United Fire delays earnings report, sets regular release schedule

CEDAR RAPIDS -- United Fire Group will delay reporting its first-quarter financial results until May 7, allowing the company to integrate accounting systems with Mercer Insurance Group, which the insurer purchased last year.

United Fire Group previously indicated it would release first-quarter earnings and revenues on April 30.

"Aside from the storm losses we announced several weeks ago, we expect our first-quarter results will continue to reflect the favorable trends of late 2011," said Randy Ramlo, president and chief executive officer of United Fire Group.

Ramlo said the May 7 release date for first-quarter financial results marks the adoption of a new quarterly reporting schedule. The company expects to release second-quarter results on Aug. 6, third-quarter numbers on Nov. 5 and financial data for the fourth quarter and all of 2012 on Feb. 19, 2013.

As reported on March 20, United Fire Group's first-quarter 2012 results are expected to include pretax catastrophic losses, net of reinsurance, of approximately $13 million to $16 million from storms in the last week of February. The storms affected United Fire Group policyholders in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.