted and valued partners? We look forward to even more success and partnership in 2023.”
Our Personal Lines business made great strides of progress in 2022. We saw increases in new business and succeeded in hitting our premium retention target. While reaching those numbers, we continued our laser focus on improving the agent experience with multiple enhancements, including advancements to our straight-through processing results and the delivery of “What If?” Homeowner quoting through the CIG Agency Portal. These actions resulted in the following achievements in partnership with our agents:
Personal Lines is heading into 2023 with a focus on becoming even better partners to our agents. We are excited to build upon the actions, processes and technology already implemented that make CIG the favored choice for agents and policyholders.
– Barbara, Homeowner
“My adjuster was prompt in responding to my inquiries and everything was handled very quickly. I’m an agent and can now relay firsthand, personal experience to my clients. CIG is definitely one of the best when it comes to claims handling.”– Joseph Dietrich, FJ Dietrich
Scott Cummins Assistant Vice President, Personal Lines 9Claims is here to deliver on the promise made when we sell a policy. To do so requires strong partnerships with every party involved: agent, policyholder, and CIG. The Claims department oversaw a successful year and accomplished impressive numbers:
• 13,245 new claims for our policyholders.
• 13,767 claims closed, a 104% closing ratio.
• $25,645,217 collected back in subrogation.
Last year, we took a step toward building the next generation of partners by creating a training program for newly graduated college students. The entire 2022 class of interns, known as Eaglets, embraced full-time roles at CIG and will be working to support our agency partners and insureds.
Additionally, CIG has made major headway in our Claims Modernization Project. This ongoing effort takes significant effort and collaboration between many groups (IT, Strategy, Claims, Finance, and Actuarial & Analytics) to construct a new platform that streamlines our claims handling and sets the stage for self-service for our agents and policyholders.
As we head into 2023, agents can expect continued excellent claims service, further technology improvements to enhance customer experience, and greater interaction with our Claims staff. We look forward to supporting you for the long term.
Cynthia Mehrtens Vice President & Chief Claims Officer
“ The whole premise of the claims function is based on partnership. It is in the trust that agents who place their customers with us. It is in the promise to the insureds to make them whole and to protect their interests under the terms of the policy. Good things happen when everyone comes together.”
“ We have had two claims with CIG and both times the claim was handled beautifully and in a timely manner. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised that each claim was settled faster than we anticipated without compromising the quality of service. We are so relieved to have this completed, thank you!”
– Dimitrio Kiniris“ We have had multiple CIG policies for over 50 years and have always been satisfied. Our most recent claim, caused by a DUI driver, was handled in a quick and professional manner.”
– Patricia Moranda“I was very impressed with the service I received from CIG staff. It was easy to contact the adjuster who was handling my claim. I would recommend CIG to any of my friends. Thank you for your prompt and timely response”
– Steve Wipf
Insurance is a people business, and CIG is fortunate to have great people. Because of that, we have poured mindful and intentional work into our culture, people, communities, and agents to build strong relationships. In 2022, CIG was voted a Great Place to Work® for the second year in a row, and with higher ratings than the previous year. These improved scores are a testament to the incredible team members and committees who have created successful programs such as Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Employee Engagement and Experience; Internship and College Relations; and Employee and Community Wellness. These projects create positive impacts in both our workplace and the communities we live in.
All of CIG’s teams, both internally and externally, are proud and honored to serve our customers, communities, and each other to continue to improve lives and the world we live in. The CIG we are today is a fantastic group of individuals and teams that stand together to do the right thing while having fun in the process.
Tammy Ebnet, SPHR, LDSS Assistant Vice President, Human Resources
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To me, partnership can mean many things. Here at CIG, I have several partners within the Human Resources team and throughout the organization. Partnerships in the workplace bring valuable collaboration that allows us to achieve more together than we can alone. These are beneficial relationships based on respect that allow us to grow and develop as individuals and teams. I’ve found that being able to work with people who have various knowledge bases, backgrounds, and skillsets has allowed me to thrive in both my personal and professional life.”
Andrew J. Doll
President & Chief Executive Officer
Michael Ackerman Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Shan Muthukumarasamy
Assistant Vice President, Information Technology
Patrick Tzou Director, Application Development
Daniel Moskala
Assistant Vice President & Chief Actuary
Kevin Okelberry
Vice President & Chief Underwriting Officer
Scott Cummins Assistant Vice President, Personal Lines
John La Porta
Assistant Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Debbie Belardes Director, Underwriting Services
Victor Foggie
Director, Field Operations
Dustin Lewis
Director, Agribusiness Underwriting
Pauleen Hepner
Regional Field Executive – Northern CA
Bruce Ostrem
Regional Field Executive – Southern CA
Kenneth Stewart
Director, Underwriting Development & Audit
Jennifer Wagner
Regional Field Executive – Northwest
Cynthia Mehrtens Vice President & Chief Claims Officer
Ernest Guerra Director, Property CAT & Large Loss
Martin Ighani
Director, Claims Counsel
Juliet Schade
Director, Claims Property
Laura Teasdale
Director, Claims Casualty
Vanessa Toureau
Director, Claims Casualty
Robert Zic
Assistant Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Tammy Ebnet
Assistant Vice President, Human Resources
Kurt Morgan
Assistant Vice President, Strategy & Innovation
David Dew Director, Strategy & Innovation
We had a successful 2022; however, success in one year does not guarantee success in the next. What does enable sustained favorable outcomes is having a vision, developing a plan, performing hard work, and enjoying the support of outstanding partners. As 2023 is the inaugural year of our long-term strategic journey, everyone at CIG is confident we will continue to see success. We have a vision, we’ve developed a plan, we work hard every day, and we have the best independent agency partners we could ask for.
The accomplishments of 2022 have laid a solid foundation for further accomplishments in the coming years. Whether it is new product introductions, advancements in technology, or improvements in how we do business, you can expect more from CIG. And we will continue to gather your feedback and insights as we move forward together.
To us, being partners for the long term means we are focused on more than the next year, or even the next five or ten years. Rather than simply celebrating 125 years of protecting and restoring communities, we are looking at how to better protect our partners and insureds for the next 125 years to come.
CIG wouldn’t be where it is today if it weren’t for the partnerships we share with independent agents.