User:AC617/draft article on Homesite Group

Homesite Group Incorporated is a homeowners' insurance company based in Boston, MA with offices in Akron, Ohio and Phoenix, Arizona. It is the twenty-fourth largest homeowners insurer in the United States and is owned entirely by American Family Insurance. Homesite writes direct-to-consumer homeowners', condominium owners' and renters' insurance policies in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Alliances with insurers and other financial services are the primary avenues for Homesite’s sales. Call centers, licensed agents and producers, as well as the Internet, are used for marketing and product distribution. Homesite was one of the first companies to enable homeowners to quote and purchase insurance policies online.

History
The company was founded in 1997 by James M. Stone, Peter J. Wood and Plymouth Rock Co. under the name Homeowners Direct Corporation, financed through Morgan Stanley Capital Partners. Stone, the founder of Plymouth Rock, has also been Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the youngest Commissioner of Insurance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Wood, an English entrepreneur, has also founded companies including Direct Line and Esure, successful UK financial services and insurance companies.

Homeowners Direct intended to focus exclusively on the homeowners market and address issues associated with homeowners' insurance in the US, such as high fixed costs and minimal technological innovation. The company wrote its first policy in 1999. In February 2000, the company name was changed to Homesite Group Incorporated, though it is alternatively referred to as Homesite Insurance. In early September of 2013, American Family Insurance, a private mutual company that offers primarily property, casualty and auto insurance, reached an agreement to acquire Homesite. The sale was completed in December 2013; however the company functions as a distinct entity, continuing prior operations and business partner relationships.

Awards
In 2006, Homesite received the A.M. Best annual E-Fusion Award for Underwriting and Pricing. The award recognized Homesite’s creation of a Business Geographic Underwriting system to address structural problems inherent in the homeowners product, improving the accuracy and efficiency of the underwriting process.

In 2011, the company received a MarketTools ACE Award for outstanding commitment to providing high quality customer service.

Member Companies
Subsidiaries of Homesite Group include:
 * Homesite Indemnity Company
 * Homesite Insurance Company of California
 * Homesite Insurance Company of Florida
 * Homesite Insurance Company of Georgia
 * Homesite Insurance Company of Illinois
 * Homesite Insurance Company of New York
 * Homesite Insurance Company of the Midwest
 * Homesite Lloyd's of Texas