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From Computer to 'Hitting the Road' in Just 10-Minutes New Auto Insurance Website Seals the Deal & Puts Consumers in the Driver's Seat

12 December 2000

From Computer to 'Hitting the Road' in Just 10-Minutes New Auto Insurance Website Seals the Deal & Puts Consumers in the Driver's Seat

     WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Dec. 12 In as few as ten-minutes, an
auto insurance shopper can now sit down at a home computer, purchase a policy
and immediately print out a legal insurance I.D. card that allows them to
drive away fully insured.  This unparalleled advance is provided through a new
website, http://www.response.com, which was recently unveiled by Response
Insurance.
    Response Insurance, a direct-to-the-consumer auto insurance company that
has been selling via the phone since 1997, is now also offering consumers
real-time on-line quotes and the power to fully complete transactions on a
live basis.
    Response Insurance was touted at its inception for taking on the long
established ways of the auto insurance industry.  The Company is doing it
again by pulling back the curtain that has separated consumers from truly
interactive auto insurance services.  Unlike the current prevalence of
insurance pseudo-websites that either cannot complete the sale or require
behind-the-scenes manual processing of information, http://www.response.com actually
performs the full range of activities to give a quote, confirm the rate,
verify driver data, accept payment and issue essential policy documents to the
customer in real-time.
    In spite of advances in many other industries, only a fraction of the
thousands of auto insurance companies in the nation are capable of selling
auto insurance through both the phone and the Internet.  In addition to on-
line services at http://www.response.com, consumers can also call 1-800-RESPONSE to
talk to a trained insurance advisor at one of the Company's call centers who
can provide a rate quote, sell and service policyholders and answer any
related questions.
    "Response is a unique combination of a solid bricks and mortar insurance
company and a leader in on-line services," stated Mory Katz, Chairman of
Response Insurance.  "We built our website the same way we built our company
-- from a customer perspective.  And, I don't know of any other real-time
website that is as customer-friendly, efficient, reliable or secure as ours."
    Full purchasing capability is currently available at http://www.response.com to
drivers in California, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.  In addition, the Company sells via
phone in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Washington, DC. By
year's end Response expects to be in five more states (Arizona, Colorado,
Minnesota, Oregon and Tennessee), which when added to the total, will
represent more than 65% of the U.S. auto insurance market.
    By focusing on insuring drivers with good driving records, Response is
able to offer low prices, efficient service and excellent value.

    Contact:    Ray Palermo
                Tel: 914-640-6588;
                off-hours at Pager: 1-800-759-8888 (PIN: 1196453);
                ray.palermo@responseinsurance.com