Old Republic International Corporation (NYSE: ORI) today announced the appointment of Mike Baumelas Senior Vice President – Claims, ORI, and Senior Vice President - Chief Claims Officer, Old Republic General Insurance Group, Inc. (ORGIG). In this newly created role, Mr. Baumel will work closely with the claim department leaders of ORGIG's diverse specialty companies, enhancing best practices across the organization, and he will lead ORGIG's Claims Excellence and Managed Care Excellence initiatives. He joins Old Republic's executive team in Chicago with over 30 years of experience as a claims executive and litigation attorney, leading global claim departments across all lines of coverage. He is a graduate of The University of Iowa, and holds his JD from DePaul University College of Law.

In making this announcement, Craig Smiddy, Old Republic's President and CEO, noted that "Mike brings deep claims acumen across many products, including resolving complex, large exposure cases. Mike is an excellent cultural fit, and his leadership skills and technical expertise will add greater depth and breadth to our executive team. We look forward to his contributions as we continue to drive long term, profitable growth."

About Old Republic

Chicago-based Old Republic International Corporation is one of the nation's 50 largest shareholder-owned insurance businesses. It is a member of the Fortune 500 listing of America's largest companies. The Company is organized as an insurance holding company whose subsidiaries actively market, underwrite, and provide risk management services for a wide variety of coverages mostly in the general and title insurance fields. Old Republic's general insurance business ranks among the nation's 50 largest, while its title insurance business is the third largest in its industry.