RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Admiral Group plc, a leading auto insurer in the UK, is proud to announce the launch of Elephant Insurance, its first operation in the United States. Elephant will follow Admiral's successful direct-to-consumer business model, serving customers via the phone and internet.

Elephant, Admiral's fifth insurance operation outside of the UK, is debuting following the rising trend in online shopping in the US auto insurance market. "We are delighted with the US team's progress," said Henry Engelhardt, Admiral Group's Chief Executive Officer.

Following nearly a year of development and research, Elephant has launched its products for Virginia drivers on its website, elephant.com, and via the phone at 1-877-21-TRUNK (1-877-218-7865).

The name Elephant was chosen from a candidate pool of over 1,000 names which were tested through focus groups and customer surveys. "We wanted a brand name that stood out," said Andrew Rose, US President and CEO. "Elephant is a unique name, and it also portrays the strength and stability that US customers expect from an auto insurer."

Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Elephant currently employees 45 people and has projected adding an additional 100 jobs by the end of 2010. Currently there are job opportunities in the sales, claims and IT areas and candidates are invited to apply online by going to www.elephant.com/about/careers.

About Elephant

Elephant, founded in early 2009, is a direct-to-consumer (web and phone) automobile insurance company. The company encourages a climate of individual contribution, long-term commitment and profitable growth and believes people who like what they do, do it better. Located in Richmond, VA, Elephant Insurance Services, LLC and Elephant Insurance Company are wholly owned subsidiaries of Admiral Group plc. More information is available at www.elephant.com.

About Admiral

Admiral Group plc is the third largest auto insurer in the United Kingdom with eleven brands extending into three additional European countries and nearly 2 million policyholders worldwide. Admiral operates a direct-to-consumer business model, serving customers via the phone and internet. Admiral Group plc is consistently listed among the top places to work for by UK and EU national publications. More information is available at www.admiralgroup.co.uk.

Websites:

www.elephant.com

www.admiralgroup.co.uk

SOURCE Elephant Insurance