¾ÅÉ«

The Progressive Corporation board of directors elected Philip A. Laskawy to fill the vacancy on the company’s board for the term ending at the April 2003 annual meetings. Laskawy, 60, is the recently retired chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young LLP.

The board also declared a quarterly dividend of $.07 per Common Share payable Sept. 30, 2001, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Sept. 14, 2001. Progressive, with headquarters in Mayfield Village, Ohio, is the fourth largest U.S. private passenger auto insurance company.