Capital Insurance Group® and The Protector Network® Recognized for

Web Excellence with Seven Awards in 2010

MONTEREY, Calif. (Dec. 16, 2010) – Capital Insurance Group® (CIG) is pleased to announce that both CIG and The Protector Network® (TPN) are the recipients of a combined seven website awards in 2010. The seven awards represent five annual competitions that recognize excellence in online communications.

The  CIG Website won a 2010 New Media Awards Standard of Excellence Award for the in the Insurance Category. CIG was among 24 categories recognized for outstanding achievement. The 2010 New Media Awards competition is open to any individual or business that has developed a Blog, Website, Digital Advertising Campaign or other form of new media communication.

“The New Media Institute is proud to recognize CIGinsurance.com with a Standard of Excellence Award for demonstrating their superior use of new media communications in the insurance industry. Capital Insurance Group did a fantastic job of providing its audience with an easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing website, containing relevant and easy to understand content,” said Barbara Eber-Schmid, EVP, New Media Institute.

The Protector Network, the safety and security member-benefits platform enjoyed exclusively by CIG clients, was honored in 2009 with the New Media Awards (NMA) award. TPN was one of six Websites to be recognized overall, The Protector Network is also the only such Web site picked last year from the insurance industry.

View the winners of the 2010 New Media Awards.

W³ Awards gives recognition for the Power of Web Creativity. CIG received awards in three categories:  2010 Silver Award for Home Page, 2010 Silver Award for Structure and Navigation, and 2010 Silver Award for Visual Appeal. W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the web, and recognizes both the creative and marketing professionals responsible for award-winning sites.

View the winners of the 2010 W3 Awards.

WMA Web Marketing Association awarded both CIG and TPN for Insurance Standard of Excellence, Marketing Standard of Excellence. The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to help set a high standard for Internet marketing and development of the best websites on the Word Wide Web.

View CIG’s Web Marketing Association Awards:

The Protector Network

Capital Insurance Group

Capital Insurance Group won the Outstanding Achievement Award from Interactive Media (IMA). This award is the second highest honor bestowed by IMA. Websites are judged based on a very high standard of planning, execution, and overall professionalism.

View the CIG IMA Award  Certificate and  Outstanding Achievement Award

World Wide Web Awards awarded Gold to both CIG and TPN. The gold award is presented for top scores in creativity and design, and also for error-free sites and those free from broken links and error messages. The correct use of Meta tags and ALT tags is a requirement for the award and  the site must use advanced features scripts and coding.

“Website development in our industry continues to become more competitive. Therefore, being recognized for such a wide range of top honors is a proud achievement,” said Sandie Borthwick, Marketing Manager at CIG. “Capital Insurance Group is leading the insurance industry with our direct, interactive customer service that is based on our website development and application.”

About Capital Insurance Group
Capital Insurance Group® (CIG) is the leading property and casualty insurer serving the Western U.S. CIG insures personal auto, homeowners, condo owners, vacation property, renters, apartment building owners and many kinds of commercial and agricultural property. The more than 112-year-old company is rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best, the independent financial monitor of the insurance industry. It has recently been selected for the Ward’s 50 as one of the safest and most efficient property/casualty insurers in the U.S. CIG manages personal, business and agriculture risks underwritten by its six affiliates: California Capital Insurance Company, Eagle West Insurance Company, Nevada Capital Insurance Company, Monterey Insurance Company, Capital Risk Management Insurance Company, and Greenside Insurance Company. Types of policies may vary from state to state. CIG Delivers More. Continuously.™ For more information, please visit http://www.ciginsurance.com.

About Shafer Walters Group
Co-founders Dan Shafer and Chipp Walters, combined, have more than 50 years of experience in the software, multimedia, Web, publishing, design, 3-D design and related fields. Both are recognized leaders in their respective fields. Shafer Walters Group (SWG) is based in Austin, TX. For more information, please visit http://shaferwaltersgroup.com.