Unitrin Direct and Optical Image Technology Together Win 2007 IASA Technology Award  

State College, PA – June 6, 2007 – Optical Image Technology, Inc. (OIT), creator of the DocFinity suite of workflow and document management software, is pleased to announce that Unitrin Direct, in conjunction with OIT, is the winner of the 2007 IASA Technology Achievement Award. This award, presented by the Insurance Accounting and Systems Association (IASA), was presented during the IASA 2007 Educational Conference and Business Show, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ian Zimmerman, Unitrin Direct’s Director of Underwriting, and OIT’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, James Thumma, were on hand to accept the award during IASA’s annual business luncheon.

Unitrin Direct was looking to support its overall goal of becoming a leading direct auto insurer by scaling processes and optimizing support functions. The joint project between OIT and Unitrin Direct was to implement an enterprise-wide digital organization of their corporate information and to re-engineer their business processes by using workflow to horizontally align disparate silos of information stored within a variety of departments. Unitrin Direct is now equipped to push documents through automated workflows for approvals, signatures, customized letters, and calls as well as implement business processes that will automatically direct actions that need to take place. In addition, multiple technologies and departments such as underwriting, claims, and customer service were connected in order to process more work faster, with fewer human resources.

Optical Image Technology’s DocFinity Workflow was implemented to connect Unitrin Direct’s policy administration system, and third-party applications, including their automated call system and capture, indexing, and barcode reading along with other DocFinity components such as an electronic repository. It was projected that this technology, which includes over 24 separate automated workflows, will continue to enhance Unitrin Direct’s position in a highly competitive insurance market as well as put them in a strong position for future growth.

As stated by Ian Zimmerman, "Unitrin Direct is committed to becoming one of the leading direct writers of auto insurance. To accomplish that goal, we have made a major investment in automation. OIT has been a great partner in this endeavor, and we look forward to our continuing relationship."

Optical Image Technology implemented the software at Unitrin Direct. With the aid of its Professional Services team, multiple software packages (underwriting, claims, etc.) were connected to the DocFinity system.

Ron Prichard, Optical Image Technology’s President, states, “When we first heard Unitrin Direct talk about their needs and what they wanted to accomplish, we were extremely impressed with their vision. Having the vision and turning that into a reality that delivers tremendous bottom line impact are two very different things. It is extremely rewarding for OIT to see our technology at the heart of this business solution and success story, yet we have to be honest: Our hats are off to the Unitrin Direct team. Success like this is about good people and good management. We are honored to be a part of this award-winning project.”

About Optical Image Technology, Inc. (www.docfinity.com):

Optical Image Technology's (OIT) software makes information manageable and companies more profitable. Since 1986, OIT and its DocFinity® suite of workflow and document management software have helped businesses solve their document management and business process needs. OIT offers robust, flexible products including document imaging, workflow, and Web services. Organizations see an ROI and improved productivity with DocFinity. For more information, please visit www.docfinity.com.

About Unitrin Direct

Unitrin Direct is dedicated to providing its customers with outstanding service and quality coverage at competitive prices, making auto insurance simple by offering people the choices they want with the convenience they deserve. The Unitrin Direct insurance companies are subsidiaries of Unitrin, Inc. (NYSE:UTR) in Chicago, and part of the Unitrin family of companies that has over six million policyholders, $9 billion in assets and is rated “A” (excellent) by A.M. Best Company, a leading provider of financial information for the global insurance industry. Unitrin Direct offers affordable automobile insurance in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. To get a free auto insurance quote, log on to www.UnitrinDirect.com or call (800) 642-5254.

Insurance is underwritten by Unitrin Direct Property & Casualty Company and Unitrin Direct Insurance Company.

Unitrin Direct Media contact:
Alison Jackson
Marketing Manager
(760) 597-4687
Ajackson@Unitrindirect.com

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Release Date: June 6, 2007