NU Online News Service, Sept. 26, 12:19 p.m.EDT

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. may be in talks to acquireHarleysville Group based in Pennsylvania, according to a reportfrom Bloomberg.

Talks were ongoing and could still collapse, the report says,citing anonymous sources.

In an e-mail today from Nationwide, Joe Case, a spokesman forthe company, says the company continually reviews “potentialopportunities that come to our attention, but we are not in aposition to publicly comment or speculate on thoseopportunities.”

Randy Buckwalter, spokesman for Harleysville says, in an e-mail,“We don't comment on these types of matters.”

According to Highline Data, a Summit Business MediaCo., that also owns National Underwriter, Nationwide,based in Columbus, Ohio, is ranked as the eighth largest propertyand casualty insurer in the United States with more than $14billion in direct premium written in 2010. Harleysville is ranked53 with more than $1.25 billion in direct premium written.

The Bloomberg story, which appeared Friday, is “Nationwide Is Said To Be in Talks To BuyHarleysville Group.”