Combined Group Offers Agent Direct Express Service for Travelers Select Agents

The Combined Group now offers a fully automated service for Travelers Select commercial insurance lines. Combined’s Agent Direct Express™ and Quantum’s Real Time Express™ service offerings now enable agents to quote rates, place binding coverage in force and receive direct commissions, all in a single transaction.

CARROLLTON, Tex., August 21, 2008 – The Combined Group, a national leader in multi-carrier online insurance services, now offers Travelers agents the full benefits of its acclaimed Agent Direct Express™ service to quote and bind coverage for Travelers Select business and receive all compensation with minimum paperwork.

Using this first-ever offering, retail agents directly appointed by Travelers can dramatically reduce the normal insurance issuance cycle and get coverage in force for small-to-medium-size business clients immediately. By inputting data only once, agents receive quotes from multiple leading insurance carriers for comparison purposes. Agents who choose Travelers can get immediate coverage as part of the process.

Agent owners and the CSR staff benefit from the streamlined process. The reduced cycle time means agents can see more clients and write more business while eliminating paperwork. Agents simply complete an easy to navigate online “interview” and receive multi-carrier quotes within minutes. With the Direct Express offering agents receive full commissions directly from Travelers.

Agent Direct Express is the Single-Entry-Multiple-Carrier-Interface (SEMCI) service the Combined Group provides its appointed agents. Real Time Express is a Software as a Service (SaaS) product offering of Quantum Integrated Systems, Inc., an insurance software development company that is part of the Combined Group. Quantum provides Real Time Express to independent insurance agencies nationwide.

Combined Group CEO Blake Stock said Agent Direct Express and Real Time Express were developed to provide retail insurance agents a powerful tool to help grow their small account commercial business without adding more staff.

“Agents throughout the United States who specialize in small account commercial business know Combined well,” Stock said. “Now, agents already working with Travelers, but who may not have worked with us yet have every reason to do so.”

To get full benefit of the Direct service, agents must be an appointed agent of Travelers and have a licensing agreement with Combined or Quantum. Stock said first-time agents can apply online at Combined’s Website, www.combinedgroup.com or www.realtimeexpress.com

Mark Van Horn, president of Quantum Integrated Systems, said the interface with Travelers Express has proven very reliable. “Adding Travelers Select to Real Time Express makes this extremely popular service even more robust,” Van Horn said. “We’re always looking for ways to streamline the process for agents, and this does that like nothing else. We look forward to adding this functionality for more carriers in the future.”

About The Combined Group
The Combined Group is a leading provider of on-line insurance services. The company provides commercial insurance products, claims management, risk management and premium finance services that increase productivity for insurance agencies throughout the United States. The Combined Group’s QuoteExpress™ service provides real-time rating for commercial lines business including workers comp, BOP, commercial auto, mono line property and general liability, and excess and surplus. Its technology subsidiary, Quantum Integrated Systems, provides software development for leading carriers and agencies nationwide. Corporate Website: www.combinedgroup.com