Allmerica Deploys Agents' Portal Using Bowstreet Technology; Over 2,000 Agents Gain Easy Access to Policy, Billing, and Claims Information.

TEWKSBURY, Mass. -- Bowstreet(TM), the leading provider of portal-based tools and solutions, today announced Citizens and Hanover Insurance, members of the Allmerica Financial companies, have deployed an agents' portal called The Agency Place (TAP) using Bowstreet's Portlet Factory technology. TAP provides Citizens and Hanover Insurance agents with an easy-to-use portal for their day-to-day business use. The new portal provides agents with a central location for accessing detailed policy, billing, and claims information at any time, and provides agents with a gateway to a point-of-sale system, allowing them to quote, issue, and endorse policies online.

TAP gives more than 2,000 agents direct access to automation tools, such as policy inquiry, claims inquiry, and billing inquiry, and provides a single point of entry to all of the data and information agents need to quickly process claims and issue quotes, enabling them to perform their jobs more effectively. In early 2005, Allmerica will launch additional enhancements to TAP, including the ability for agents to access agency-specific reports and obtain information on their own performance, such as the ratio of personal to commercial business.

"We are very pleased with how Bowstreet's technology has accelerated our portal initiatives, and with the rapid delivery and mentorship provided by Bowstreet's professional services team," said Mike Clifton, vice president of information technology, Allmerica. "Our new portal is enabling agents to easily access the information they need to be more productive, and will serve as the basis for several additional key initiatives, such as agency-focused collaboration efforts and call center optimization."

"Together, Bowstreet and Allmerica delivered an innovative portal solution that improves customer support and significantly reduces costs. These benefits were achieved using Bowstreet Portlet Factory, which enables customers to build custom solutions from the ground up. Bowstreet also offers Enterprise Portal Solutions, enabling customers to enjoy the same business benefits through easily configurable turnkey solutions," said Steve Ricketts, vice president of marketing, Bowstreet.

About Bowstreet

Bowstreet, the leading provider of portal-based development tools, is leading the industry transition to pre-packaged composite applications and distributed web-based services. Bowstreet-built applications are powered by Bowstreet's proven Portlet Factory technology, which provides a highly flexible application development framework for assembling data and processes from disparate systems into dynamic applications that can adapt, on-demand, to unique and constantly changing business requirements. Solutions powered by Bowstreet Factory technology can be deployed in a portal, on the web, on a wireless device, or distributed as a service. Bowstreet technology is used by industry leading companies, including Amerijet, Cardinal Health System, Caterpillar, Cisco, Citizens and Hanover Insurance, Crossrail, DuPont, Fidelity Information Services, Gillette, ImClone, IT Factory, John Crane, Kroger, Mayo Clinic, Northwestern Mutual Life, Ogilvy & Mather, Sheetz, Tufts Health Plan, UNICCO, and Vormittag. Bowstreet is headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts and has offices in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Amsterdam, and London. www.bowstreet.com.

Bowstreet and Builder are trademarks of Bowstreet, Inc. All other company names and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or owners.