Canal Insurance Selects Guidewire ClaimCenter as Enterprise Claims System

Next-Generation Claims System to Increase Flexibility and Efficiency in Claims Organization

S.C. and SAN MATEO, Calif., January 13, 2004:

Canal Insurance Company, a leading provider of commercial trucking insurance, and Guidewire Software, a leading provider of claims solutions to property and casualty insurers, today announced that Canal Insurance has selected Guidewire ClaimCenter as its new enterprise claims system.

As a leader in trucking insurance for over sixty years, and with claims professionals averaging over twenty years of experience, Canal Insurance delivers prompt and fair claims adjustment throughout the United States. Canal decided to deploy a new claims system to provide more powerful tools to its claims personnel and further enhance its service to policyholders and claimants. After a comprehensive review of available claims systems, Canal selected Guidewire ClaimCenter as its platform for improved claims performance.

"With ClaimCenter as our new claims system, we will enhance the support we provide to our highly skilled claims professionals, as well as our policyholders and claimants," said F. M. "Mac" Timmons, Jr., senior vice president of claims at Canal. "ClaimCenter gives us the flexibility to support the complex requirements of trucking insurance, and to adapt to changing needs as we grow and as the business environment evolves."

Canal Insurance will deploy Guidewire ClaimCenter to the entire claims organization to support all lines of business, including physical damage, liability, cargo, and general liability. ClaimCenter will integrate to multiple Canal systems, including policy and accounting systems, and will be configured to Canal's precise requirements using XML and business rules.

"ClaimCenter delivers the business functionality we were searching for on a technology platform we have chosen for the future, and is backed by a world-class development team," said Adrian Brown, chief information officer, Canal Insurance.

Guidewire ClaimCenter helps insurers improve claim outcomes, using flexible business rules to optimize the claim process for each claim, and automatically monitoring all operations to catch exceptions and eliminate errors. Claims executives can use the system to define and enforce their preferred claim handling practices, and can refine those practices over time. ClaimCenter is available both as a standalone claims system and as a component-based platform to complement any insurer's existing systems. ClaimCenter's modern architecture, web client, XML-based configuration, and web services support ensure lower total cost of ownership in any carrier environment.

"We appreciate Canal Insurance's selection of ClaimCenter and we look forward to a long-term partnership with Canal," said John Raguin, chief executive officer, Guidewire Software. "Canal is a proven leader in its field with a strong business and technology vision, and we are proud to be part of their technology team for years to come."

About Canal Insurance Company

Canal Insurance is a leader in commercial trucking insurance and related insurance lines. Canal has specialized in trucking insurance for over sixty years and underwrites business in forty-six states. Rated A+ by A. M. Best, Canal is and has been named one of the property and casualty insurance industry's Top 50 companies by Ward Financial Group for ten years in succession. Canal is represented by a network of independent general agents. For more information, please visit www.canalinsurance.com.

About Guidewire Software

Guidewire Software is a provider of core system software to the global Property/Casualty (general) insurance industry. Designed to be flexible and scalable, Guidewire solutions give insurers the capability to deliver excellent service, increase market share and lower operating costs. Guidewire InsuranceSuite™, consisting of Guidewire PolicyCenter®, Guidewire ClaimCenter® and Guidewire BillingCenter® spans the key functional areas in insurance – underwriting and policy administration, claims management, and billing. Guidewire is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices in Beijing, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Munich, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo, and Toronto. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com.