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Procedures for Shareholders to Propose Candidates for Directors

Written Notice by Shareholder

Any shareholder desiring to propose a candidate for election to the Board may do so by mailing to the Company's Secretary a written notice which identifies the candidate and includes the information required below. Upon receipt, the Secretary will forward to the Company the notice and the other information provided. The notice and supporting information should be sent to the Secretary at the following address:

Charles E. Jarrett, Secretary

The Progressive Corporation
6300 Wilson Mills Road
Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143

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Content of Notice

The written notice must include the following:

  1. The name of the nominating shareholder, and the address(es) and phone number(s) at which the nominating shareholder can be contacted;

  2. Evidence of the number of the Company's Common Shares, $1.00 par value, held by the nominating shareholder, a statement of how long the nominating shareholder has held those shares, and a statement that the nominating shareholder will continue to hold those shares at least through the Company's next Annual Meeting of Shareholders;

  3. The candidate's full name, together with address(es) and phone number(s) where the candidate can be contacted;

  4. A statement of the candidate's qualifications and experiences, and any other qualities that the nominating shareholder believes that the candidate would bring to the Board;

  5. A statement, signed by both the nominating shareholder and the candidate: (i) that the nominating shareholder and the candidate currently do not have, and in the prior three (3) years have not had, directly or indirectly, any business, professional or other relationship, and that the nominating shareholder and the candidate do not have any agreement, arrangement or understanding with respect to the candidate's proposed service as a Director of the Company; or (ii) if either of the foregoing statements is incorrect in any way, describing in detail the business, professional or other relationship or the agreement, arrangement or understanding, as applicable;

  6. The candidate's resume, which must include at a minimum a detailed description of the candidate's business, professional or other appropriate experience for at least the last ten (10) years, a list of other boards of directors of public companies (if any) on which the candidate currently serves or on which he or she served in the last five (5) years, undergraduate and post-graduate educational information (if applicable) and at least three (3) business, professional or personal references for the candidate (in addition to the nominating shareholder); and

  7. A written statement, signed by the candidate, agreeing that if he or she is selected by the Committee and the Board, he or she will (i) be a nominee for election to the Board, (ii) provide all information necessary for the Company to include in the Company's Proxy Statement under applicable SEC or NYSE rules, and (iii) serve as Director if he or she is elected by shareholders.

The nominating shareholder may also include any additional information that the shareholder believes is relevant to the Committee's consideration of the candidate. If a shareholder proposes a candidate without submitting all of the foregoing items, the Committee may, in its discretion, reject the proposed candidate, request more information from the nominating shareholder, or consider the proposed candidate while reserving the right to request more information. In addition, the Committee further reserves the right to limit each shareholder to one (1) proposed candidate in any calendar year and not to consider any additional candidate(s) proposed by such shareholder or affiliates of such shareholder.

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Committee's Consideration

It is the policy of the Committee to review and evaluate each candidate for nomination submitted by shareholder's in accordance with these procedures on the same basis as candidates that are suggested by the Company's Board members or executive officers or by other sources, which may include professional search firms retained by the Committee. The Committee will give strong preference to candidates that are likely to be deemed independent from the Company under SEC and NYSE rules. Likewise, as to shareholder-proposed candidates, the Committee may give more weight to candidates who are unaffiliated with the shareholder proposing their nomination and to candidates who are proposed by long-standing shareholders with significant share ownership (i.e., greater than 1% of the Company's Common Shares that have been owned for more than 2 years).

In considering Director nominations generally, the Committee will consider the current composition of the Board and how it functions as a group; the talents, personalities, strengths and any weaknesses of current Board members; the value of contributions made by individual Board members; the need for a person with a specific skills, experiences or background to be added to the Board; any available or anticipated vacancies due to retirement or other reasons; and other factors which may enter into the nomination decision. Upon the expiration of a Director's term on the Board, the current Director will be given preference for nomination when the Director indicates his or her willingness to continue serving and, in the Committee's judgment, the Director has made and is likely to continue to make a significant contribution to the Board and the Company.

When considering an individual candidate's suitability for the Board, the Committee will evaluate each individual on a case-by-case basis. The Committee does not prescribe minimum qualifications or standards for Directors, but instead looks for Directors who have demonstrated the ability to satisfy the fundamental criteria set forth in the Committee's Charter - Integrity, Judgment, Commitment, Preparation, Participation and Contribution. In addition, the Committee will review the extent of the candidate's demonstrated excellence and success in his or her chosen business, professional or other career and the skills and talents which the candidate would be expected to add to the Board. The Committee may choose, in individual cases, to conduct interviews with the candidate and/or contact references, business associates, other members of boards on which the candidate serves or other appropriate persons to obtain additional information. Such background inquiries may also be conducted, in whole or in part, on the Committee's behalf by third parties, such as professional search firms. The Committee will make its determinations on whether to nominate an individual candidate based on the Board's then-current needs, the merits of each such candidate and the qualifications of other available candidates. If a candidate is not nominated, the Committee will have the discretion to reconsider his or her candidacy in connection with future vacancies on the Board.

The Committee's decision not to nominate a particular individual for election to the Board will not be publicized by the Company. The Committee will have no obligation to respond to shareholders who propose candidates that the Committee has determined not to nominate for election to the Board, but the Committee may choose to do so in its sole discretion.

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Timing of Proposals

Shareholders may propose candidates to the Committee pursuant to these procedures at any time. However, to be considered by the Committee in connection with the Company's next Annual Meeting of Shareholders (held in April of each year), the Secretary must receive the shareholder's proposal and the information required above on or before November 30th of the year immediately preceding such Annual Meeting.

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Other Rights

The procedures set forth in this document are in addition to any rights that a shareholder may have under the Company's Code of Regulations or under any applicable laws or regulations in connection with the nomination of Directors for the Company's Board.

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Last updated: January 2004 It's about you. And it's about time. ®

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