CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Great American Insurance Group is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as one of the "Healthiest Companies in America" by Interactive Health Solutions (IHS), a national provider of employee health management programs. The award recognizes companies who are committed to the health and well being of employees, along with creating a corporate culture that encourages individuals to be responsible for their own health and to take an active role in their preventative care.

Great American Insurance Group launched a six-month health challenge ("Challenge") in early 2008 to encourage its employees to improve their health through walking and weight management programs subsidized by the Company. Employees were incentivized to participate and reach goals, both individual and Company-wide, in order to earn entries to win a variety of prizes, provided by Great American's parent company, American Financial Group, Inc. A 2009 Saturn® Sky convertible was awarded as the grand prize to one lucky employee.

"We were very pleased with how our employees stepped up to meet the Challenge. We encouraged them to improve their health, provided them opportunities to do so and they took action. Overall, we know a healthier workforce is a more productive workforce. The award from IHS just validates all our employees' hard work and our investment in them. It is rewarding to know all our efforts have paid off," said Spencer Stooksbury, Director, Corporate Benefits.

The AFGreatHealth Challenge was an overwhelming success as over 75% of the Company's 5,500 benefit-eligible employees participated in some aspect of the Challenge. Even more significant is that employees' scores in the health screenings improved as well. In 2007, Great American had an aggregate health score of +1. In 2008, due to employee efforts, the aggregate health score improved to -4, a five point improvement. More significantly, of those employees who had high cholesterol, blood glucose or triglycerides in 2007, approximately 70% improved their scores when retested in 2008. In addition, employees participating in the weight management program lost an average of 18 lbs. and employees participating in the walking program averaged over 8,200 steps per day for the six-month Challenge period. This is about 5,000 more steps (more than 2 miles) than the typical office worker walks in a day.


"Due to the first Challenge's success, we kicked off a second Challenge in April 2009. In 2009, we hope to sustain our wellness efforts and maintain our status as one of the "˜Healthiest Companies in America.' We are committed to a culture that encourages our employees to embrace good health and take advantage of available preventative care. It all adds up to a win-win for employees and us. They enjoy better health. We get a more productive work force," explained Stooksbury.

About Great American Insurance Group

Great American Insurance Group's roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of traditional fixed, indexed and variable annuities and a variety of supplemental insurance products. Great American Insurance Company has received an "A" (Excellent) or higher rating from the A.M. Best Company for over 100 years (most recent rating evaluation effective on March 27, 2009). The members of the Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) (NYSE: AFG) (NASDAQ: AFG), also based in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFG's common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol ("AFG").

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Great American Insurance Group

Spencer Stooksbury, PHR, Director, Corporate Benefits

513-369-5098

sstooksbury@gaic.com

or

Diane P. Weidner, Director, Corporate Communications

513-369-5713

dweidner@gaic.com

or Visit:

www.GreatAmericanInsurance.com



Source: Great American Insurance Group