Symetra Financial Home Symetra Financial Home
Symetra Navigation

News

Contacts:

Colin Johnson
Director of Communications
(425) 256-5049
colin.johnson@symetra.com



Symetra Financial to Acquire Medical Risk Managers, Inc.

Move Designed to Expand Medical Stop Loss Insurance Business

Bellevue, Wash. — (April 25, 2007) — Symetra Financial today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Medical Risk Managers, Inc. (MRM) of South Windsor, Conn. The deal is expected to close by the end of second quarter 2007 and be accretive to earnings during the first twelve months. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Symetra provides employee benefits, retirement plans, annuities and life insurance, and is an industry leader in medical stop loss coverage designed for employers that self-insure their group health plans. Stop loss helps employers protect self-funded health care plans against large potentially catastrophic claims, which reduces their overall risk exposure. MRM is a full-service managing general underwriter and health care network consulting firm specializing in the stop loss market.

MRM will remain in South Windsor and manage staff and operations independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation. In addition, Mike McLean, chief executive officer of MRM, will continue to lead the company, which will underwrite self-funded business for multiple partners in addition to Symetra.

Symetra’s acquisition of MRM will strengthen its diverse stop loss portfolio and increase penetration in the employee benefits market.

“Bringing MRM on board further enhances Symetra’s presence in the medical stop loss insurance marketplace,” said Randy Talbot, president and chief executive officer of Symetra. “Some 30 years ago, our company was one of the pioneers of group stop loss coverage and Symetra remains at the forefront of this important industry today.”

As a managing general underwriter, MRM has developed an innovative strategy for designing stop loss plans based on cutting-edge network pricing, efficient claims management and comprehensive risk analysis. MRM will compliment Symetra’s ability to customize group stop loss plans in conjunction with employers, benefits brokers and consultants, third-party administrators, administrative service organizations, health care networks, medical providers and other partners.

“We have worked hard to establish MRM as a leading source of stop loss underwriting expertise, so it was important to find the kind of partner that would carry our company’s legacy forward,” said McLean. “Symetra shares our vision for the future of the stop loss market, and we very much look forward to being a part of their business.”

Scott Taylor, senior vice president of the group division at Symetra, said, “By taking a network-driven approach, MRM has developed a unique reputation as one of the most innovative architects of stop loss plans. This acquisition will strengthen Symetra’s standing as a market leader.”

About Symetra Financial

Symetra Financial is a family of companies with nearly a half-century of experience providing retirement plans, employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through independent distributors nationwide. The company has more than $20 billion in assets1. Symetra Financial is owned by an investor group led by White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. For more information, visit Symetra Financial's Website at www.symetra.com.

About Medical Risk Managers

Medical Risk Managers (MRM) is a full service managing general underwriting and consulting firm specializing in group stop loss insurance. The company’s mission is to provide reliable protection against excessive medical claims. MRM currently underwrites stop loss insurance on well over one million people with annualized stop loss premiums in excess of $100 million. The company has profitably underwritten almost $2 billion in stop loss throughout its history. To learn more about MRM visit www.mrm-mgu.com.

Top of Page

1 Source: Total GAAP assets per financial statements of Symetra Life Insurance Company, December 31, 2006.

Symetra® and the Symetra Financial logo are registered service marks of Symetra Life Insurance Company, 777 108th Avenue NE, Suite 1200, Bellevue, WA 98004.