SOUTHWESTERN NEWS ZONE......

Louisiana Retailers Mutual Insurance Company, a workers' compensation insurer, announced that the company has received all regulatory approvals from the Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi departments of insurance to convert to a mutual insurance holding company system, consisting of Retailers Casualty Mutual Holding Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Retailers Casualty Insurance Company.

Retailers Casualty Mutual Holding Company will continue to provide workers' comp insurance coverage through its subsidiary Retailers Casualty Insurance Company, a stock insurance company. This change is effective retroactively Jan. 1, 2009.

Retailers Casualty insures more than 2,000 businesses throughout Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and is rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company. Retailers Casualty is managed by Summit. Summit has more than 30 years of experience in workers' comp and provides underwriting, policy administration, claims management and loss control services to Retailers Casualty policyholders.