NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) July 7, 2000—Standard&Poor's today assigned its double-'A'-minus counterparty credit and financial strength ratings to the property/casualty and life insurance units (see list) of Unitrin Inc. (Unitrin). At the same time, Standard&Poor's assigned its single-'A' counterparty credit and financial strength ratings to Reserve National Insurance Co. (Reserve National), Unitrin's health insurance unit. The ratings are based on these businesses' strong franchise position, extremely strong consolidated capital, and good earnings. These strengths are partially offset by challenging market conditions that affect growth. Major Rating Factors: -- Strong position in regional markets. Unitrin's property/casualty operations have a regional focus on rural and suburban markets, where the company can leverage its strong independent agency
