Forward-Looking Statements

This Form 10-K may provide information including certain statements which constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These include statements regarding the intent, belief, or current expectations of management, including, but not limited to, those statements that use the words "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," or similar expressions. You are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and results could differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: the frequency and severity of claims; uncertainties inherent in reserve estimates; catastrophic events; a change in the demand for, pricing of, availability or collectibility of reinsurance; increased rate pressure on premiums; ability to obtain rate increases in current market conditions; investment rate of return; changes in and adherence to insurance regulation; actions taken by regulators, rating agencies or lenders; attainment of certain processing efficiencies; changing rates of inflation; general economic conditions and other risks identified in our reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We are not under any obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Business Overview

We are a publicly traded specialty insurance company and risk management organization offering a full range of insurance products and services, focused on niche and specialty program business, which we believe is under served by the standard insurance market. Program business refers to an aggregation of individually underwritten risks that have some unique characteristic and are distributed through a select group of focused general agencies, retail agencies and program administrators. We perform the majority of underwriting and claims services associated with these programs. We also provide property and casualty insurance coverage and services through programs and specialty risk management solutions for agents, professional and trade associations, public entities and small to medium-sized insureds. In addition, we also operate as an insurance agency representing unaffiliated insurance companies in placing insurance coverages for policyholders. We define our business segments as specialty insurance operations and agency operations.

On July 31, 2008, our merger with ProCentury Corporation ("ProCentury") was completed ("Merger"). Under the terms of the merger agreement, ProCentury shareholders were entitled to receive, for each ProCentury common share, either $20.00 in cash or Meadowbrook common stock based on a 2.5000 exchange ratio, subject to adjustment as described within the merger agreement. In accordance with the merger agreement, the stock price used in determining the final cash and share consideration portion of the purchase price was based on the volume-weighted average sales price of a share of Meadowbrook common stock for the 30-day trading period ending on the sixth trading day before the completion of the Merger, or $5.7326. Based upon the final proration, the total purchase price was $227.2 million, of which $99.1 million consisted of cash, $122.7 million in newly issued common stock, and approximately $5.4 million in transaction related costs. The total number of common shares issued for purposes of the stock portion of the purchase price was 21.1 million shares.

ProCentury is a specialty insurance company, which primarily underwrites general liability, commercial property, environmental, garage keepers, commercial multi-peril, commercial auto, surety, and marine insurance primarily in the excess and surplus lines, or "non-admitted" market through a select group of general agents. The excess and surplus lines market provides insurance coverage for customers with hard-to-place risks that standard or admitted insurers typically choose not to insure.

Five months of earnings of ProCentury are included in our financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2008.

In July 2007, we completed an offering of 6,437,500 additional shares of newly issued common stock at $9.65 per share. The gross proceeds of the offering were $62.1 million. The net proceeds were $58.6 million. The net proceeds from the offering are being utilized to support organic growth within our underwriting operations, to fund select acquisitions and other general corporate purposes. Upon receipt of the net proceeds, we also reduced our outstanding line of credit balance from $22.0 million to zero.

Specialty Insurance Operations

Our specialty insurance operations segment, which includes insurance company specialty programs and fee-for-service specialty or managed programs, focuses on specialty or niche insurance business. Our specialty insurance operations provide services and coverages tailored to meet specific requirements of defined client groups and their members. These services include risk management consulting, claims administration and handling, loss control and prevention, and reinsurance placement, along with various types of property and casualty insurance coverage, including workers' compensation, commercial multiple peril, general liability, commercial auto liability, excess and surplus lines, environmental, garage keepers, surety, legal, professional liability, errors and omissions, inland marine, and other lines of business, where we see a market need and a profit potential. Insurance coverage is provided primarily to associations or similar groups of members and to specified classes of business of our agents. We recognize revenue related to the services and coverages the specialty insurance operations provides within seven categories: net earned premiums, management fees, claims fees, loss control fees, reinsurance placement, investment income, and net realized gains (losses).

We included the results of operations related to ProCentury within the specialty insurance operations. Therefore, specialty insurance operations include five months of results for ProCentury.

With a fee-for-service or managed program, we earn revenue by providing certain operational functions and other services to a client's risk-bearing entity, but generally do not share in the operating results of the program. The fees we receive from these programs are generally either a fixed amount or based on a percentage of premium serviced or claim count.

We provide three broad types of insurance company programs, including fully insured, captives and client risk-sharing programs. With a client risk-sharing program, our Insurance Company Subsidiaries underwrite individual primary insurance policies for members of a group or association, or a specific industry and then share the operating results with the client or client group through a reinsurance agreement with a captive or rent-a-captive. In some instances, a captive owned by a client or client group reinsures a portion of the risk on a quota-share basis. A captive is an insurance company or reinsurance company, which is formed for the purpose of insuring or reinsuring risks related to the businesses of its shareholders or members. A rent-a-captive allows organizations to obtain the benefits of a captive insurance company, without the initial costs and capital investment required to form their own captive. This is often an interim step utilized by groups and associations prior to forming their own captive. As part of its participation in a rent-a-captive, the client group purchases redeemable preferred stock of our unconsolidated subsidiary. These shares entitle the client group to participate in profits and losses of the program through a dividend or additional capital contribution. Dividends or additional capital contributions are determined and accrued on the basis of underwriting profits or losses plus investment income on trust accounts less costs. The captive and rent-a-captive structures are licensed reinsurance companies, which have a self-sustaining integrated set of activities and assets, and are in the reinsurance business for the purpose of providing a return to their investors, who are the shareholders ("primary beneficiaries") of the captive company. The primary beneficiaries have their own equity at risk, decision making authority, and the ability to absorb losses. Therefore, the transactions associated with the captive and rent-a-captive structures are accounted for under the provisions of SFAS No. 113, "Accounting and Reporting for Reinsurance of Short-Duration and Long-Duration Contracts."

In addition to premium revenue and investment income from our net retained portion of the operating results, we may also be compensated through the receipt of fees for policy issuance services and acquisition costs, captive administration, reinsurance placement, loss prevention services, and claims administrative and handling services. In addition, we may benefit from the fees our risk management subsidiary earns for services we perform on behalf of our Insurance Company Subsidiaries. These fees are eliminated upon consolidation. However, the fees associated with the captive's portion of the program are reimbursed through a ceding commission. For financial reporting purposes, ceding commissions are treated as a reduction in underwriting expenses.

With fully insured programs, we provide our insurance products without a risk-bearing mechanism and derive revenue from net earned premiums and investment income. Fully insured programs are generally developed in response to specific market opportunities and may evolve into a risk-sharing arrangement.

Agency Operations

We earn commission revenue through the operation of our retail property and casualty insurance agencies, located in Michigan, California, and Florida. The agency operations produce commercial, personal lines, life, and accident and health insurance, for more than fifty unaffiliated insurance carriers. The agency produces an immaterial amount of business for our affiliated Insurance Company Subsidiaries.

In recent years, we have derived our revenue from the following sources (in thousands):

                                                 For the Years Ended December 31,
                                                2008             2007          2006

    Revenues
    Net earned premiums                      $   369,721       $ 268,197     $ 254,920
    Management fees                               21,168          23,963        18,714
    Claims fees                                    8,879           9,025         8,776
    Loss control fees                              2,069           2,151         2,216
    Reinsurance placement                            728             929           735
    Investment income                             35,888          25,487        21,115
    Net realized (losses) gains                  (11,422 )           150            69

    Specialty insurance operations               427,031         329,902       306,545
    Agency operations                             11,064          11,316        12,285
    Holding Company interest income earned           736             913           960
    Intersegment revenue                          (1,004 )        (1,396 )      (1,554 )

    Consolidated revenue                     $   437,827       $ 340,735     $ 318,236

Critical Accounting Policies

General

In certain circumstances, we are required to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and related footnotes. We evaluate these estimates and assumptions on an on-going basis based on a variety of factors. There can be no assurance, however, the actual results will not be materially different than our estimates and assumptions, and that reported results of operation will not be affected by accounting adjustments needed to reflect changes in these estimates and assumptions. We believe the following policies are the most sensitive to estimates and judgments.

Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses

Significant periods of time can elapse between the occurrence of a loss, the reporting of the loss to the insurer, and the insurer's payment of that loss. To recognize liabilities for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses ("LAE"), insurers establish reserves as balance sheet liabilities representing estimates of amounts needed to pay reported and unreported net losses and LAE.

We establish a liability for losses and LAE, which represents case based estimates of reported unpaid losses and LAE and actuarial estimates of incurred but not reported losses ("IBNR") and LAE. Such liabilities, by necessity, are based upon estimates and, while we believe the amount of our reserves is adequate, the ultimate liability may be greater or less than the estimate. As of December 31, 2008 and 2007, we have accrued $885.7 million and $540.0 million of gross loss and LAE reserves, respectively.

Components of Losses and Loss Adjustment Expense

The following table sets forth our gross and net reserves for losses and LAE
based upon an underlying source of data, at December 31, 2008 (in thousands):


                                           Case          IBNR          Total

           Direct                        $ 251,362     $ 501,500     $ 752,862
           Assumed-Directly Managed(1)      41,228        59,313       100,541
           Assumed-Residual Markets(2)       9,893        14,091        23,984
           Assumed-Retroceded                1,288           300         1,588
           Assumed-Other                     4,384         2,338         6,722

           Gross                           308,155       577,542       885,697
           Less Ceded                       95,016       165,350       260,366

           Net                           $ 213,139     $ 412,192     $ 625,331

(1) Directly managed represents business managed and processed by our underwriting, claims, and loss control departments, utilizing our internal systems and related controls.

(2) Residual markets represent mandatory pooled workers' compensation business allocated to individual insurance company writers based on the insurer's market share in a given state.

The reserves referenced in the above table related to our direct and assumed business, which we directly manage and are established through transactions processed through our internal systems and related controls. Accordingly, the case reserves are established on a current basis, therefore there is no delay or lag in reporting of losses from a ceding company, and IBNR is determined utilizing various actuarial methods based upon historical data. Ultimate reserve estimates related to assumed business from residual markets are provided by individual states on a two quarter lag between the date of the evaluation and the receipt of the estimate from the National Council on Compensation Insurance ("NCCI"), and include an estimated reserve based upon actuarial methods for this lag. Assumed business, which is subsequently 100% retroceded to participating reinsurers, relates to business previously discontinued and now is in run-off. Relative to assumed business from other sources, we receive case and paid loss data within a forty-five day reporting period and develop our estimates for IBNR based on both current and historical data.

The completeness and accuracy of data received from cedants on assumed business that we do not manage directly is verified through monthly reconciliations to detailed statements, inception to date rollforwards of claim data, actuarial estimates of historical trends, field audits, and a series of management oversight reports on a program basis.

                       MEADOWBROOK INSURANCE GROUP, INC.

                MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS - continued

The following table sets forth our net case and IBNR reserves for losses and LAE
by line of business at December 31, 2008 (in thousands):


                                                 Net Case      Net IBNR        Total

   Workers' Compensation                         $  61,383     $  86,430     $ 147,813
   Residual Markets                                  9,893        14,091        23,984
   Commercial Multiple Peril/General Liability      82,317       234,871       317,188
   Commercial Automobile                            36,980        55,808        92,788
   Other                                            22,566        20,992        43,558

   Total                                         $ 213,139     $ 412,192     $ 625,331

Claim Reserving Process and Methodology

When a claim is reported to one of our Insurance Company Subsidiaries, for the majority of claims, our claims personnel within our risk management subsidiary will establish a case reserve for the estimated amount of the ultimate payment. The amount of the reserve is primarily based upon a case-by-case evaluation of the type of claim involved, the circumstances surrounding each claim, and the policy provisions relating to the type of losses. The estimate reflects the informed judgment of such personnel based on general insurance reserving practices, which focus on the ultimate probable cost of each reported claim, as well as the experience and knowledge of the claims person. Until the claim is resolved, these estimates are revised as deemed necessary by the responsible claims personnel based on subsequent developments, new information or periodic reviews of the claims.

In addition to case reserves and in accordance with industry practice, we maintain estimates of reserves for losses and LAE incurred but not yet reported. We project an estimate of ultimate losses and LAE at each reporting date. The difference between the projected ultimate loss and LAE reserves and the case loss reserves and LAE reserves, is carried as IBNR reserves. By using both estimates of reported claims and IBNR determined using generally accepted actuarial reserving techniques, we estimate the ultimate liability for losses and LAE, net of reinsurance recoverables.

In developing claim and claim adjustment expense reserve estimates, we perform a complete and detailed reserve analyses each quarter. To perform this analysis, the data is organized at a "reserve category" level. A reserve category can be a line of business such as commercial automobile liability, or it may be a particular geographical area within a line of business such as Nevada workers' compensation. The reserves within a reserve category level are characterized as either short tail or long tail. About 95% of our reserves can be characterized as coming from long tail lines of business. For long tail business, several years may lapse between the time the business is written and the time when all claims are settled. Our long-tail exposures include workers' compensation, commercial automobile liability, general liability, professional liability, products liability, excess, and umbrella. Short-tail exposures include property, commercial automobile physical damage, a portion of ocean marine, and inland marine. The analyses generally review losses both gross and net of reinsurance.

The standard actuarial methods that we use to project ultimate losses for both long-tail and short-tail exposures include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Paid Development Method
• Incurred Development Method
• Paid Bornhuetter-Ferguson Method
• Reported Bornhuetter-Ferguson Method
• Initial Expected Loss Method
• Paid Roll-forward Method

• Incurred Roll-forward Method
• Construction Defect Method

All of these methods are consistently applied to every reserve category where they are applicable and they create indications for each accident year. We use judgment selecting the best estimate from within these estimates or adjusted estimates. As such, no one method or group of methods is strictly used for any line of business or reserve category within a line of business. The individual selections by year are our best judgments based on the strengths and weaknesses of the method, indications, the inherent variability in the data and the specific modifications to selections for data characteristics.

A brief description of the methods and some discussion of their inherent strengths, weaknesses and uses are as follows:

Paid Development Method. This method uses historical, cumulative paid losses by accident year and develops those actual losses to estimated ultimate losses based upon the assumption that each accident year will develop to estimated ultimate cost in a manner that is analogous to prior years, adjusted as deemed appropriate for the expected effects of known changes in the claim payment environment, and to the extent necessary supplemented by analyses of the development of broader industry data.

Selection of the paid loss pattern requires analysis of several factors including the impact of inflation on claims costs, the rate at which claims professionals make claim payments and close claims, the impact of judicial decisions, the impact of underwriting changes, the impact of large claim payments and other factors. Claim cost inflation itself requires evaluation of changes in the cost of repairing or replacing property, changes in the cost of medical care, changes in the cost of wage replacement, judicial decisions, legislative changes and other factors. Because this method assumes that losses are paid at a consistent rate, changes in any of these factors can impact the results. Since the method does not rely on case reserves, it is not directly influenced by changes in the adequacy of case reserves.

Incurred Development Method. This method uses historical, cumulative reported loss dollars by accident year and develops those actual losses to estimated ultimate losses based upon the assumption that each accident year will develop to estimated ultimate cost in a manner that is analogous to prior years, adjusted as deemed appropriate for the expected effects of known changes in the claim payment and case reserving environment, and to the extent necessary supplemented by analyses of the development of broader industry data.

Since the method uses more data (case reserves in addition to paid losses) than the paid development method, the incurred development patterns may be less variable than paid patterns. However, selection of the incurred loss pattern requires analysis of all of the factors listed in the description of the paid development method. In addition, the inclusion of case reserves can lead to distortions if changes in case reserving practices have taken place and the use of case incurred losses may not eliminate the issues associated with estimating the incurred loss pattern subsequent to the most mature point available.

Paid Bornhuetter-Ferguson Method. This is a method that assigns partial weight to initial expected losses for each accident year and partial weight to observed paid losses. The weights assigned to the initial expected losses decrease as the accident year matures.

The method assumes that only future losses will develop at the expected loss ratio level. The percent of paid loss to ultimate loss implied from the paid development method is used to determine what percentage of ultimate loss is yet to be paid. The use of the pattern from the paid development method requires consideration of all factors listed in the description of the paid development method. The estimate of losses yet to be paid is added to current paid losses to estimate the ultimate loss for each year. This method will react very slowly if actual ultimate loss ratios are different from expectations due to changes not accounted for by the expected loss ratio calculation.

Reported Bornhuetter-Ferguson Method. This is a method that assigns partial weight to the initial expected losses and partial weight to observed reported loss dollars (paid losses plus case reserves). The weights assigned to the initial expected losses decrease as the accident year matures.

The use of case incurred losses instead of paid losses can result in development patterns that are less variable than paid patterns. However, the inclusion of case reserves can lead to distortions if changes in case reserving have taken place, and the method requires analysis of all the factors that need to be reviewed for the expected loss ratio and incurred development methods.

Initial Expected Loss Method. This method is used directly, and as an input to the Bornhuetter-Ferguson methods. Initial expected losses for an accident year are based on adjusting prior accident year projections to the current accident year levels using underlying loss trends, rate changes, benefit changes, reinsurance structure and cost changes and other pertinent adjustments specific to the line of business.

This method may be useful if loss development patterns are inconsistent, losses emerge very slowly, or there is relatively little loss history from which to estimate future losses. The selection of the expected loss ratio requires analysis of loss ratios from earlier accident years or pricing studies and analysis of inflationary trends, frequency trends, rate changes, underwriting changes, and other applicable factors.

Paid Roll-forward Method. This method adjusts prior estimates of ultimate losses based on the actual paid loss emergence in the quarter compared to the expected emergence. It is useful in determining reserves that avoid overreacting to ordinary fluctuations in the development patterns.

Incurred Roll-forward Method. This method adjusts prior estimates of ultimate losses based on the actual case incurred loss emergence in the quarter compared to the expected emergence. It may also be useful in determining reserves that avoid overreacting to ordinary fluctuations in the development patterns and generally reacts faster than the paid roll-forward method.

Claims for short-tail lines of business settle more quickly than long-tail lines of business, and in general, loss development factors for short-tail lines are smaller than long-tail lines. For long-tail lines, we tend to rely on initial expected loss methods throughout the current accident year then move to development factor based methods for older accident years. Development methods on short-tail lines are generally reliable in the third and fourth quarter of . . .