State Auto Financial and State Auto Mutual Elect New Directors

COLUMBUS, Ohio--Sept. 5, 2003--Gerald L. Bepko was recently elected to the board of directors of the State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, and Paul S. Williams was elected to the board of directors of State Auto Financial Corporation . Bepko is Chancellor Emeritus of the Indiana University School of Law, in Indianapolis, Ind. Williams is Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary at Cardinal Health in Dublin, Ohio.

Bepko has been associated with the Indiana University School of Law since 1972, when he became an associate professor. He received his undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University, his J.D. at Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago-Kent College of Law, and an LLM from Yale University. He is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Bar Foundation, among others.

Williams earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. He joined Cardinal Health in 1995 as assistant general counsel, and assumed his current position in 2001. He is a member of the Columbus Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association.

State Auto Financial Corporation is a regional property and casualty insurance holding company engaged primarily in writing personal and commercial automobile, homeowners, commercial multi-peril, workers' compensation and fire insurance. The company currently markets its products through more than 22,000 agents associated with approximately 3,500 agencies in 26 states. Products are marketed primarily in the Midwest and Eastern U.S., excluding New York, New Jersey and the New England states. State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company is an Ohio-based regional mutual property casualty insurer and the corporate parent of State Auto Financial.