Lancer Insurance Co. was named to Ward’s Top 50 performing companies in the U.S. property casualty insurance industry for the third consecutive year.

The award for the 2012 calendar year’s performance (covering 2008 to 2012) joins Lancer’s 2011 and 2010 awards, recognizing its superior performance for the 2007 to 2011 and 2006 to 2010 periods, respectively.

In making the announcement, Ward Group Partner Jeff Rieder noted that the 50 companies selected distinguished themselves from the more than 3,000 companies analyzed by collectively demonstrating the ability to thrive in challenging economic times.

The companies selected for the honor represent slightly over 1% of all companies analyzed by the Ward Group. The firm analyzes staff levels, business practices and expenses for all areas of insurance company operations to help companies measure results and optimize performance.

In accepting the prestigious designation from the Ward Group for the third straight year, Lancer’s President Dave Delaney said he was most pleased that Ward recognized Lancer for achieving outstanding financial results in the areas of safety, consistency and performance over a five-year period (2008 to 2012) that presented unprecedented business challenges.

He credited Lancer’s management and staff for achieving the Ward’s Top 50 benchmark to stay profitable and strengthen surplus at a greater rate than the overall property casualty insurance industry.