Insurance office to cut 47 jobs in Spokane

The Spokane office of a national financial and insurance services company will cut 47 jobs over the next 18 months, officials of Unitrin, Inc., said Friday.

The decision is the result of Chicago-based Unitrin consolidating its insurance subsidiaries since acquiring the personal property and casualty insurance lines of Kemper Insurance Companies, said company spokeswoman Dorothy Langley. Langley works in the Dallas office of Trinity Universal Insurance Companies, the Unitrin insurance subsidiary that operates the Spokane office.

Buying the Kemper lines in 2002 cost Unitrin about $45 million, according to company press releases.

The Spokane workers are employed in a claims and service center at 1330 N. Washington.

Langley said the Spokane office will see a gradual reduction from about 75 workers today to around 28 over the next year and a half.

Those losing jobs cover a variety of office functions, she said. The group that remains will handle claims and underwriting for the consolidated insurance group.

Employees who are being laid off will receive a severance package based on time with the company, Langley said.

Unitrin has operated an office in Spokane for roughly 10 years, she said.

Nationwide, Unitrin employs about 9,000 workers. The company offers a wide range of services, stressing auto and home insurance.

Two weeks ago, Unitrin officials announced the company expects net losses of less than $15 million resulting from Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

Unitrin’s financial statements say the company has more than 6 million policyholders and is one of the country’s top 25 auto insurers.

It has assets of $8.8 billion and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.