ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY'S CHARLES THALHEIMER NAMED EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR BY THE DMA FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL

NEW YORK, June 17, 2003 – The Direct Marketing Association’s (The DMA) Financial Services Council will present Charles Thalheimer, vice president, direct distribution, Allstate Insurance Company (Northbrook, IL), with its "Executive of the Year" award. Thalheimer will be honored at a special luncheon held later this month during the council’s Legislative Conference, which will be held June 26 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.

"The DMA Financial Services Council recognizes Charles for his outstanding contributions and long-standing commitment to the advancement of direct marketing in the financial services industry," said Shawn Morris, JCG Ltd., and chair of The DMA Financial Services Council. "His pioneering spirit is an inspiration to others in the field."

Thalheimer has directed Allstate Life Insurance Company's Direct Response Distribution business, selling supplemental life and health products through partner endorsements, for the past 20 years. As Vice President of Direct Distribution for Allstate Insurance Company, Thalheimer is responsible for examining potential distribution alliances and opportunities to grow the personal lines business by leveraging the Allstate Good Hands Network.

While at Allstate, Thalheimer has been instrumental in the development and implementation of numerous projects, including:

Allstate Life's e-commerce initiative. As a result of his work, Allstate is currently online at multiple aggregator and stand alone sites,

A customer-focused administration system that was recently acknowledged as the benchmark system for Allstate Financial,
The management of the Sears/Allstate marketing alliance,
A telephone marketing management process to efficiently and optimally manage the annual telephone marketing budget,
An initiative to expand the product set and capabilities for the Direct Response Distribution division.

Each year, The DMA Financial Services Council recognizes an individual for their outstanding contributions to the insurance or financial services industry through the use of the direct marketing concept.

Nominations for The DMA Financial Services Council's Executive of the Year are made by members of the Council. Winners are selected by the Council's nominating committee. Nominees need not be members of The DMA or its Financial Services Council, but are expected to adhere to The DMA’s Code of Ethics.

Past recipients include: Martin Baier, Old American (1984); Sy Okner, Montgomery Ward Life Insurance Company (1985); Robert Reed, Physicians’ Mutual Insurance Company (1986); Al Dyon, Allstate Direct Response Center (1987); Denis Cross, USAA (1988); John Flieder, Allstate Insurance Company (1989); Gary Kauffman, Direct Marketing Advisory Group (1990); William Snyder, GEICO (1991); Don Jackson, The Jackson Consulting Group, Ltd. (1992); Ed Suiter, JCPenney Life Insurance Company (1993); Richard C. Nevins, Commercial Travelers Mutual Insurance Company (1994); Kathleen Siano, The Equitable (1995); James L. Benson, Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company (1996); John Harrison, DiMark, Inc. (1997); Ed Drake, SafeCo Insurance Company (1998); Alex Galanek, AIGM (1999); Dick Malcom, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, IL (2000); Frank Polizzi, Mass Marketing Insurance (MMI).

The DMA is the leading trade association for businesses interested in interactive and database marketing, with nearly 4,700 member companies from the United States and 53 other nations. Founded in 1917, its members include direct marketers from every business segment as well as the nonprofit and electronic marketing sectors. Included are catalogers, Internet retailers and service providers, financial services providers, book and magazine publishers, book and music clubs, retail stores, industrial manufacturers, and a host of other vertical segments, including the service industries that support them. According to a DMA-commissioned study, direct and interactive marketing sales in the United States are projected to have surpassed $2 trillion in 2002, including $126 billion in catalog sales and $34 billion in sales generated by the Internet. The DMA's Web site is www.the-dma.org, and its consumer Web site is www.shopthenet.org.

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