Mercury General Corporation to Report Fourth Quarter Results on February 5, 2001

Mercury General Corporation (NYSE: MCY), a major California automobile insurer with operations in several states reported that on Monday, February 5, 2001, the Company will release results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2000. The Company also said that Chief Executive Officer, George Joseph, will host an investor conference call that same day at 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time (1:00 P.M. Eastern Time) to review the Company's results of operations for the fourth quarter and year end periods.

All interested investors will be able to listen to the conference call through the following toll-free telephone number: (800) 230-1092. A digitized replay is scheduled to begin on 02/05/01 at 1:30 P.M. and will end on 02/12/01 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time. The replay telephone numbers are as follows: USA (800) 475-6701, International # (320) 365-3844. The access code is 566449.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. The statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements based on the Company's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by the Company. Actual results may differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of the Company) and are subject to change based upon various factors, including but no limited to the following risks and uncertainties: changes in the demand for the Company's insurance products, and in general economic conditions; the possibility actual loss experience may vary adversely from the actuarial estimates made to determine the Company's loss reserves; legislation adverse to the automobile insurance industry or business generally may be enacted in California or other states; the presence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing and marketing efforts; and various legal, regulatory and litigation risks. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as the result of new information, future events or otherwise. For a more detailed discussion of some of the foregoing risks and uncertainties, see the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: Mercury General Corporation

Contact: Gabriel Tirador, CFO of Mercury General Corporation,
323-937-1060

Website: http://www.mercuryinsurance.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/554587.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 554587