UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 10, 2011

Penn Millers Holding Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

         
Pennsylvania   001-34496   80-0482459
(State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)   (Commission File Number)   (IRS Employer Identification No.)
     
72 North Franklin Street, PO Box P
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
  18773
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 233-8347

 
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 
 

 

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Item 8.01    Other Events

Penn Millers Holding Corporation (the Company) announced a reduction in its workforce on February 10, 2011. We have been strategically increasing prices on renewal business and implementing other underwriting initiatives for our Solutions business owners’ package product in response to the poor profitability and weak prospects for improvement in the retail and commercial real estate small business markets. We expect that this will result in a further decline in the business written in our commercial business segment. To compensate for this lost revenue, we have reduced our workforce today by approximately 10%. This downsizing is part of a refocus of our business to concentrate on our core competency in Agribusiness and our strategic PennEdge products for the commercial segment. We aim to have a smaller but more profitable presence in the small commercial marketplace.

The Company provides property and casualty insurance through its wholly owned subsidiary, Penn Millers Insurance Company. Penn Millers Insurance Company provides agribusiness insurance and commercial lines insurance in 33 states. Penn Millers Insurance Company is rated “A-” (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company, Inc. The Company is located at 72 North Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The Company’s web address is http://www.pennmillers.com.

Some of the statements contained in this Form 8-K are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the time the statements are made and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the Company’s actual results include, among others, the fact that our loss reserves are based on estimates and may be inadequate to cover our actual losses; the uncertain effects of emerging claim and coverage issues on our business, including the effects of climate change; the geographic concentration of our business; an inability to obtain or collect on our reinsurance protection; a downgrade in the A.M. Best rating of our insurance subsidiaries; the impact of extensive regulation of the insurance industry and legislative and regulatory changes; a failure to realize our investment objectives; the effects of intense competition; the loss of one or more principal employees; the inability to acquire additional capital on favorable terms; a failure of independent insurance brokers to adequately market our products; and the effects of acts of terrorism or war. More information about these and other factors that potentially could affect our financial results is included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC and in our other public filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Contact: Michael O. Banks of Penn Millers Holding Corporation, (570) 200-1340

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

         
 
       
 
       
    PENN MILLERS HOLDING CORPORATION
 
       
Date: February 10, 2011 
  By:     /s/ Michael O. Banks  
 
       
 
      Michael O. Banks 
 
      Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 

 

 

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