State Farm® Executive Heads Up Newly Merged Trade Organization

Bloomington, Ill., December 17, 2007 -- Susan Waring, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at State Farm Life Insurance Co. and vice president, State Farm Health, will serve as the chair of the Board of Directors of a newly merged insurance and financial services trade organization.

LIMRA® International and LOMA® are merging Jan. 1, 2008.  “For years, LIMRA has served as the marketing arm and LOMA the operations and education arm of the life insurance industry,” said Waring. “This merger unites two strong resources into a powerful combination of reliable services that will continue to grow and serve the industry."

The new structure will come under the umbrella of LL Global, Inc.   LIMRA and LOMA will remain in the forefront as distinct entities with valuable global brands and operations.  LOMA will continue to operate from its Atlanta office. LL Global will be incorporated in Connecticut and based in Windsor.  Every member of LIMRA and LOMA will become a member of LL Global.

LIMRA will continue to conduct research and benchmarking to provide members with the information and insight they need to make informed decisions about insurance and financial services products, marketing and distribution.  LOMA will continue to offer outstanding education program to develop member companies’ human capital.  Together the two organizations will leverage LOMA’s e-learning platform to expand LIMRA’s and LOMA’s global training programs.

"This partnership makes absolute sense,” said Waring. “To watch these organizations leverage their strengths, provide members a broader level of service and do so in a way that will have a dynamic impact on the industry is truly powerful.  I'm so glad to be playing a role at this exciting time."

Both LIMRA and LOMA, and now LL Global, are not-for-profit member-owned trade associations. LIMRA and LOMA both assess dues to support member benefits such as research, publications, networking and other beneficial activities. They generate additional revenues from for-profit subsidiary operations, such as consulting, training and development programs, assessment and compliance services. The new arrangement will position both organizations for increased financial strength and growth opportunities, as well as improved operational efficiency.

About LIMRA International

LIMRA International is a worldwide research, consulting and professional development organization that helps more than 800 insurance and financial services companies in 70 countries increase their marketing and distribution effectiveness. For more information, visit the LIMRA web site.

About LOMA

LOMA is committed to a business partnership with 1,200 worldwide members in the insurance and financial services industry to improve their management and operations through quality employee development, research, information sharing, and related products and services. For more information, visit the LOMA web site.

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®.