ERIE, Pa., July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- For seven years in a row, Ward Group has named Erie Insurance to its Ward's 50 list of top performing property and casualty companies. Erie Family Life Insurance was also named to this year's Life/Health list, marking the second time the company has earned a spot on the list. The Ward Group analyzes the financial performance of 3,000 property-casualty and life/health insurers before naming the top performers in safety, consistency and financial performance over a five-year period.

"We succeed thanks to our ability to maintain a solid balance sheet and provide exceptional, award-winning customer service," said Terry Cavanaugh, president and chief executive officer of Erie Insurance. "When you combine that with our differentiating products and a relationship with our independent insurance agents that is as strong as ever, you can see why we're able to effectively and consistently deliver on our customer promise of security and protection."

Ward Group is a consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry and leading provider of industry benchmarking and best practices services. This is the 17th time ERIE has been on the P&C list, published annually since 1991.

According to A.M. Best Company, Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 14th largest homeowners insurer and 12th largest automobile insurer in the United States based on direct premiums written and the 18th largest property/casualty insurer in the United States based on total lines net premium written. The Group, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, has nearly 4.8 million policies in force and operates in 11 states and the District of Columbia. Erie Insurance Group is a FORTUNE 500 and Barron's 500 company. Erie Insurance is proud to have received the J.D. Power award for "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with the Auto Insurance Purchase Experience" two years in a row. ERIE has also been recognized by Forbes as one of America's 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies and is on the list of Ward's 50 Group of top performing insurance companies, which analyzes the financial performance of 3,000 property and casualty companies and recognizes the top performers for achieving outstanding results in safety, consistency and financial performance over a five-year period (2009-2013).

News releases and more information about Erie Insurance Group are available at www.erieinsurance.com.

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