State Farm® Vice President is New IBHS Board Chairman

Bloomington, IL, January 1, 2008 -- The Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) has named Rod Matthews as the chairman of its board of directors.

Matthews, an underwriting vice president, served most recently as the Institute’s vice chairman of the board and its executive committee chairman.  He succeeds Phil Love, who will continue on the trade group’s board as its immediate past chairman.

"The work of the IBHS aligns well with State Farm's mission," said Matthews.  “It’s our job to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams."

The change in leadership was effective January 1, 2008.

The Institute for Business and Home Safety is a property loss reduction trade group and research center, with more than 200 property/casualty insurers as its members.

State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 76 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.7 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.