Document:

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                                                                     Exhibit 4.3

                           DIRECT GENERAL CORPORATION

                          ELDON CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P.

                      SERIES B CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK

                                ----------------
                       PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                ----------------

                          Dated as of November 18, 1996

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                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

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                                                                                                                PAGES
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<S>                                                                                                             <C>
1.       Authorization of Shares..................................................................................1

2.       Sale and Purchase of Shares..............................................................................1

3.       Closing; Fees............................................................................................1
   3.1      Closing...............................................................................................1
   3.2      Legal Fees............................................................................................2

4.       Conditions to Purchaser's Obligations....................................................................2
   4.1      Representations and Warranties........................................................................2
   4.2      Performance; No Default...............................................................................2
   4.3      Compliance Certificate................................................................................2
   4.4      Opinions of Counsel...................................................................................2
   4.5      Stockholders Agreement................................................................................2
   4.6      Amendment of Charter..................................................................................3
   4.7      Other Financing.......................................................................................3
   4.8      Consents, Agreements..................................................................................3
   4.9      Compliance with Securities Laws.......................................................................3
   4.10     Proceedings and Documents.............................................................................3
   4.11     Fees..................................................................................................4
   4.12     Engagement Agreement..................................................................................4

5.       Condition to the Company's Obligations...................................................................4
   5.1      Representations and Warranties........................................................................4
   5.2      Performance; No Default...............................................................................4
   5.3      Stockholders Agreement................................................................................4
   5.4      Consents, Agreements..................................................................................4
   5.5      Minimum Investment....................................................................................5

6.       Representations and Warranties, etc......................................................................5
   6.1      Organization, Standing, etc...........................................................................5
   6.2      Subsidiaries..........................................................................................5
   6.3      Qualification.........................................................................................5
   6.4      Business; Financial Statements........................................................................5
   6.5      Changes, etc..........................................................................................6
   6.6      Reserves and other Insurance Liabilities..............................................................7
   6.7      Capital Stock and Related Matters.....................................................................7
   6.8      Tax Returns and Payments..............................................................................8
   6.9      Debt..................................................................................................9
   6.10     Title to Properties; Liens............................................................................9
   6.11     Litigation, etc.......................................................................................9
   6.12     Compliance with Other Instruments, etc...............................................................10
   6.13     Governmental Consent.................................................................................10
   6.14     Patents, Trademarks, Authorizations, etc.............................................................10
   6.15     Compliance with ERISA................................................................................11
   6.16     Environmental Matters................................................................................11
   6.17     Insurance............................................................................................12
   6.18     Material Contracts and Obligations...................................................................12
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<S>                                                                                                              <C>
   6.19     Employees............................................................................................12
   6.20     Books and Records....................................................................................13
   6.21     Accounts and Notes Receivable........................................................................13
   6.22     "Sensitive" Payments"................................................................................13
   6.23     Disclosure...........................................................................................14
   6.24     Use of Proceeds......................................................................................14
   6.25     Investment Company Act...............................................................................14
   6.26     U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation...............................................................14
   6.27     No Adverse Legislation, Action or Decision, etc......................................................14

7.       Purchase for Investment; Source of Funds................................................................14
   7.1      Purchase for Investment..............................................................................15
   7.2      Source of Funds......................................................................................15
   7.3      Authority............................................................................................15
   7.4      Experience...........................................................................................15
   7.5      Accredited Investor..................................................................................15

8.       Accounting; Financial Statements and Other Information..................................................15

9.       Covenants of the Company................................................................................17
   9.1      Inspection...........................................................................................17
   9.2      Corporate Existence, etc.; Business..................................................................17
   9.3      Payment of Taxes and Claims; Tax Consolidation.......................................................18
   9.4      Maintenance of Properties; Insurance.................................................................18
   9.5      Transactions with Affiliates.........................................................................18
   9.6      Board Approval.......................................................................................19
   9.7      Compensation of Executive Officers...................................................................19
   9.8      Key Man Insurance....................................................................................19
   9.9      Preemptive Rights....................................................................................19
   9.10     Auditor and Actuary..................................................................................21
   9.11     Ownership of Subsidiaries............................................................................21
   9.12     Negative Covenants...................................................................................21
   9.13     Expenses of Directors and Purchaser Representatives..................................................23
   9.14     Reservation of Common Stock..........................................................................23
   9.15     Director and Officer Insurance.......................................................................24
   9.16     Stock Option Plan....................................................................................24
   9.17     Compliance with Laws.................................................................................24
   9.18     Termination of Covenants.............................................................................24

10.      Registration Under Securities Act, etc..................................................................24
   10.1     Required Registrations...............................................................................24
   10.2     Incidental Registration..............................................................................26
   10.3     Registration Procedures..............................................................................27
   10.4     Allocation of Expenses...............................................................................30
   10.5     Indemnification and Contribution.....................................................................30
   10.6     Indemnification with Respect to Underwritten Offering................................................33
   10.7     Information by Holder................................................................................33
   10.8     "Stand-Off" Agreement................................................................................33
   10.9     Limitations on Subsequent Registration Rights........................................................34
   10.10    Rule 144 Requirements................................................................................34
   10.11    Selection of Underwriter.............................................................................35
</TABLE>

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   10.12     Mergers, Etc........................................................................................35

11.      Definitions.............................................................................................35

12.      Confidentiality.........................................................................................43

13.      Option to Sell or Purchase..............................................................................44

14.      Purchase Price Adjustment...............................................................................44

15.      Registration, Transfer and Substitution of Shares; Action by Shareholders...............................45
   15.1     Share Register; Ownership of Shares..................................................................45
   15.2     Transfer and Exchange of Shares......................................................................45
   15.3     Replacement of Shares................................................................................45
   15.4     Shares held by Company, etc., Deemed Not Outstanding.................................................45
   15.5     Sale or Transfer of Shares; Legend...................................................................45

16.      Payments on Shares......................................................................................46

17.      Survival of Representations and Warranties..............................................................47

18.      Amendments and Waivers..................................................................................47

19.      Notices, etc............................................................................................47

20.      Miscellaneous...........................................................................................48
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EXHIBITS AND SCHEDULES

EXHIBIT A         Certificate of Designation

EXHIBIT B-1       Opinion of Company Counsel

EXHIBIT B-2       Opinion of General Counsel of Company

EXHIBIT B-3       Opinion of Special Louisiana Counsel

EXHIBIT C         Form of Stockholders Agreement

SCHEDULE A        Schedule of Purchasers

SCHEDULE B        Schedule of Subsidiaries

SCHEDULE C        Schedule of Equity Holders

SCHEDULE D        Schedule of Debt and Liens of Direct Companies

SCHEDULE E        Disclosure Schedule

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                       PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT

         PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT, dated as of November 18, 1996,
among DIRECT GENERAL CORPORATION, a Tennessee corporation (the "Company"), and
ELDON CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the "PURCHASER").

                  1.       Authorization of Shares. The Company will authorize
the issue and sale of 96,069 shares of its Series B Convertible Preferred Stock,
no par value (the "Series B Preferred Stock"), having the rights, restrictions,
privileges, preferences and voting powers set forth in the Certificate of
Designation set out in Exhibit A (the "Certificate of Designation"), with such
changes therefrom, if any, as may be approved by the Company and the Purchaser.
Certain capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in section 11;
references to a "Schedule" or an "Exhibit" are, unless otherwise specified, to a
Schedule or an Exhibit attached to this Agreement.

                  2.       Sale and Purchase of Shares. Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, the Company will issue and sell to the Purchaser
and the Purchaser will purchase from the Company, at the Closing provided for in
section 3, the number of shares of the Series B Preferred Stock specified
opposite the name of the Purchaser in Schedule A at the purchase price of
$54.036 per share. Contemporaneously with entering into this Agreement, the
Company is entering into a separate Purchase Agreement (the "Other Agreement")
identical with this Agreement with the other purchaser named in Schedule A (the
"Other Purchaser"), providing for the sale to the Other Purchaser, at such
Closing, of the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock specified opposite
its name in Schedule A. The shares of Preferred Stock being purchased by all the
purchasers, listed in Schedule A, and the shares of Preferred Stock to be issued
by way of dividends, are hereinafter referred to as the "Shares".

                  3.       Closing; Fees.

                  3.1.     Closing. The sale of the Shares to be purchased by
the Purchaser shall take place at the offices of Becker, Glynn, Melamed & Muffly
LLP, 299 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10171, at 10:00 a.m., New York City
time, at a closing (the "Closing") on November 25, 1996 or at such other time
and place as may be agreed upon by the Company and the Purchaser. At the Closing
the Company will deliver to the Purchaser the Shares to be purchased by the
Purchaser in the form of a single Share certificate (or such greater number of
Share certificates in such denominations as the Purchaser may request)
registered in the name of the Purchaser (or in the name of its nominee), against
delivery by the Purchaser to the Company or its order of immediately available
funds in the amount of the purchase price therefor.

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                  3.2.     Legal Fees. On the date of the Closing, the Company
will pay the reasonable costs and expenses of the Purchaser incurred in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including
without limitation the fees and disbursements of the Purchaser's special counsel
and special regulatory counsel, if any, incurred in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, against presentation to the Company
of a schedule showing such costs and expenses in reasonable detail; provided
that the fees payable pursuant to this section 3.2 and section 3.2 of the Other
Agreement will in no event exceed an aggregate of $75,000.

                  4.       Conditions to Purchaser's Obligations. The obligation
of the Purchaser to purchase and pay for the Shares to be sold to it at the
Closing is subject to the fulfillment to the Purchaser's satisfaction, prior to
or at the Closing, of the following conditions:

                  4.1.     Representations and Warranties. The representations
and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement and those set forth in
the Schedules and Exhibits hereto shall be correct when made and at the time of
the Closing, except as affected by the consummation of such transactions.

                  4.2.     Performance; No Default. The Company shall have
performed and complied in all material respects with all agreements and
conditions contained in this Agreement required to be performed or complied with
by it prior to or at the Closing.

                  4.3.     Compliance Certificate. The Company shall have
delivered to the Purchaser an Officers' Certificate, dated the date of the
Closing, certifying that the conditions specified in sections 4.1 and 4.2 have
been fulfilled.

                  4.4.     Opinions of Counsel. The Purchaser shall have
received (a) from Bass, Berry & Sims, counsel for the Company, a favorable
opinion substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B-l, (b) from Kurt G.
Schreiber, Esq., Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Company, a
favorable opinion substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B-2, and (c)
from Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P., special Louisiana counsel for the
Company, a favorable opinion substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B-3.

                  4.5.     Stockholders Agreement. The Stockholders Agreement
shall have been duly executed and delivered by the parties thereto, in
substantially the form of Exhibit C.

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                  4.6.     Amendment of Charter. The Charter of the Company
shall have been amended to include (a) substantially the provisions set forth in
Exhibit A relating to the Series B Preferred Stock and (b) such revisions of the
certificate of designation relating to the Series A Preferred Stock as may be
necessary to permit the transactions contemplated hereby, and, except as so
amended, the Charter shall not have been amended or modified without the
Purchaser's prior written consent.

                  4.7.     Other Financing. A complete and correct copy of the
Loan Agreement, dated October 3, 1996, among the Company, Direct, First
Tennessee Bank National Association, as Agent, and the banks named therein; the
Fourth Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, dated August 29, 1996, among the
Company, certain of its affiliates and Subsidiaries, First Tennessee Bank
National Association, as Agent, and the banks named therein; and the Stock
Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 6, 1996, between the Company and
Mutual Service Casualty Insurance Company; shall have been delivered to the
Purchaser.

                  4.8.     Consents, Agreements. The Company and the Purchaser
shall have obtained from the Department of Commerce and Insurance of the State
of Tennessee an Order of Exemption from the provisions of Tennessee Code
Annotated Section 56-11-203 with respect to this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement; and the Company and the Purchaser shall have
obtained from the Department of Insurance of the State of Louisiana an Order of
Exemption from the provisions of Louisiana Code LFA-R.S. 22:1004 E(2) (a) with
respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Such Orders of Exemption shall be in form and scope satisfactory to the
Purchaser and shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date. The Direct
Companies shall have obtained all other consents and waivers of governmental
authorities and any other Person necessary in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, and such consents and waivers shall be in full
force and effect on the Closing Date. A complete and correct copy of such Orders
of Exemption and each of such other consents and waivers shall have been
delivered to the Purchaser.

                  4.9.     Compliance with Securities Laws. The offering and
sale of the Shares to the Purchaser shall have complied with all applicable
requirements of federal and state securities laws (including state insurance
securities laws) and the Purchaser shall have received evidence thereof in form
and substance reasonably satisfactory to it.

                  4.10.    Proceedings and Documents. All corporate and other
proceedings in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
and all documents and instruments incident to such transactions shall be
reasonably satisfactory to the Purchaser and its special counsel, and the
Purchaser and its special counsel shall have

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received all such counterpart originals or certified or other copies of such
documents as they may reasonably request.

                  4.11.    Fees. The fees required to be paid by section 3.2
shall have been paid as therein provided.

                  4.12.    Engagement Agreement. The Company shall have executed
and delivered to Eldon Capital the Engagement Agreement, providing for the
engagement by the Company of Eldon Capital as consultant to the Company, and the
Common Stock Purchase Warrant provided for therein.

                  5.       Condition to the Company's Obligations. The
obligation of the Company to. issue and sell the Shares to be sold by it at the
Closing is subject to the fulfillment to the Company's satisfaction, prior to or
at the Closing, of the following conditions:

                  5.1.     Representations and Warranties. The representations
and warranties of the Purchaser contained in this Agreement shall be correct
when made and at the time of the Closing, except as affected by the consummation
of such transactions.

                  5.2.     Performance; No Default. The Purchaser shall have
performed and complied in all material respects with all agreements and
conditions contained in this Agreement required to be performed or complied with
by them, if any, prior to or at the Closing.

                  5.3.     Stockholders Agreement. The Stockholders Agreement
shall have been duly executed and delivered by the parties thereto, in
substantially the form of Exhibit C.

                  5.4.     Consents, Agreements. The Company and the Purchaser
shall have obtained from the Department of Commerce and Insurance of the State
of Tennessee an Order of Exemption from the provisions of Tennessee Code
Annotated Section 56-11-203 with respect to this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement; and the Company and the Purchaser shall have
obtained from the Department of Insurance of the State of Louisiana an Order of
Exemption from the provisions of Louisiana Code LFA-R.S. 22:1004 E(2) (a) with
respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Such Orders of Exemption shall be in form and scope satisfactory to the Company
and shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date. The Direct Companies
shall have obtained all other consents and waivers of governmental authorities
and any other Person necessary in connection with the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement, and such consents and waivers shall be in full force and
effect on the Closing Date.

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                  5.5.     Minimum Investment. The Purchaser and the Other
Purchaser, collectively, shall have tendered at the Closing aggregate
consideration of not less than $8,000,000 for the purchase of the Shares.

                  6.       Representations and Warranties, etc. The Company
represents and warrants that:

                  6.1.     Organization, Standing, etc. The Company is a
corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of the State
of Tennessee and has all requisite corporate power and authority to own and
operate its properties, to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into
this Agreement, to issue and sell the Shares and to carry out the terms of this
Agreement.

                  6.2.     Subsidiaries. Schedule B correctly lists as to each
Subsidiary on the date of this Agreement (a) its name, (b) the jurisdiction of
its incorporation and (c) the percentage of its issued and outstanding shares
owned by the Company or another Subsidiary (specifying such other Subsidiary).
Each Subsidiary is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good
standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation and has all
requisite corporate power and authority to own and operate its properties and to
carry on its business as now conducted. All the outstanding shares of capital
stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and
all such shares indicated in Schedule B as owned by the Company or by any other
Subsidiary are so owned beneficially and of record by the Company or by such
other Subsidiary free and clear of any Lien other than Permitted Liens.

                  6.3.     Qualification. Each of the Direct Companies is duly
qualified and in good standing as a foreign corporation authorized to do
business in each jurisdiction (other than the jurisdiction of its incorporation)
in which the nature of its activities or the character of the properties it owns
or leases makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure so to
qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the business, operations,
affairs, condition (financial or otherwise), properties or assets of the Direct
Companies, taken as a whole.

                  6.4.     Business; Financial Statements. The Company has
delivered to the Purchaser complete and correct copies of (a) the audited
balance sheets of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of December 31, 1993, 1994
and 1995, and the audited statements of earnings, shareholders' equity and cash
flows of the Company and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal years then ended,
together with the opinion thereof of Faulkner Mackie & Cochran, P.C.,
independent accountants, in the case of the fiscal years ended December 31, 1993
and 1994, and Ernst & Young, LLP, independent accountants, in the case of the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1995, (b)

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the unaudited balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of June 30,
1996, and the related unaudited statement of earnings and shareholders' equity
of the Company for the six months then ended, (c) the audited balance sheet of
Direct as of December 31, 1995, and the audited statements of earnings,
shareholders' equity and cash flows of Direct for the fiscal year then ended,
together with the opinion thereon of Ernst & Young, LLP, independent
accountants, and (d) the unaudited balance sheet of Direct as of June 30, 1996,
and the audited statements of earnings and shareholders' equity of Direct for
the six months then ended (together with the financial statements described in
clauses (a), (b) and (c), the "Financial Statements"). The Financial Statements
have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
(or, in the case of the Financial Statements of Direct, Statutory Accounting
Principles) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods specified
(except such changes as are therein specified and except, in the case of such
unaudited financial statements, for the absence of the statement of cash flows
and footnotes), and present fairly the financial position of the Company and its
consolidated Subsidiaries as of the respective dates specified and the
consolidated results of their operations and changes in financial position for
the respective periods specified, subject, in the case of such unaudited
financial statements, to year-end adjustments.

                  6.5.     Changes, etc. Except as set forth in Schedule E,
since December 31, 1995, there has not been:

                  (a)      any change in the assets, liabilities, financial
         condition or operations of any of the Direct Companies other than
         changes in the ordinary course of business that have not been, either
         individually or in the aggregate, materially adverse;

                  (b)      any material change (individually or in the
         aggregate), except in the ordinary course of business, in the
         contingent obligations of any of the Direct Companies by way of
         guaranty, endorsement, indemnity, warranty, or otherwise;

                  (c)      any waiver or compromise by any of the Direct
         Companies of a material right or of a material debt owed to it;

                  (d)      any loans from the Direct Companies to their
         employees, officers, or directors, other than travel advances made in
         the ordinary course of business and other than loans which in the
         aggregate do not exceed $10,000;

                  (e)      any increase or series of increases in excess of 10%
         in the compensation of any of the ten most highly-compensated employees
         of the Direct Companies;

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                  (f)      any issuance or sale by the Company of any shares of
         Common Stock or other securities;

                  (g)      any direct or indirect declaration or payment by the
         Company of any sum or property for any dividend or other distribution
         on account of any shares of any class of stock of the Company or any
         redemption, retirement, purchase or other acquisition of any shares of
         any class of stock of the Company;

                  (h)      any other event or condition that has had a material
         adverse effect on any of the Direct Companies' business or prospects;
         or

                  (i)      any agreement or commitment by any of the Direct
         Companies to do any of the things described in this section 6.5.

                  6.6.     Reserves and other Insurance Liabilities. Direct's
reserves, including but not limited to loss reserves (including loss adjustment
expense reserves), loss reserves for claims incurred but not reported (including
loss adjustment expense reserves), and unearned premiums, determined under
Statutory Accounting Principles as at June 30, 1996, as reflected in the
Financial Statements, equal or exceed those required under the insurance laws of
the State of Tennessee, including written interpretations thereof by the
Department of Commerce and Insurance of the State of Tennessee. Each reserving
assumption utilized by Direct in its calculations of such reserves is reasonable
in light of Direct's experience, and no information has come to Direct's
attention which would cause it to believe that any such assumption should be
changed in any material respect. Direct has delivered to the Purchaser a signed
report of an actuarial firm of national reputation as to the matters set forth
in this section 6.6.

                  6.7.     Capital Stock and Related Matters. (a) As of the
Closing Date, after giving effect to the filing of the Certificate of
Designation, the authorized capital stock of the Company will consist of
10,000,000 shares of Common Stock, no par value, and 1,000,000 shares of
preferred stock, no par value, of which 244,812 shares are authorized and
constitute the Series A Preferred Stock, and 225,000 are authorized and
constitute the Series B Preferred Stock. On the Closing Date after giving effect
to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Other Agreement,
1,100,367 shares of the Common Stock, 244,812 of the Series A Preferred Stock
and 148,049 shares of the Series B Preferred Stock will be issued and
outstanding. The shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B
Preferred Stock have been duly authorized and validly reserved for issuance upon
such conversion and, when so issued, will be validly issued, fully paid and
non-assessable. The Company does not have outstanding securities convertible
into or exchangeable for any shares of its capital stock, nor will it have
outstanding any rights to subscribe for or to purchase, or any options

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for the purchase of, or any agreements providing for the issuance (contingent or
otherwise) of, or any calls, commitments or claims of any character relating to,
any shares of its capital stock or any securities convertible into or
exchangeable for any shares of its capital stock, other than (a) the Series A
Preferred Stock, (b) options for the purchase of 119,000 shares of Common Stock
issued and issuable to certain employees of the Direct Companies under the
Option Plan, (c) the Shares and (d) 16,255 shares of Common Stock subject to the
terms and conditions of the Common Stock Purchase Warrant issued to Eldon
Capital. Immediately after giving effect to the issuance of the Shares, the
Fully- Diluted Common Stock will be 1,628,483 shares of Common Stock.

                  (b)      Schedule C sets forth a complete and accurate list of
         the stockholders and other equity holders of the Company, showing the
         number of shares of its capital stock, or securities convertible into
         or exchangeable for any shares of its capital stock, owned of record by
         each holder. Except as set forth in the certificate of designation
         relating to the Series A Preferred Stock, the Stock Purchase Agreement,
         dated as of September 6, 1996, between the Company and Mutual Service
         Casualty Insurance Company and in the Stockholders Agreement, there are
         no agreements between the Company and any holder of its capital stock
         relating to the acquisition (including without limitation rights of
         first refusal or preemptive rights), disposition or voting of the
         capital stock of the Company.

                  6.8.     Tax Returns and Payments. The Direct Companies have
filed, or have obtained presently effective extensions with respect to, all tax
returns required by law to be filed by them and have paid all taxes, assessments
and other governmental charges levied upon the Direct Companies and any of their
respective properties, assets, income or franchises which are due and payable,
other than those presently payable without penalty or interest and those
presently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently
conducted for which such reserves or other appropriate provision, if any, as
shall be required by generally accepted accounting principles shall have been
made. The Federal income tax liabilities of the Direct Companies have not been
finally determined by the Internal Revenue Service, and the time for audit has
not expired, for any fiscal period. The charges, accruals and reserves on the
books of the Direct Companies in respect of Federal, state and foreign income
taxes for all fiscal periods are adequate in the opinion of the Company, and the
Company knows of no unpaid assessment for additional Federal, state or foreign
income taxes for any period or any basis for any such assessment.

                                       8
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                  6.9.     Debt. Schedule D correctly describes all secured and
unsecured Debt of the Direct Companies (including, subject to the next following
sentence, any significant intercompany items) outstanding, or for which the
Direct Companies have commitments, on the date of this Agreement, and identifies
the collateral securing any secured Debt. None of the Direct Companies is in
default with respect to any Debt or any instrument or agreement relating
thereto. The outstanding amounts of intercompany items which are outstanding in
the ordinary course of business are set forth in Schedule D as of June 30, 1996,
and since that date there has been no change in such outstanding amounts except
in the ordinary course of business.

                  6.10.    Title to Properties; Liens. The Direct Companies have
good title to their respective properties and assets, including the properties
and assets reflected in the Financial Statements referred to in section 6.4
(except properties and assets disposed of since such date in the ordinary course
of business), and, except as set forth in Schedule E, none of such properties or
assets is subject to any Liens other than Permitted Liens. The Direct Companies
enjoy peaceful and undisturbed possession under all leases necessary in any
material respect for the operation of their respective properties and assets,
and all such leases are valid and subsisting and are in full force and effect,
except where the failure of any such lease to be in full force and effect would
not have a material adverse effect on the business, operations, affairs,
condition (financial or otherwise), properties or assets of the Direct
Companies, taken as a whole.

                  6.11.    Litigation, etc. Except as set forth in Schedule E,
there is no action, proceeding or investigation pending or overtly threatened
(or any basis therefor known to the Company) which questions the validity of
this Agreement or the Series B Preferred Stock or any action taken or to be
taken pursuant to this Agreement or the Series B Preferred Stock, or which would
result in any material adverse change in the business, operations, affairs,
condition (financial or otherwise), properties or assets of the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries, or in any liability on the part of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries, which would be material to the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.

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                  6.12.    Compliance with Other Instruments, etc. None of the
Direct Companies is in violation of any term of its Charter, as amended,
certificate or articles of incorporation or by-laws, and none of the Direct
Companies is in violation of any term of any agreement or instrument to which it
is a party or by which it is bound or any term of any applicable law, ordinance,
rule or regulation of any governmental authority or any term of any applicable
order, judgment or decree of any court, arbitrator or governmental authority
(including without limitation the Agreed Order of the Department of Commerce and
Insurance of the State of Tennessee dated April 7, 1994), the consequences of
which violation would have a materially adverse effect on the business,
operations, affairs, condition (financial or otherwise), properties or assets of
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; the execution,
delivery and performance of this Agreement will not result in any violation of
or be in conflict with or constitute a default under any such term or result in
the creation of (or impose any obligation on any of the Direct Companies to
create) any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Direct Companies
pursuant to any such term; and there is no such term which materially adversely
affects the business, operations, affairs, condition (financial or otherwise),
properties or assets of any of the Direct Companies.

                  6.13.    Governmental Consent. No consent, approval or
authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any governmental authority on
the part of any of the Direct Companies is required (other than such as have
been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, or are being made at or
prior to the Closing) for the valid execution and delivery of this Agreement or
the valid offer, issue, sale and delivery of the Shares pursuant to this
Agreement. Neither this Agreement, nor the sale and delivery of the Shares, nor
the carrying out of any term of this Agreement or the Shares, will result in any
change of control for purposes of any law, ordinance, rule or regulation of any
governmental authority.

                  6.14.    Patents, Trademarks, Authorizations, etc. The Direct
Companies own or possess all patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names,
copyrights, licenses and authorizations, and all rights with respect to the
foregoing, necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as now
conducted, without any known material conflict with the rights of others, other
than those the failure to own or possess which would not have a material adverse
effect on the Direct Companies, taken as a whole.

                                       10
<PAGE>

                  6.15.    Compliance with ERISA. (a) None of the Direct
Companies has breached the fiduciary rules of ERISA or engaged in any prohibited
transaction in connection with which any of the Direct Companies could be
subjected to (in the case of any such breach) a suit for damages or (in the case
of any such prohibited transaction) either a civil penalty assessed under
section 502(i) of ERISA or a tax imposed by section 4975 of the Code, which
suit, penalty or tax, in any case, would be materially adverse to any of the
Direct Companies.

                  (b)      No Plan or any trust created under any such Plan has
         been terminated since September 2, 1974.

                  (c)      Full payment has been made of all amounts which the
         Company or any Related Person is required under the terms of each Plan
         to have paid as contributions to such Plan as of the last day of the
         most recent fiscal year of such Plan ended prior to the date hereof.

                  (d)      None of the Direct Companies is or has ever been
         obligated to contribute to any "multiemployer plan" (as such term is
         defined in section 4001 (a) (3) of ERISA).

                  (e)      The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
         issue and sale of the Shares hereunder will not involve any transaction
         which is subject to the prohibitions of section 406 of ERISA or in
         connection with which a tax could be imposed pursuant to section 4975
         of the Code.

                  The Company has delivered to the Purchaser, if requested, a
complete and correct list of all employee benefit plans with respect to which
the Company is a party in interest and with respect to which its securities are
employer securities.

                  As used in this section 6.15(e), the terms "employee benefit
plans" and "party in interest" have the respective meanings specified in section
3 of ERISA and the term "employer securities" has the meaning specified in
section 407(d) (1) of ERISA.

                  6.16.    Environmental Matters. The Direct Companies have
complied and are in compliance with all Environmental Laws in all material
respects. The Direct Companies have obtained and are in compliance with all
permits, licenses and other authorizations that are required pursuant to
Environmental Laws for the occupation of their facilities and the operation of
their business, without transfer, reissuance, or other governmental approval or
action, other than those the failure to obtain or to be in compliance with which
would not have a material adverse effect on the Direct Companies, taken as a
whole. There is no pending claim, complaint, citation, report or other written
notice regarding any material liability of any of the Direct Companies,

                                       11
<PAGE>

including any investigatory, remedial or corrective obligations, arising under
Environmental Laws.

                  6.17.    Insurance. The Company maintains valid policies of
workers' compensation insurance and of insurance with respect to its properties
and business of the kinds and in the amounts (a) not less than is customarily
obtained by corporations of established reputation engaged in the same or
similar business and similarly situated, including, without limitation,
insurance against loss, damage, fire, theft, public liability, and other risks
and (b) in the judgment of the Company's management, reasonably exercised, are
adequate to provide the necessary protection to the Direct Companies and their
business from risks associated with their business. Set forth in Schedule E is a
complete list of all material insurance policies maintained as of the date
hereof by the Direct Companies.

                  6.18.    Material Contracts and Obligations. Schedule E sets
forth a list of all agreements of any nature to which any of the Direct
Companies is a party or by which any of them is bound and which are material to
the Direct Companies, taken as a whole, including without limitation (a) each
agreement, other than insurance policies entered into in the ordinary course of
business, that requires future expenditures by any of the Direct Companies in
any fiscal year in excess of $100,000 or that might result in payments to any of
the Direct Companies in any fiscal year in excess of $100,000, (b) all
employment and consulting agreements, employee benefit, bonus, pension, profit
sharing, stock option, stock purchase, and similar plans and arrangements, and
consulting, distributor and sales representative agreements, (c) any agreement
with any stockholder, officer, or director of the Company, or any "affiliate" or
"associate" of such persons (as such terms are defined in the rules and
regulations promulgated under the Securities Act), including, without
limitation, any agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of
services by, rental of real or personal property from, or otherwise requiring
payments to, any such person or entity, (d) any agreement relating to the
Intellectual Property Rights, and (e) all reinsurance agreements. The Company
has made available or delivered to the Purchaser copies of each of such
agreements and contracts, and all of such agreements and contracts are valid,
binding, and in full force and effect.

                  6.19.    Employees. None of the employees of the Direct
Companies is represented by any labor union, and there is no strike or any
organization drive pending with respect to any of the Direct Companies or, to
the best knowledge of the Company, overtly threatened in writing. The Direct
Companies have complied in all material respects with all applicable state and
federal equal opportunity and other laws relating to employment. To the
knowledge of the Company, no employee of the Direct Companies is or will be in
violation of any judgment, decree

                                       12
<PAGE>

or order or any term of any employment contract, patent disclosure agreement, or
other contract or agreement relating to the relationship of any such employee
with any of the Direct Companies or any other Person, except where such
violation would not result in any material adverse change in the assets,
condition (financial or otherwise), business, or prospects of any of the Direct
Companies. None of the Direct Companies has actual knowledge that any officer or
key employee, or that any group of key employees, intends to terminate their
employment with the Direct Companies, nor does any of the Direct Companies have
a present intention to terminate the employment of any of the foregoing except
in the ordinary course of business. Set forth in Schedule E is a list of all
employees and consultants (excluding commissioned agents) of the Direct
Companies that have received payments from the Direct Companies in the aggregate
of $100,000 or more per annum since December 31, 1994.

                  6.20.    Books and Records. The minute books of each of the
Direct Companies contain complete and accurate records of all meetings and other
corporate actions of its stockholders and Board of Directors and committees
thereof. The stock ledgers of each of the Direct Companies is complete and
reflects all issuances, transfers, repurchases, and cancellations of shares of
its capital stock.

                  6.21.    Accounts and Notes Receivable. The accounts and notes
receivable of the Direct Companies, if any, reflected in the Financial
Statements, and those acquired and accrued thereafter through the date of
Closing are, and shall be, bona fide receivables created in the ordinary course
of business, and the allowances for bad debts established in respect thereof are
reasonable.

                  6.22.    "Sensitive" Payments". None of the Direct Companies,
nor to the knowledge of the Company any of their respective officers or
directors, nor anyone acting on behalf of any of them, has made or received any
"sensitive" payments, and no such person has or will maintain any unrecorded
cash or non- cash assets out of which any "sensitive" payments might be made.
Except as provided in the next sentence, "sensitive" payments means whether or
not illegal, (a) payments to or from government officials or employees, (b)
commercial bribes or kick-backs, (c) amounts paid with an understanding that
rebates or refunds will be made in contravention of the laws of any
jurisdiction, either directly or through a third party, (d) political
contributions and (e) payments or commitments (whether made in form of
commissions, payments of fees for goods or services received or otherwise) made
with the understanding or under circumstances which would indicate that all or
part thereof is to be paid by the recipient to government officials or employees
or as a commercial bribe, influence payment or kick-back. However, "sensitive"
payments shall not include

                                       13
<PAGE>

contributions to political campaigns or organizations which are permissible
under federal and state election laws.

                  6.23.    Disclosure. Neither this Agreement (including
schedules and exhibits to this Agreement) nor the Memorandum, when taken
together, contains (in each case, as of its date) any untrue statement of a
material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements contained in this Agreement (including schedules and exhibits to this
Agreement and the Memorandum), in light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading. There is no fact (other than matters of a general
economic or political nature which do not affect the Direct Companies uniquely)
known to the Company which materially adversely affects the business,
operations, affairs or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Direct
Companies, taken as a whole, which has not been disclosed to the Purchaser in
writing by or on behalf of the Company specifically for use in connection with
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

                  6.24.    Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the proceeds of
the sale of the Shares for general corporate purposes.

                  6.25.    Investment Company Act. The Company is not an
"investment company", or a company "controlled" by an "investment company",
within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

                  6.26.    U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company
is not now and has never been a "United States Real Property Holding
Corporation" as defined in Section 897(c) (2) of the Code and Section 1.897-2(b)
of the Regulations promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service.

                  6.27.    No Adverse Legislation, Action or Decision, etc. To
the Company's knowledge, no legislation has been enacted by either house of
Congress or the legislature of any state, no other action has been taken by any
United States or state governmental authority, whether by order, regulation,
rule, ruling or otherwise, and no decision has been rendered by any court of
competent jurisdiction in the United States, which would materially and
adversely affect the Series B Preferred Stock being purchased hereunder.

                  7.       Purchase for Investment; Source of Funds. The
Purchaser represents as follows:

                                       14
<PAGE>

                  7.1.     Purchase for Investment. The Purchaser is purchasing
the Shares for its own account for investment not with a view to, or for sale in
connection with, the distribution thereof or with any present intention of
distributing or selling any of the Shares.

                  7.2.     Source of Funds. All of the funds to be used by the
Purchaser to pay the purchase price of the Shares consists of funds which do not
constitute assets of any employee benefit plan. As used in this section 7.2, the
term "employee benefit plan" shall have the meaning assigned to such term in
section 3 of ERISA.

                  7.3.     Authority. The Purchaser has full power and authority
to enter into and to perform this Agreement in accordance with its terms.

                  7.4.     Experience. The Purchaser has carefully reviewed the
representations concerning the Company contained in this Agreement and has made
detailed inquiry concerning the Company, its business, and its personnel; the
officers of the Company have made available to the Purchaser any and all written
information that he or it has requested and have answered to the Purchaser's
satisfaction all inquiries made by the Purchaser; and the Purchaser has adequate
net worth and means of providing for its current needs and contingencies to
sustain a complete loss of its investment in the Company.

                  7.5.     Accredited Investor. The Purchaser is an "Accredited
Investor" within the definition set forth in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D of the
Securities Act.

                  8.       Accounting; Financial Statements and Other
Information. The Company will maintain, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries
to maintain, a system of accounting established and administered in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles, and will accrue, and will cause
each of its Subsidiaries to accrue, all such liabilities as shall be required by
generally accepted accounting principles. The Company will deliver (in
duplicate) to each holder of any Shares purchased pursuant to this Agreement:

                  (a)      within 150 days after the end of the fiscal year
         ending December 31, 1996, and within 90 days after the end of each
         fiscal year of the Company thereafter, an unqualified audit of the
         Company and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated and consolidating basis,
         as of the close of such fiscal year, including a balance sheet and
         statement of income and surplus, with notes thereon, together with the
         unqualified audit report and opinion of Ernst & Young, LLP or other
         "Big Six" independent public accountant, showing the financial
         condition of the Company and its Subsidiaries at the close of such year
         and the results of operations during such year, such financial
         statements to be prepared in accordance with generally accepted
         accounting principles;

                                       15
<PAGE>

                  (b)      Within 65 days after the end of each fiscal year of
         each Affiliated Insurer, unaudited financial statements prepared on a
         Statutory Accounting Basis in the form required to be filed with the
         Commissioner;

                  (c)      In the case of fiscal year ending December 31, 1996
         only, within 90 days after the end of such fiscal year of the Company
         unaudited, consolidated and consolidating financial statements of the
         Company;

                  (d)      Within 150 days after the end of each fiscal year of
         each Affiliated Insurer an audit of such Affiliated Insurer and its
         subsidiaries, as prescribed by its state of domicile, as of the close
         of such fiscal year, together with the audit report and opinion of such
         "Big Six" independent public accountant, showing the financial
         condition of such Affiliated Insurer and its subsidiaries at the close
         of such year and the results of operations during such year, such
         financial statements to be prepared on the Statutory Accounting Basis
         and to contain no qualifications which are unacceptable to the
         Purchasers;

                  (e)      Within forty-five (45) days after the end of the
         first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Company,
         financial statements of the Company, such financial statements to
         include an income statement and balance sheet, certified as accurate by
         an officer of the Company;

                  (f)      Within forty-five (45) days after the end of each
         fiscal quarter, quarterly financial statements for each Affiliate
         Insurer prepared on a Statutory Accounting Basis, in the form required
         to be filed with the Commissioner;

                  (g)      As soon as available after the end of each month,
         monthly management information reports generated in the ordinary course
         of the business, detailing among other things gross premiums written
         and loss experience for such month;

                  (h)      promptly upon receipt thereof, copies of all reports
         submitted to the Company by independent public accountants in
         connection with each annual, interim or special audit of the books of
         the Company or any Subsidiary made by such accountants, including,
         without limitation, the comment letter submitted by such accountants to
         management in connection with their annual audit;

                  (i)      immediately upon any executive officer of the Company
         obtaining knowledge of any condition or event which constitutes a
         default under this Agreement, an Officers' Certificate describing the
         same and the period of existence thereof and what action the

                                       16
<PAGE>

         Company has taken, is taking and proposes to take with respect thereto;

                  (j)      immediately upon any principal officer of the Company
         or any other officer of the Company involved in its financial
         administration obtaining knowledge of the occurrence of any (i)
         "reportable event", as such term is defined in section 4043 of ERISA,
         or (ii) "prohibited transaction", as such term is defined in section
         4975 of the Code, in connection with any Plan or any trust created
         thereunder, a written notice specifying the nature thereof, what action
         the Company has taken, is taking and proposes to take with respect
         thereto, and, when known, any action taken or threatened by the
         Internal Revenue Service or the PBGC with respect thereto; and

                  (k)      with reasonable promptness, such other financial
         reports and information and data with respect to the Company or any of
         its Subsidiaries as from time to time may be reasonably requested.

                  9.       Covenants of the Company. Subject to Section 9.17,
the Company covenants that from the date of this Agreement through the Closing
and thereafter so long as any of the Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement
remains outstanding:

                  9.1.     Inspection. The Company and its Subsidiaries shall
permit the Purchaser, or any authorized representative thereof, to visit and
inspect the properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries, including its
corporate and financial records, and to discuss its business and finances with
officers of the Company and its Subsidiaries, during normal business hours
following reasonable notice and as often as may be reasonably requested. In
addition, the Company and its Subsidiaries agree to provide the Purchaser copies
of all information reasonably requested by the Purchaser from the Company or its
Subsidiaries. All such requested information shall be provided to the Purchaser
within thirty Business Days of the request, unless otherwise agreed to in
writing.

                  9.2.     Corporate Existence, etc.; Business. The Company
shall maintain in full force and effect its corporate existence, rights,
licenses (including insurance licenses) and franchises and those of its
Subsidiaries; and the Company shall maintain in full force and effect all rights
to use patents, processes, trademarks, trade names, service marks or copyrights
owned or possessed by it or any Subsidiary and deemed by the Company to be
necessary to the conduct of its business.

                                       17
<PAGE>

                  9.3.     Payment of Taxes and Claims; Tax Consolidation. The
Company will promptly pay and discharge, or cause to be paid and discharged,
when due and payable, all lawful taxes, assessments, and governmental charges or
levies imposed upon the income, profits, property, or business of the Company or
any Subsidiary; provided, however, that any such tax, assessment, charge, or
levy need not be paid if the validity thereof shall currently be contested in
good faith by appropriate proceedings and if the Company shall have set aside on
its books adequate reserves therefor; and provided, further, that the Company
will pay all such taxes, assessments, charges, or levies forthwith upon the
commencement of proceedings to foreclose any lien that may have attached as
security therefor. The Company will promptly pay or cause to be paid when due,
or in conformance with customary trade terms, all other indebtedness incident to
the operations of the Company.

                  9.4.     Maintenance of Properties; Insurance. The Company
will keep its properties and those of its Subsidiaries in good repair, working
order, and condition, reasonable wear and tear excepted, and from time to time
make all needful and proper repairs, renewals, replacements, additions, and
improvements thereto; and the Company will at all times comply with the
provisions of all material leases to which any of them is a party or under which
any of them occupies property so as to prevent any loss or forfeiture thereof or
thereunder. The Company will maintain or cause to be maintained, with
financially sound and reputable insurers, insurance with respect to its
properties and business and the properties and business of its Subsidiaries
against loss or damage of the kinds customarily insured against by corporations
of established reputation engaged in the same or similar business and similarly
situated, of such types and in such amounts as are customarily carried under
similar circumstances by such other corporations.

                  9.5.     Transactions with Affiliates. The Company will not,
and will not permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, engage in any
transaction material to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (including,
without limitation, the purchase, sale or exchange of assets or the rendering of
any service) with any Affiliate of the Company, except in the ordinary course of
and pursuant to the reasonable requirements of the Company's or such
Subsidiary's business and upon fair and reasonable terms that are no less
favorable to the Company or such Subsidiary, as the case may be, than those
which might be obtained, in the good faith judgment of the Company, in an arm's
length transaction at the time from Persons which are not such an Affiliate,
provided that the foregoing restrictions shall not apply to any transaction
between the Company and a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary or between one Wholly-Owned
Subsidiary and another Wholly-Owned Subsidiary.

                                       18
<PAGE>

                  9.6.     Board Approval. The Company will not, without the
prior approval of the Board: (a) make any loan, advance or capital contribution
to any Subsidiary, (b) make (or permit any Subsidiary to make) any loan or
advance to any officer (Vice President or above) of the Company or any
Subsidiary, except any loan or advance equal to $50,000 or less, or (c) acquire
(by merger, share exchange, business combination, consolidation or acquisition
of assets) any other corporation or other entity. In addition, the Board will
not establish any committee of the Board without the prior unanimous approval of
the Board.

                  9.7.     Compensation of Executive Officers. The Board or the
Compensation Committee of the Board shall establish the aggregate compensation
to be paid to each of the executive officers of the Company and each of its
Subsidiaries. The Company agrees to obtain the consent of a majority of the
outstanding Shares prior to implementing any increase to its executive officers,
consultants or other persons who receive in the aggregate from the Company or
its Subsidiaries or Affiliates more than $175,000 per annum or, with respect to
William C. Adair, Jr., more than $250,000 per annum, plus year-end bonus payable
in the ordinary course of business, consistent with the Company's historic
practice.

                  9.8.     Key Man Insurance. The Company will use its best
efforts to obtain and maintain term life insurance upon the life of each of
William C. Adair, Jr. and James R. Tuerff in an amount not less than $1,000,000
each, with the proceeds payable to the Company and to be applied by the Company
for purposes deemed appropriate by the Board.

                  9.9.     Preemptive Rights. (a) The Company hereby grants to
the Purchaser the preemptive right to purchase all or any part of the
Purchaser's pro rata share of New Securities (as defined below) that the Company
may from time to time propose to sell and issue, subject to the terms and
conditions set forth below. The Purchaser's pro rata share, for purposes of this
subsection 9.9, shall equal a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of
shares of Common Stock then held by the Purchaser, or issuable upon conversion
or exercise of any shares, convertible securities, options, rights or warrants
then held by the Purchaser, and the denominator of which is the total number of
shares of Common Stock then outstanding plus the total number of shares of
Common Stock issuable upon conversion or exercise of then outstanding shares,
convertible securities, options, rights, or warrants.

                  (b)      "New Securities" shall mean any capital stock of the
         Company whether or not now authorized, and any rights, options, or
         warrants to purchase capital stock of the Company, and any other
         securities of any type whatsoever that are, or may become, convertible
         into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of capital stock of the
         Company; provided, however, that the term "New

                                       19
<PAGE>

         Securities" shall not include (a) the shares of Common Stock issuable
         upon conversion of the Shares; (b) the shares of Common Stock issuable
         upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock, (c) securities offered
         to the public pursuant to a Public Offering; (d) securities issued as
         consideration for the acquisition of any Person by the Company by
         merger, purchase of substantially all the assets of such Person or
         other reorganization resulting in the ownership by the Company of not
         less than a majority of the voting power of such Person; (e) not more
         than 250,000 shares of Common Stock issued to employees or consultants
         of the Company pursuant to the Option Plan; (f) securities issued as a
         result of any stock split, stock dividend, or reclassification of
         Common Stock, distributable on a pro rata basis to all holders of
         Common Stock; (g) securities issued upon exercise of the Common Stock
         Purchase Warrant issued to Eldon Capital; and (h) securities issued by
         way of payment of dividends in kind with respect to the Shares.

                  (c)      In the event the Company intends to issue New
         Securities, it shall give the Purchaser written notice of such
         intention, describing the type of new Securities to be issued, the
         price thereof, and the general terms upon which the Company proposes to
         effect such issuance. The Purchaser shall have thirty days from the
         date of any such notice to agree to purchase all or part of its pro
         rata share of such New Securities for the price and upon the general
         terms and conditions specified in the Company's notice by giving
         written notice to the Company stating the quantity of New Securities to
         be so purchased. The Purchaser shall have a right of over-allotment
         such that if the Other Purchaser or any other holder of similar
         preemptive rights fails to exercise its right to purchase its total pro
         rata portion of New Securities, the Purchaser may purchase such portion
         on a pro rata basis, by giving written notice to the Company within
         five days from the date that the Company provides written notice to the
         Purchaser of the amount of New Securities with respect to which the
         nonpurchasing party has failed to exercise in full its right under the
         corresponding provisions of the agreement or instrument pursuant to
         which such similar rights are outstanding.

                  (d)      In the event the Purchaser fails to exercise the
         foregoing right to purchase any New Securities within such 30-day
         period (or the additional five-day period provided for
         over-allotments), the Company may within 90 days thereafter sell any or
         all of such New Securities not agreed to be purchased by the Purchaser,
         at a price and upon general terms no more favorable to the purchasers
         thereof than specified in the notice given to the Purchaser pursuant to
         paragraph (c) above. In the event the Company has not sold such New
         Securities within such 90-day period, the Company shall not thereafter
         issue or sell any New Securities

                                       20
<PAGE>

         without first offering such New Securities to the Purchaser in the
         manner provided above.

                  (e)      The Purchaser may apportion its pro rata share of New
         Securities among itself and its officers, general partners, limited
         partners, and to any other Person agreed to by the Company and the
         Purchaser, in such proportions as the Purchaser deems appropriate.

                  9.10.    Auditor and Actuary. The Company shall retain a "Big
Six" firm of independent public accountants to audit its books and records at
least annually. In addition, the Company shall retain an actuarial firm of
national reputation to provide actuarial services to the Company; provided,
however, that such actuarial firm maybe the same firm as the firm of certified
public accountants referred to in this section 9.10.

                  9.11.    Ownership of Subsidiaries. Each of the Company's
Subsidiaries shall be Wholly-Owned by the Company, except for Direct Insurance
Agency Midwest, Inc. which will continue to be 75% (or more) owned by the
Company.

                  9.12.    Negative Covenants. So long as any Shares sold
pursuant to this Agreement are outstanding, the Company (consistent with the
provisions of the Certificate of Designation) shall not, without the prior
written consent of the holders of not less than 51% of the outstanding Shares:

                  (a)      authorize or issue any class or series of stock,
         including, but not limited to, Convertible Securities, in addition to
         Common Stock, Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock;

                  (b)      authorize or issue additional shares of Common Stock
         at a price per share less than the initial Current Conversion Price (as
         defined in the Certificate of Designation) or authorize or issue
         additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock or Series B Preferred
         Stock;

                  (c)      effect an exchange, reclassification or cancellation
         of all or part of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock, except for
         the right of redemption of the Series A Preferred Stock contained in
         the Company's Charter, as amended, or Series B Preferred Stock;

                  (d)      effect an exchange, or create a right of exchange, of
         all or part of the shares of another class or series of capital stock
         into shares of Series A Preferred Stock or Series B Preferred Stock;

                                       21
<PAGE>

                  (e)      create a class or series of shares having rights,
         preferences or privileges prior to or on a parity with the shares of
         Series B Preferred Stock;

                  (f)      (i) effect a cash dividend during any of calendar
         years 1996, 1997 (other than in respect of the Series A Preferred
         Stock) or (ii) effect a cash dividend (other than in respect of the
         Series A Preferred Stock) during calendar year 1998 and any year
         thereafter, excluding any annual cash dividend not to exceed the lesser
         of $500,000 or 5% of the preceding year's net income as stated in the
         audited financial statements for such year (subject to all other
         limitations imposed by the Tennessee Business Corporation Act, as
         amended, or other state or federal regulatory entity); or effect any
         other distribution of assets (including cash, securities and intangible
         assets or other property) other than as required by the Certificate of
         Designation and the certificate of designation relating to the Series A
         Preferred Stock; it being agreed that to the extent any cash dividend
         shall be paid on any Common Stock, the holders of Series B Preferred
         Stock shall participate in such dividend as though such shares had been
         converted to Common Stock immediately prior to the record date for such
         dividend;

                  (g)      enter (or permit any Subsidiary to enter) into Debt
         instruments as the maker or guarantor which, in the aggregate, are in
         an amount greater than $2.0 million, except any credit facility
         approved by the Board of Directors to provide (x) funding for notes
         receivable properly generated (in the ordinary course of business and
         consistent with all applicable laws and regulations) by Direct
         Financial Services, Inc., (y) funding for policies of insurance sold on
         an installment billing basis in the ordinary course of business and
         consistent with all applicable laws and regulations by any of the
         subsidiaries and (z) refunding of any or all debt instruments
         outstanding as of the date of the initial issuance of the Shares,
         provided that no such refunding will increase the aggregate principal
         amount available pursuant to the debt instruments being refunded;

                  (h)      make (or permit any Subsidiary to make) any loan or
         advance greater than $100,000 to, or own any stock or other securities
         of, any Subsidiary or other corporation, partnership, or other entity
         unless (i) it is wholly owned by the Company, (ii) it is Direct
         Insurance Agency Midwest, Inc., so long as a majority of its voting
         stock is controlled by the Company, or (iii) with respect to Direct or
         any other insurance Subsidiary, if such investments are consistent with
         state and federal laws and regulations applicable to such portfolio
         investments;

                                       22
<PAGE>

                  (i)      (i) enter into any merger, share exchange, business
         combination or consolidation (or permit any Subsidiary to enter into
         any such transaction) with any other corporation or other entity (other
         than such a transaction between Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries of the
         Company), (ii) sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of all or
         substantially all of its properties or assets, (iii) acquire all or
         substantially all of the properties or assets of any other Person
         (other than any acquisition by the Company or its Subsidiaries in which
         (x) the aggregate consideration paid (including the assumption of
         liabilities) does not exceed $2,000,000, and (y) the transaction
         involves the acquisition of a business or assets of a business
         constituting the same business as that being conducted by the Company
         as of the time of the acquisition), or (iv) liquidate, dissolve or wind
         up the Company's affairs; or

                  (j)      amend the Company's Charter in any way if such
         amendment would cancel, or adversely change, alter or affect the
         preferences or rights (including, without limitation, the conversion
         privilege or the liquidation preference) of the Series B Preferred
         Stock.

                  9.13.    Expenses of Directors and Purchaser Representatives.
The Company shall promptly reimburse in full each director of the Company who is
not an employee of the Company and who was elected as a director solely or in
part by the holders of Series B Preferred Stock for all of his reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending each meeting of the Board of
Directors of the Company, any committee thereof of which the director is a
member of otherwise acting on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries. In
addition, the Company agrees to promptly reimburse in full each Purchaser
representative, not a director, for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in attending any meetings of, or performing any functions (as requested
by the Company) on behalf of, the Company; provided, however, that the Company
will not be required to reimburse more than two representatives of the Purchaser
and the Other Purchaser collectively for attendance at a meeting or the
performance of such functions unless requested by the Company to attend such
meeting or perform such function or unless otherwise approved by an officer of
the Company.

                  9.14.    Reservation of Common Stock. The Company shall
reserve and maintain a sufficient number of shares of Common stock for issuance
upon conversion of all of the outstanding Shares.

                                       23
<PAGE>

                  9.15.    Director and Officer Insurance. The Company shall
obtain, and maintain thereafter, a policy of insurance covering the Company's
directors and officers for actions they may take in such capacities. The policy
of insurance shall be in an amount and underwritten by a firm acceptable to the
Board of Directors and the Purchaser and the Other Purchaser, such acceptance by
the Purchaser and the Other Purchaser not to be unreasonably withheld.

                  9.16.    Stock Option Plan. The Company shall not authorize
more than 250,000 shares of Common Stock or other securities for issuance under
the Option Plan or any other stock incentive plan.

                  9.17.    Compliance with Laws. The Company will comply with
the requirements of all applicable laws, rules, regulations and orders of any
governmental authority, except to the extent noncompliance therewith does not
constitute a willful disregard for the law, rule, regulation or order or such
noncompliance would not result in a material adverse effect on the assets,
condition (financial or otherwise), business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

                  9.18.    Termination of Covenants. The covenants of the
Company contained in this section 9 and in section 8, shall terminate, and be of
no further force or effect, either (a) upon the closing date of a Qualified
Public Offering or (b) on March 31, 1999, if on such date (i) an IPO shall
previously have been effected by the Company and (ii) the Current Market Price,
multiplied by the number of shares of Fully-Diluted Common Stock outstanding on
such date, is equal to or greater than $130, 500, 000.

                  10.      Registration Under Securities Act, etc.

                  10.1.    Required Registrations. (a) At any time after the
closing of the Company's first underwritten public offering of shares of Common
Stock pursuant to a Registration Statement, a Stockholder or Stockholders
holding in the aggregate at least 50% of the Registrable Shares may request, in
writing, that the Company effect the registration on Form S-1, Form S-2, or Form
S-3, as applicable (or any successor form), of Registrable Shares owned by such
Stockholder or Stockholders having an aggregate offering price of at least
$3,000,000 (based on the then current market price or fair value). If the
holders initiating the registration intend to distribute the Registrable Shares
by means of an underwriting, they shall so advise the Company in their request.
In the event such registration is underwritten, the right of other Stockholders
to participate shall be conditioned on such Stockholders' participation in such
underwriting. Upon receipt of any such request, the Company shall promptly give
written notice of such proposed registration to all Securityholders. Such
Securityholders shall have the right, by giving written notice to the Company
within thirty days after the Company

                                       24
<PAGE>

provides its notice, to elect to have included in such registration such of
their Registrable Shares as such Securityholders may request in such notice of
election; provided that if the underwriter (if any) managing the offering
determines in good faith that, because of marketing factors, all of the
Registrable Securities requested to be registered by all Securityholders may not
be included in the offering, then all Securityholders who have requested
registration shall participate in the offering pro rata based upon the number of
Registrable Securities that they have requested to be so registered. Thereupon,
the Company shall, as expeditiously as possible, use its best efforts to effect
the registration, on Form S-l, Form S- 2 or Form S-3 (or any successor form), of
all Registrable Securities that the Company has been requested to so register.

                  (b)      The Company shall not be required to effect more than
         two registrations pursuant to paragraph (a) above, except that, as to
         any registration, the Company will not be deemed to have effected such
         registration for the purposes of this paragraph (b) unless, in the case
         of a registration initiated by any Stockholder or Stockholders, such
         registration shall have permitted the Stockholders to dispose of at
         least the lesser of (i) 50% of the Registrable Shares or (ii) 75% of
         the Registrable Shares which such Stockholder or Stockholders shall
         have requested to be included in such registration. Furthermore, the
         Company shall be deemed to have effected a registration pursuant to
         paragraph (a) above if, in the case of a registration initiated by any
         Securityholder other than a Stockholder, such registration shall have
         permitted the Stockholders pursuant to section 10.2 hereof to dispose
         of at least 50% of the Registrable Shares. In addition, the Company
         shall not be required to effect any registration (other than on Form
         S-3 or any successor form relating to secondary offerings) within six
         (6) months after the effective date of any other Registration Statement
         of the Company.

                  (c)      If at the time of any request to register Registrable
         Shares pursuant to this section 10.1, the Company is engaged or has
         fixed plans to engage within thirty days of the time of the request in
         a registered public offering as to which the Stockholders may include
         Registrable Shares pursuant to section 10.2 or is engaged in any other
         activity that, in the good faith determination of the Company's Board
         of Directors, would be adversely affected by the requested registration
         to the material detriment of the Company, then the Company may at its
         option direct that such request be delayed for a period not in excess
         of six months from the effective date of such offering or the date of
         commencement of such other material activity, as the case may be, such
         right to delay a request to be exercised by the Company not more than
         once in any two year period.

                                       25
<PAGE>

                  10.2.    Incidental Registration. (a) Whenever the Company
proposes to file a Registration Statement (other than pursuant to subsection
10.1) at any time and from time to time, it will, prior to such filing, give
written notice to all Stockholders of its intention to do so and, upon the
written request of a Stockholder or Stockholders given within thirty days after
the Company provides such notice (which request shall state the intended method
of disposition of such Registrable Shares), the Company shall use its best
efforts to cause all Registrable Shares that the Company has been requested by
such Stockholder or Stockholders to register to be registered under the
Securities Act to the extent necessary to permit their sale or other disposition
in accordance with the intended methods of distribution specified in the request
of such Stockholder or Stockholders; provided that the Company shall have the
right to postpone or withdraw any registration effected pursuant to this section
10.2 without obligation to any Stockholder.

                  (b)      In connection with any offering by the Company under
         this section 10.2 involving an underwriting, the Company shall not be
         required to include any Registrable Shares in such offering unless the
         holders thereof accept the terms of the underwriting as agreed upon
         between the Company and the underwriters selected by it (provided that
         such terms must be consistent with this Agreement), and then only in
         such quantity as will not, in the good faith opinion of the
         underwriters, jeopardize the success of the offering by the Company. If
         in the opinion of the managing underwriter the registration of all, or
         part of, the Registrable Shares that the holders have requested to be
         included would materially and adversely affect such public offering,
         then the Company shall be required to include in the underwriting only
         that number of Registrable Shares, if any, that the managing
         underwriter believes may be sold without causing such adverse effect.
         If the number of Registrable Shares to be included in the underwriting
         in accordance with the foregoing is less than the total number of
         shares that the holders of Registrable Shares have requested to be
         included, then the holders of Registrable Shares who have requested
         registration and other holders of shares of Common Stock entitled to
         include shares of Common Stock in such registration shall participate
         in the underwriting pro rata based upon their total ownership of shares
         of Common Stock of the Company (giving effect to the conversion into
         Common Stock of all securities convertible into Common Stock). If any
         holder would thus be entitled to include more shares than such holder
         requested to be registered, the excess shall be allocated among other
         requesting holders pro rata based upon their total ownership of
         Registrable Shares.

                                       26
<PAGE>

                  10.3.    Registration Procedures. If and whenever the Company
is required by the provisions of this Agreement to use its best efforts to
effect the registration of any of the Registrable Shares under the Securities
Act, the Company shall:

                  (a)      file with the Commission a Registration Statement
with respect to such Registrable Shares and use its best efforts to cause that
Registration statement to become and remain effective;

                  (b)      as expeditiously as possible prepare and file with
the Commission any amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement and
the prospectus included in the Registration Statement as may be necessary to
keep the Registration Statement effective, in the case of a firm commitment
underwritten public offering, until each underwriter has completed the
distribution of all securities purchased by it and, in the case of any other
offering, until the earlier of the sale of all Registrable Shares covered
thereby or one hundred twenty days after the effective date thereof;

                  (c)      as expeditiously as possible furnish to each selling
Stockholder such reasonable numbers of copies of the prospectus, including a
preliminary prospectus, in conformity with the requirements of the Securities
Act, and such other documents as the selling Stockholder may reasonably request
in order to facilitate the public sale or other disposition of the Registrable
Shares owned by the selling Stockholder;

                  (d)      as expeditiously as possible use its best efforts to
register or qualify the Registrable Shares covered by the Registration Statement
under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such states as the selling Stockholders
shall reasonably request, and do any and all other acts and things that may be
necessary or desirable to enable the selling Stockholders to consummate the
public sale or other disposition in such states of the Registrable Shares owned
by the selling Stockholder; provided, however, that the Company shall not be
required in connection with this paragraph (d) to qualify as a foreign
corporation or execute a general consent to service of process in any
jurisdiction;

                  (e)      use its best efforts to cause all Registrable Shares
covered by such Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such
other governmental agencies or authorities as may be necessary to enable the
seller or sellers thereof to consummate the disposition of such Registrable
Shares;

                  (f)      furnish to each seller of Registrable Shares a signed
counterpart, addressed to such seller (and the underwriters, if any), of

                  (x)      an opinion of counsel for the Company, dated the
         effective date of such Registration Statement (and, if such

                                       27
<PAGE>

         registration includes an underwritten public offering, dated the date
         of any closing under the underwriting agreement), reasonably
         satisfactory in form and substance to such seller, and

                  (y)      a "comfort" letter, dated the effective date of such
         Registration Statement (and, if such registration includes an
         underwritten public offering, dated the date of any closing under the
         underwriting agreement), signed by the independent public accountants
         who have certified the Company's financial statements included in such
         Registration Statement,

covering substantially the same matters with respect to such Registration
Statement (and the prospectus included therein) and, in the case of the
accountants' letter, with respect to events subsequent to the date of such
financial statements, as are customarily covered in opinions of issuer's counsel
and in accountants' letters delivered to the underwriters in underwritten public
offerings of securities and, in the case of the accountants' letter, such other
financial matters, as such seller (or the underwriters, if any) may reasonably
request;

                  (g)      immediately notify each seller of such Registrable
Shares, and (if requested by any such seller) confirm such advice in writing,
(w) when the prospectus or any prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment
has been filed, and, with respect to the Registration Statement or any
post-effective amendment, when the same has become effective, (x) of any request
by the Commission for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or
the prospectus or for additional information, (x) of the issuance by the
Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose and (z) of the
receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the
qualification of the Registrable Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the
initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose;

                  (h)      use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the
withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement at the earliest possible time;

                  (i)      as promptly as practicable notify each holder of
Registrable Shares covered by such Registration Statement, at any time when a
prospectus relating thereto is required to be delivered under the Securities
Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the prospectus included
in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement
of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in the light
of the circumstances under which they were made (whereupon the selling
Stockholders shall

                                       28
<PAGE>

immediately cease making offers of Registrable Shares and shall return all
prospectuses to the Company), and at the request of any such holder promptly
prepare and furnish to such seller a reasonable number of copies of a supplement
to or an amendment of such prospectus as may be necessary so that, as thereafter
delivered to the purchasers of such securities, such prospectus shall not
include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading in the light of the circumstances under which they were made;

                  (j)      otherwise comply with all applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission, and make available to its security holders, as
soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at
least twelve months, but not more than eighteen months, beginning with the first
full calendar month after the effective date of such registration statement,
which earnings statement shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the
Securities Act, and not file any amendment or supplement to such registration
statement or prospectus to which any such seller shall have reasonably objected
on the grounds that such amendment or supplement does not comply in all material
respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or of the rules or
regulations thereunder, having been furnished with a copy thereof at least five
business days prior to the filing thereof;

                  (k)      provide and cause to be maintained a transfer agent
and registrar for all Registrable Shares covered by such Registration Statement
not later than the effective date of such Registration Statement;

                  (l)      cooperate with the sellers of such Registrable Shares
to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing
Registrable Shares to be sold, which securities shall not bear any restrictive
legends and shall be in a form eligible for deposit with The Depository Trust
Company; and enable such Registrable Shares to be in such denominations and
registered in such names as such sellers may request at least two business days
prior to any sale of Registrable Shares;

                  (m)      use its best reasonable efforts (x) to cause all such
Registrable Shares covered by such registration statement to be listed on a
national securities exchange (if such Registrable Shares are not already so
listed) and on each additional national securities exchange on which similar
securities issued by the Company are then listed, if the listing of such
Registrable Shares is then permitted under the rules of such exchange, or (y) to
secure designation of all such Registrable Shares covered by such Registration
Statement as a NASDAQ "national market system security" within the meaning of
Rule 11Aa2-1 of the Commission or, failing that, secure NASDAQ authorization for
such Registrable Shares and, without limiting the generality of the

                                       29
<PAGE>

foregoing, to arrange for at least two market makers to register as such with
respect to such Registrable Shares with the NASD;

                  (n)      provide a CUSIP number for all Registrable Shares,
not later than the effective date of the applicable Registration Statement; and

                  (o)      enter into such agreements and take such other
actions as the Requisite Holders shall reasonably request in order to expedite
or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Shares.

                  10.4.    Allocation of Expenses. The Company will pay all
Registration Expenses of all registrations under this Agreement; provided,
however, that if a registration under section 10.1 is withdrawn at the request
of the Stockholders requesting such registration (other than as a result of
information concerning the business or financial condition of the Company that
is made known to the Stockholders after the date on which such registration was
requested) and if the requesting Stockholders elect not to have such
registration counted as a registration requested under subsection 10.1, the
requesting Stockholders shall pay the Registration Expenses of such registration
pro rata in accordance with the number of their Registrable Shares included in
such registration. For purposes of this section 10, the term "Registration
Expenses" shall mean all expenses incurred by the Company in complying with this
section 10, including, without limitation, all registration and filing fees,
exchange listing fees, printing expenses, fees, and expenses of counsel for the
Company and the fees and expenses of one counsel selected by the selling
Stockholders to represent the selling Stockholders, state Blue Sky fees and
expenses, and the expense of any special audits incident to or required by any
such registration, but excluding underwriting discounts, selling commissions,
and the fees and expenses of selling Stockholders' own counsel (other than the
counsel selected to represent all selling Stockholders).

                  10.5.    Indemnification and Contribution. (a) In the event of
any registration of any of the Registrable Shares under the Securities Act
pursuant to this Agreement, the Company will indemnify and hold harmless the
seller of such Registrable Shares, each underwriter of such Registrable Shares,
and each other person, if any, who controls such seller or underwriter within
the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any losses,
claims, damages, or liabilities, joint or several, to which such seller,
underwriter, or controlling person may become subject under the Securities Act,
the Exchange Act, state securities or Blue Sky laws, or otherwise, insofar as
such losses, claims, damages, or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof)
arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of any material fact contained in any Registration Statement under which such
Registrable Shares were registered under the

                                       30
<PAGE>

Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus, or final prospectus contained in the
Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to such Registration
Statement, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading; and the Company will reimburse such seller,
underwriter, and each such controlling person for any legal or any other
expenses reasonably incurred by such seller, underwriter, or controlling person
in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage,
liability, or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in
any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability
arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or omission made in such
Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, or final prospectus, or any such
amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished to the Company, in writing, by or on behalf of such seller,
underwriter, or controlling person specifically for use in the preparation
thereof.

                  (b)      In the event of any registration of any of the
Registrable Shares under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement, each
seller of Registrable Shares, severally and not jointly, will indemnify and hold
harmless the Company, each of its directors and officers and each underwriter
(if any) and each person, if any, who controls the Company or any such
underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act,
against any losses, claims, damages, or liabilities, joint or several, to which
the Company, such directors and officers, underwriter, on controlling person may
become subject under the Securities Act, Exchange Act, state securities or Blue
Sky laws, or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, or liabilities
(or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any
Registration Statement under which such Registrable Shares were registered under
the Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained in
the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to the Registration
Statement, or arise out of or are based upon any omission or alleged omission to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, if the statement or omission was made in
reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to such seller
furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of such seller specifically
for use in connection with the preparation of such Registration Statement,
prospectus, amendment, or supplement; provided, however, that the obligations of
such Stockholders hereunder shall be limited to an amount equal to the proceeds
to each Stockholder of Registrable Shares sold in connection with such
registration.

                  (c)      Each party entitled to indemnification under this
section 10.5 (the "Indemnified Party") shall give notice to the party required

                                       31
<PAGE>

to provide indemnification (the "Indemnifying Party") promptly after such
Indemnified Party has actual knowledge of any claim as to which indemnity may be
sought, and shall permit the Indemnifying Party to assume the defense of any
such claim or any litigation resulting therefrom; provided, that counsel for the
Indemnifying Party, who shall conduct the defense of such claim or litigation,
shall be approved by the Indemnified Party (whose approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld); and, provided, further, that the failure of any
Indemnified Party to give notice as provided herein shall not relieve the
Indemnifying Party of its obligations under this section 10. The Indemnified
Party may participate in such defense at such party's expense; provided,
however, that the Indemnifying Party shall pay such expense if representation of
such Indemnified Party by the counsel retained by the Indemnifying Party would
be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between the
Indemnified Party and any other party represented by such counsel in such
proceeding. No Indemnifying Party, in the defense of any such claim or
litigation, shall, except with the consent of each Indemnified Party, consent to
entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement that does not include as an
unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such
Indemnified Party of a release from all liability respect off such claim or
litigation, and no Indemnified Party shall consent to entry of any judgment or
settle such claim or litigation without the prior written consent of the
Indemnifying Party.

                  (d)      In order to provide for just and equitable
contribution to joint liability under the Securities Act or otherwise, in any
case in which either (i) any holder of Registrable Shares exercising rights
under this Agreement, or any controlling person of any such holder, makes a
claim for indemnification pursuant to this section 10.5 but it is judicially
determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court of competent
jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the last
right of appeal) that such indemnification may not be enforced in such case
notwithstanding the fact that this section 10.5 provides for indemnification in
such case, or (ii) contribution may be required on the part of any such selling
Stockholder or any such controlling person in circumstances for which
indemnification is provided under this section 10.5; then, in each such case,
the Company and such Stockholder will contribute to the aggregate losses,
claims, damages, or liabilities to which they may be subject (after contribution
from others) (x) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative
fault of the Company and the prospective sellers of Registrable Shares covered
by the Registration Statement which resulted in such loss, claim, damage or
liability, or action or proceeding in respect thereof, with respect to the
statements or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage or liability,
or action or proceeding in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations or (y) if the allocation provided by clause (x) above
is not permitted

                                       32
<PAGE>

by applicable law, in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the
relative benefits received by the Company and such prospective sellers from the
offering of the securities covered by such registration statement, provided,
that for purposes of clauses (x) or (y), the relative benefits received by the
prospective sellers shall be deemed not to exceed the amount of proceeds
received by such prospective sellers and no holder of Registrable Securities
shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount such holder
could have been required to pay to an indemnified party if the indemnity under
subsection (b) of this section 10.5 was available. No person or entity guilty of
fraudulent misrepresentation, within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the
Securities Act, shall be entitled to contribution from any person or entity who
is not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

                  10.6.    Indemnification with Respect to Underwritten
Offering. In the event that Registrable Shares are sold pursuant to a
Registration Statement in an underwritten offering pursuant to section 10.1(a),
the Company agrees to enter into an underwriting agreement containing customary
representations and warranties with respect to the business and operations of an
issuer of the securities being registered and customary covenants and agreements
to be performed by such issuer, including without limitation customary
provisions with respect to indemnification by the Company of the underwriters of
such offering.

                  10.7.    Information by Holder. Each holder of Registrable
Shares included in any registration shall furnish to the Company such
information regarding such holder and the distribution proposed by such holder
as the Company may request in writing and as shall be required in connection
with any registration, qualification or compliance referred to in this section
10.

                  10.8.    "Stand-Off" Agreement. Each Stockholder, if requested
by the Company and an underwriter of Common Stock or other securities of the
Company, shall agree not to sell or otherwise transfer or dispose of any
Registrable Shares or other securities of the Company held by such Stockholder
for a specified period of time (not to exceed 120 days) following the effective
date of a Registration Statement; provided, that:

                  (a)      such agreement shall only apply to the first such
         Registration Statement covering Common Stock of the Company to be sold
         on its behalf to the public in an underwritten offering; and

                  (b)      all Stockholders holding not less than the number of
         shares of Common Stock held by such Stockholder (including shares of
         Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of Shares, or other
         convertible securities, or upon the exercise of options, warrants or
         rights) and all officers and directors of the Company enter into
         similar agreements.

                                       33
<PAGE>

                  Such agreement shall be in writing in a form satisfactory to
the Company and such underwriter. The Company may impose stop-transfer
instructions with respect to the Registrable Shares or other securities subject
to the foregoing restriction until the end of the standoff period.

                  10.9.    Limitations on Subsequent Registration Rights. The
Company shall not, without the prior written consent of Stockholders holding at
least 51% of the Registrable Shares, enter into any agreement (other than this
Agreement) with any holder or prospective holder of any securities of the
Company that would allow such holder or prospective holder (a) to include
securities of the Company in any registration filed under section 10.1 or 10.2
or (b) to make a demand registration.

                  10.10.   Rule 144 Requirements. After the earliest of (a) the
closing of the sale of securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration
Statement, (b) the registration by the Company of a class of securities under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act, or (c) the issuance by the Company of an
offering circular pursuant to Regulation A under the Securities Act, the Company
agrees to:

                  (a)      comply with the requirements of Rule 144(c) under the
         Securities Act with respect to current public information about the
         Company;

                  (b)      use its best efforts to file with the Commission in a
         timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company
         under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act (at any time after it has
         become subject to such reporting requirements); and

                  (c)      furnish to any holder of Registrable Shares upon
         request (i) a written statement by the Company as to its compliance
         with the requirements of said Rule 144 (c), and the reporting
         requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act (at any time
         after it has become subject to such reporting requirements), (ii) a
         copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company, and
         (iii) such other reports and documents of the Company as subholder may
         reasonably request to avail itself of any similar rule or regulation of
         the Commission allowing it to sell any such securities without
         registration.

                                       34
<PAGE>

                  10.11.   Selection of Underwriter. In the case of any
registration effected pursuant to this section 10, the Company shall have the
right to designate the managing underwriter in any underwritten offering,
subject to the approval of the holders of a majority of the Registrable Shares
requested to be included in such offering, which approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld.

                  10.12.   Mergers, Etc. The Company shall not, directly or
indirectly, enter into any merger, consolidation, or reorganization in which the
Company shall not be the surviving corporation unless the proposed surviving
corporation shall, prior to such merger, consolidation, or reorganization, agree
in writing to assume the obligations of the Company under this section 10, and
for that purpose references hereunder to "Registrable Shares" shall be deemed to
be references to the securities that the Stockholders would be entitled to
receive in exchange for Registrable Shares under any such merger consolidation,
or reorganization; provided, however, that the provisions of this section 10
shall not apply in the event of any merger, consolidation, or reorganization in
which the Company is not the surviving corporation if all Stockholders are
entitled to receive in exchange for their Registrable Shares consideration
consisting solely of (a) cash, (b) securities of the acquiring corporation that
may be immediately sold to the public without registration under the Securities
Act, or (c) securities of the acquiring corporation that the acquiring
corporation has agreed to register within 90 days of completion of the
transaction for resale to the public pursuant to the Securities Act.

                  11.      Definitions. As used herein the following terms have
the following respective meanings:

                  Affiliate:    any Person directly or indirectly controlling or
controlled by or under common control with the Company or any Subsidiary,
including (without limitation) any Person beneficially owning or holding 5% or
more of any class of voting securities of the Company or any Subsidiary or any
other corporation of which the Company or any Subsidiary owns or holds 5% or
more of any class of voting securities, provided that, for purposes of this
definition, "control" (including, with correlative meanings, the terms
"controlled by" and "under common control with"), as used with respect to any
Person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to
direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person,
whether through the ownership of voting securities or by contract or otherwise,
and provided further that the Purchaser shall not be deemed to be an Affiliate
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries solely by reason of ownership of
Shares or other securities issued in exchange for the Shares or by reason of
having the benefits of any agreements or covenants of the Company contained in
this Agreement.

                                       35
<PAGE>

                  Affiliated Insurers:     Direct and any other property,
casualty insurance company wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company.

                  Board:     the Board of Directors of the Company or a
committee of three or more directors lawfully exercising the relevant powers of
the Board.

                  Business Day:     any day except a Saturday, a Sunday or other
day on which commercial banks in New York City are required or authorized by law
to be closed.

                  Certificate of Designation:     the meaning specified thereof
or in Section 1.

                  Code:     the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from
time to time.

                  Commission:     the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any
other Federal agency at the time administering the Securities Act.

                  Commissioner:     with respect to the state of Tennessee, the
Tennessee Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance, and with respect to any other
state the administrative head of the department of such state charged with
responsibility for regulation of insurance companies.

                  Common Stock:     the common stock, no par value, of the\
Company.

                  Convertible Securities:     (i) any obligations, rights,
warrants or options exercisable with respect to the Common Stock or shares of
stock or obligations, rights, warrants or options which by their terms are
convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock, and (ii) any
obligations, rights or other options exercisable with respect to the Common
Stock or shares of stock or obligations, rights, warrants or options which by
their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for obligations or shares of
stock which in turn are, directly or indirectly, convertible into or
exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock.

                  Current Market Price:     on any date of determination, the
fair value of one share of the Common Stock determined in good faith by the
Board as of a date which is within 15 days of the date of determination.

                  Debt:     as applied to any Person (without duplication):

                  (a)      any indebtedness for borrowed money which such Person
         has directly or indirectly created, incurred or assumed; and

                                       36
<PAGE>

                  (b)      any indebtedness, whether or not for borrowed money,
         secured by any Lien in respect of property owned by such Person,
         whether or not such Person has assumed or become liable for the payment
         of such indebtedness; and

                  (c)      any indebtedness, whether or not for borrowed money,
         with respect to which such Person has become directly or indirectly
         liable and which represents or has been incurred to finance the
         purchase price (or a portion thereof) of any property or services or
         business acquired by such Person, whether by purchase, consolidation,
         merger or otherwise, excluding accounts payable incurred in the
         ordinary course of business if such accounts are not more that 90 days
         past due; and

                  (d)      any indebtedness of any other Person of the character
         referred to in subdivision (a), (b), (c) or (d) of this definition with
         respect to which the Person whose Debt is being determined has become
         liable by way of a Guaranty.

                  Direct:     Direct Insurance Company, a Tennessee corporation.

                  Direct Companies:     the Company and its Subsidiaries.

                  Eldon Capital:     Eldon Capital, Incorporated, a Delaware
corporation.

                  Environmental Laws:     Federal, state and local laws, rules
and regulations relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened
releases of pollutants, contaminants, chemicals or industrial, toxic or
hazardous substances or wastes into the environment (including, without
limitation, air, surface water, ground water or land), or otherwise relating to
the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal,
transport or handling of pollutants, contaminants, chemicals or industrial,
toxic or hazardous substances or wastes.

                                       37
<PAGE>

                  ERISA:     the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, as amended from time to time.

                  Exchange Act:     the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, or any similar Federal statute, and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder all as the same shall be in effect at the time of
determination.

                  Fully-Diluted Common Stock:     at any time of determination,
the sum of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding at such time and
(ii) the number of shares of Common Stock into which all Options and Convertible
Securities outstanding at such time are convertible, exchangeable or
exercisable.

                  Guaranty:     as applied to any Person, any direct or indirect
liability, contingent or otherwise, of such Person with respect to any
indebtedness, lease, dividend or other obligation of another, including, without
limitation, any such obligation directly or indirectly guaranteed, endorsed
(otherwise than for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business) or
discounted or sold with recourse by such Person, or in respect of which such
Person is otherwise directly or indirectly liable, including, without
limitation, any such obligation in effect guaranteed by such Person through any
agreement (contingent or otherwise) to purchase, repurchase or otherwise acquire
such obligation or. any security therefor, or to provide funds for the payment
or discharge of such obligation (whether in the form of loans, advances, stock
purchases, capital contributions or otherwise), or to maintain the solvency or
any balance sheet or other financial condition of the obligor of such
obligation, or to make payment for any products, materials or supplies or for
any transportation or services regardless of the non-delivery or nonfurnishing
thereof, in any such case if the purpose or intent of such agreement is to
provide assurance that such obligation will be paid or discharged, or that any
agreements relating thereto will be complied with, or that the holders of such
obligation will be protected against loss in respect thereof. The amount of any
Guaranty shall be equal to the outstanding principal amount of the obligation
guaranteed.

                  Intellectual Property Rights:     all patents, trademarks,
service marks, trade names, copyrights, licenses and authorizations, and all
rights with respect to the foregoing, owned or possessed by the Direct
Companies.

                  Investment:     as applied to any Person, any direct or
indirect purchase or other acquisition by such Person of stock or other
securities of any other Person, or any direct or indirect loan, advance or
capital contribution by such Person to any other Person, including all Debt and
accounts receivable from such other Person which are not

                                       38
<PAGE>

current assets or did not arise from sales to such other Person in the ordinary
course of business.

                  IPO:     the issuance by the Company in an initial registered
public offering under the Securities Act of a number of shares of Common Stock.

                  Lien:     as to any Person, any mortgage, lien, pledge,
adverse claim, charge, security interest or other encumbrance in or on, or any
interest or title of any vendor, lessor, lender or other secured party to or of
such Person under any conditional sale or other title retention agreement or
capitalized lease with respect to, any property or asset owned or held by such
Person, or the signing or filing of a financing statement which names such
Person as debtor, or the signing of any security agreement authorizing any other
party as the secured party thereunder to file any financing statement.

                  Material Agreement:     any material debt agreement
(including any loan or security agreement), indenture, lease, agreement or
instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any of
them or their properties is bound.

                  Memorandum:     the Request for Capital Investment, dated
April 18, 1996, prepared by the Company in connection with the offer and sale of
the Shares.

                  NASD:     the National Association of Securities Dealers.

                  NASDAQ:     the Automated Quotation System of the NASD.

                  Officers' Certificate:     a certificate executed on behalf of
the Company by the Chairman of the Board of Directors (if an officer) or its
President or one of its Vice Presidents and its Treasurer or one of its
Assistant Treasurers.

                  Option Plan:     the Company's 1996 Employee Stock Incentive
Plan, providing for the issuance from time to time to employees of the Direct
Companies of options for the purchase of the Company's Common Stock.

                  Options:     rights, options or warrants to subscribe for,
purchase or otherwise acquire either shares of Common Stock or Convertible
Securities.

                  Other Agreement:     the meaning specified in section 2.

                  Other Purchaser:     the meaning specified in section 2.

                                       39
<PAGE>

                  PBGC:     the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any
governmental authority succeeding to any of its functions.

                  Permitted Liens:     (a) Liens for taxes, assessments or other
governmental charges the payment of which is not at the time required by section
9.3; (b) statutory Liens of landlords and Liens of carriers, warehousemen,
mechanics and materialmen incurred in the ordinary course of business for sums
not yet due or the payment of which is not at the time required by section 9.3;
(c) Liens (other than any Lien imposed by ERISA) incurred or deposits made in
the ordinary course of business (i) in connection with workers' compensation,
unemployment insurance and other types of social security, or (ii) to secure (or
to obtain letters of credit that secure) the performance of tenders, statutory
obligations, surety and appeal bonds, bids, leases, performance bonds, purchase,
construction or sales contracts and other similar obligations, in each, case not
incurred or made in connection with the borrowing of money, the obtaining of
advances or credit or the payment of the deferred purchase price of property;
(d) any attachment or judgment Lien, unless the judgment it secures shall not,
within 60 days after the entry thereof, have been discharged or execution
thereof stayed pending appeal, or shall not have been discharged within 60 days
after the expiration of any such stay; (e) leases or subleases granted to
others, easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar charges or
encumbrances, in each case incidental to, and not interfering with, the ordinary
conduct of the business of the Company or any Subsidiary; and (f) Liens existing
on the date of this Agreement and securing Debt of the Company and its
Subsidiaries referred to in Schedule D.

                  Person:     a corporation, a limited liability company, an
association, a partnership, an organization, a business, an individual, a
government or political subdivision thereof or a governmental agency.

                  Plan:     an "employee pension benefit plan" (as defined in
section 3 of ERISA) which is or has been established or maintained, or to which
contributions are or have been made, by the Company or any of its Related
Persons, or an employee pension benefit plan as to which the Company or any of
its Related Persons would be treated as a contributory sponsor under section
4069 of ERISA if it were to be terminated.

                  Public Offering:     the issuance by the Company in an initial
registered public offering under the Securities Act of shares of its Common
Stock.

                  Purchaser:     the party to this Agreement purchasing the
number of shares opposite its name in Schedule A, and each subsequent holder
from time to time of any of such shares of the Series B Preferred Stock.

                                       40
<PAGE>

                  Qualified Public Offering:     a Public Offering in which (a)
the price per share to the public for the shares sold for the Company,
multiplied by (b) the number of shares of Fully-Diluted Common Stock outstanding
at the effective time of the Public Offering, shall be equal to or greater than
$130,500,000.

                  Registrable Securities:     collectively, (a) Registrable
Shares, (b) the securities entitled to registration pursuant to the Warrant, (c)
the securities entitled to registration pursuant to the Securities Purchase
Agreement, dated December 2, 1994, as amended, relating to the Series A
Preferred Stock and (d) the securities entitled to registration pursuant to the
Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 6, 1996, between the Company and
Mutual Service Casualty Insurance Company.

                  Registrable Shares     (a) the shares of Common Stock issued
or issuable upon conversion of the Shares, (b) any shares of Common Stock
acquired by the Purchaser or the Other Purchaser pursuant to section 9.9 hereof
and any shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion or exercise of
capital stock or other securities of the Company acquired by the Purchaser or
the Other Purchaser pursuant to section 9.9 hereof, and (c) any other shares of
Common Stock of the Company issued in respect of such shares (because of stock
splits, stock dividends, reclassification, recapitalization, or similar events);
provided, however, that shares of Common Stock that are Registrable Shares shall
cease to be Registrable Shares upon any sale pursuant to a Registration
Statement, Section 4(1) of the Securities Act, or Rule 144 under the Securities
Act. Wherever reference is made in this Agreement to a request or consent of
holders of a certain percentage of Registrable Shares, the determination of such
percentage shall include shares of Common stock issuable upon conversion of the
Shares even if such conversion has not yet been effected.

                  Registration Expenses:     the expenses described in section
10.4.

                  Registration Statement:     a registration statement filed by
the Company with the Commission for a public offering and sale of securities of
the Company (other than a registration statement on Form S-8 or Form S-4, or
their successors, or any other form for a limited purpose, or any registration
statement covering only securities proposed to be issued in exchange for
securities or assets of another corporation)

                                       41
<PAGE>

                  Related Person:     any trade or business, whether or not
incorporated, which, together with the Company, is under common control, as
described in section 414(b) or (c) of the Code.

                  Requisite Holders:     the holders of more than 50% of (a) the
Shares at the time outstanding determined on the basis of the number of shares
of Common Stock deliverable upon exercise thereof and (b) as to any Shares that
shall have been converted into shares of Common Stock, the number of shares of
Common Stock outstanding as a result of such exercise; voting as a single class.

                  Securities Act:     the Securities Act of 1933, or any similar
Federal statute, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, all
as the same shall be in effect at the time of determination.

                  Securityholders:     collectively, (a) the Stockholders, (b)
the Warrantholders, (c) the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock entitled to
registration pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, dated December 2,
1994, as amended, relating to the Series A Preferred Stock and (d) the holders
of the Common Stock entitled to registration pursuant to the Stock Purchase
Agreement, dated as of September 6, 1996, between the Company and Mutual Service
Casualty Insurance Company.

                  Series A Preferred Stock:     the Series A Convertible
Preferred Stock, no par value, of the Company.

                  Series B Preferred Stock:     the Series B Convertible
Preferred Stock, no par value, of the Company.

                  Shares:     the meaning specified therefor in section 2.

                  Statutory Accounting Principles:     statutory accounting
practices prescribed or permitted by the National Association of Insurance
Commissioners and the Department of Insurance of the applicable jurisdiction.

                  Stockholders:     the two purchasers listed on Schedule A, and
each subsequent holder from time to time of any Registrable Shares.

                  Stockholders Agreement:     the Amended and Restated
Stockholders Agreement among the Company, the Purchaser, the Other Purchaser and
certain other holders of the capital stock of the Company, in substantially the
form of Exhibit C.

                  Subsidiary:     any corporation at least a majority (by number
of votes) of the Voting Stock of which is at the time owned by the Company or by
one or more Subsidiaries or by the Company and one or more Subsidiaries.

                                       42
<PAGE>

                  Voting Stock:     with reference to any corporation, stock of
any class or classes (or equivalent interests), if the holders of the stock of
such class or classes (or equivalent interests) are ordinarily, in the absence
of contingencies, entitled to vote for the election of the directors (or Persons
performing similar functions) of such corporation, even though the right so to
vote has been suspended by the happening of such a contingency.

                  Warrant:     the Common Stock Purchase Warrant, expiring
November 25, 2004, originally issued by the Company to Eldon Capital, and any
Warrant or Warrants issued in substitution therefor pursuant to the terms
thereof.

                  Warrantholders:     the holder or holders from time to time of
the Warrant.

                  Wholly-Owned:     as applied to any Subsidiary, a Subsidiary
all the outstanding shares (other than directors' qualifying shares, if required
by law) of every class of stock of which are at the time owned by the Company or
by one or more Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries or by the Company and one or more
Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries.

                  12.      Confidentiality. The Purchaser agrees that it will
not disclose without the prior consent of the Company (other than to its
employees, officers, directors, advisors, auditors or counsel or to another
holder of the Shares) any proprietary or confidential information with respect
to the Company or any Subsidiary, provided that the Purchaser may disclose any
such information (a) as has become generally available to the public, (b) as may
be required or appropriate in any report, statement or testimony submitted to
any municipal, state or Federal regulatory body having or claiming to have
jurisdiction over the Purchaser, (c) as may be required or appropriate in
response to any summons or subpoena or in connection with any litigation, (d) to
the extent that it is appropriate in order to comply with any law, order,
regulation or ruling applicable to it, provided, in the case of the foregoing
clauses (b), (c) and (d), that the Purchaser will give the Company reasonable
prior notice of its intended disclosure and will, to the extent it may do so
consistently with the Purchaser's obligations under applicable law, afford the
Company an opportunity to contest such disclosure in any relevant proceeding, or
(e) to the prospective transferee in connection with any contemplated transfer
of any of the Shares by the Purchaser, provided, in the case of the foregoing
clause (e), that the prospective transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by
the provisions of this section.

                                       43
<PAGE>

                  13.      Option to Sell or Purchase. The Company hereby grants
to the Purchaser, subject to terms and conditions of this section 13, (x) the
right to sell all or part of the Shares owned by it to the Company for a
purchase price per share equal to $54.036 per share (the "Option Price") and (y)
the right to purchase up to an additional 51,980 shares of the Series B
Preferred Stock from the Company for a purchase price per share equal to the
Option Price. The Purchaser may exercise the rights granted herein at any one
time on or prior to January 1, 1997, in whole or in part, by written notice (the
"Option Notice") to the Company setting forth a date (the "Option Closing Date")
for the consummation of the sale or purchase, as the case may be, which date
shall be not less than five and not more than ten days following the date of the
Option Notice.

                  On the Option Closing Date the Company will be obligated to
purchase the Shares from the Purchaser, or sell the additional shares to the
Purchaser, as the case may be, described in the Option Notice, on the terms set
forth herein, if, and only if, the Company has obtained a buyer for such Shares
(in the case of a sale by the Purchaser) or a seller of such additional shares
(in the case of a purchase by the Purchaser), in each case satisfactory to the
Company.

                  14.      Purchase Price Adjustment. If during the period from
the Closing Date to the date of the audit of the Company's consolidated
financial statements for the fiscal year 1998, the Company shall restate its
consolidated audited financial statements for the fiscal year 1995, then to the
extent that the aggregate effect of such restatement is to reduce fiscal year
ended December 31, 1995 consolidated book value by more than $1 million, the
Current Conversion Price (as defined in section B(e) (3) of the Certificate of
Designation) shall be reduced at a rate of 1.75% for each $1 million reduction
in such book value in excess of the initial $1 million reduction; provided, that
the aggregate of such adjustments of the Current Conversion Price shall not
exceed 20% of the then Current Conversion Price. For the purposes of this
section 14, restatement shall not include: (a) a change in generally accepted
accounting principles due to adoption of newly enacted Financial Accounting
Standards including, but not limited to, Statements of Financial Accounting
Standards, Proposed Statements of Financial Accounting Standards, or Emerging
Issues Task Force Abstracts; (b) American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants Statements of Position or Issues Papers; (c) application of SEC
Rules and Regulations, including but not limited to, Regulation S-X or
Regulation S-K, Securities Act Industry Guides, Exchange Act Industry Guides,
Staff Accounting Bulletins or Codification of Financial Reporting Releases, or;
(d) changes in tax law, including but not limited to, new legislation or
revisions to the Internal Revenue Code.

                                       44
<PAGE>

                  15.      Registration, Transfer and Substitution of Shares;
Action by Shareholders.

                  15.1.    Share Register; Ownership of Shares. The Company will
keep at its principal office a register in which the Company will provide for
the registration of Shares and the registration of transfers of Shares. The
Company may treat the Person in whose name any Share is registered on such
register as the owner thereof for the purpose of receiving payment of dividends
on such Share and for all other purposes, and the Company shall not be affected
by any notice to the contrary. All references in this Agreement to a "holder" of
any Share shall mean the Person in whose name such Share is at the time
registered on such register.

                  15.2.    Transfer and Exchange of Shares. Upon surrender of
any Share certificate for registration of transfer or for exchange to the
Company at its principal office, the Company at its expense will execute and
deliver in exchange therefor a new Share certificate or certificates, in such
denominations as may be requested by the holder or transferee, which aggregate
the number of Shares represented by such surrendered Share certificate,
registered as such holder or transferee may request.

                  15.3.    Replacement of Shares. Upon receipt of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to the Company of the loss, theft, destruction or
mutilation of any Share certificate and, in the case of any such loss, theft or
destruction of any Share certificate, upon delivery of an indemnity agreement
satisfactory to the Company from the holder thereof, or, in the case of any such
mutilation, upon the surrender of such Share certificate for cancellation to the
Company at its principal office, the Company at its expense will execute and
deliver, in lieu thereof, a new Share certificate representing the number of
Shares represented by such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated Share.

                  15.4.    Shares held by Company, etc., Deemed Not Outstanding.
For the purposes of determining whether the holders of the requisite number of
Shares at the time outstanding have taken any action authorized by this
Agreement with respect to the giving of consents or approvals, any Shares
directly or indirectly owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or
Affiliates shall be disregarded and deemed not to be outstanding.

                  15.5.    Sale or Transfer of Shares; Legend. (a) The Shares
and the Registrable Shares and shares issued in respect of the Shares or the
Registrable Shares shall not be sold or transferred unless either (i) they first
shall have been registered under the Securities Act, or (ii) the Company first
shall have been furnished with an opinion of legal counsel, reasonably
satisfactory to the Company, to the effect

                                       45
<PAGE>

that such sale or transfer is exempt from the registration requirements of the
Securities Act.

                  (b)      Notwithstanding the foregoing, no registration or
         opinion of counsel shall be required for (i) a transfer by the
         Purchaser, if that is a partnership to a partner of such partnership or
         a retired or withdrawn partner of such partnership who retires or
         withdraws after the date hereof, or to the estate of any such partner
         or retired or withdrawn partner, if the transferee agrees in writing to
         be subject to the terms of this section 15.5 to the same extent as if
         he were an original Purchaser hereunder, or (ii) a transfer made in
         accordance with Rule 144 or Rule 144A under the Securities Act.

                  (c)      Each certificate representing the Shares and the
         Registrable Shares and shares issued in respect of the Shares or the
         Registrable Shares shall bear a legend substantially in the following
         form:

                  THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN
         REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE
         OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED UNLESS
         AND UNTIL SUCH SHARES ARE REGISTERED UNDER SUCH ACT OR AN OPINION OF
         COUNSEL SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY IS OBTAINED TO THE EFFECT THAT SUCH
         REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.

                  The foregoing legend shall be removed from the certificates
representing any Registrable Shares, at the request of the holder thereof, at
such time as they become eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144(k) under the
Securities Act. No representation contained elsewhere herein or in any document
executed in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall be
construed to preclude the Purchaser from effecting at any time a resale of any
of the shares (or the underlying Common Stock upon conversion of the Shares)
pursuant to the provisions of Rule 144A. If requested by the Purchaser, the
Company shall use its best efforts to permit the shares (or underlying Common
Stock) to be designated PORTAL securities in accordance with the rules and
regulations adopted by the NASD relating to trading in the PORTAL Market.

                  (d)      The Company agrees, upon the request of the
         Purchaser, to make available to the Purchaser and to any prospective
         transferee of any Shares or Registrable Shares of the Purchaser the
         information concerning the Company described in Rule 144A(d) (4) under
         the Securities Act.

                  16.      Payments on Shares. The Company will pay all
dividends becoming due on the Shares held by the Purchaser by the method and at

                                       46
<PAGE>

the address specified for such purpose in Schedule A, or by such other method or
at such other address as the Purchaser shall have from time to time specified to
the Company in writing for such purpose.

                  17.      Survival of Representations and Warranties. All
representations and warranties contained in this Agreement shall survive the
execution and delivery of this Agreement, any investigation at any time made by
the Purchaser or on its behalf, the purchase of the Shares under this Agreement
and any disposition or payment of the Shares.

                  18.      Amendments and Waivers. Any term of this Agreement
may be amended and the observance of any term of this Agreement or of the Shares
may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance and either
retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of the Company and
the holders of more than 50% of the Shares at the time outstanding (subject to
section 12.4), provided that, without the prior written consent of the holders
of all the Shares at the time outstanding (subject to section 12.4), no such
amendment or waiver shall (a) reduce the aforesaid percentages of the Shares the
holders of which are required to consent to any amendment or waiver, or (b)
modify section 4. Any amendment or waiver effected in accordance with this
section 18 shall be binding upon each holder of any Share at the time
outstanding, each future holder of any Share and the Company.

                  19.      Notices, etc. Except as otherwise provided in this
Agreement, notices and other communications under this Agreement shall be in
writing and shall be delivered by hand or by commercial overnight courier
service, or mailed by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or
sent by facsimile transmission, addressed, (a) if to the Purchaser, at the
address set forth in Schedule A or at such other address as the Purchaser shall
have furnished to the Company in writing, or (b) if to any other holder of any
Share, at such address as such other holder shall have furnished to the Company
in writing, or, until any such other holder so furnishes to the Company an
address, then to and at the address of the last holder of such Share who has
furnished an address to the Company, or (c) if to the Company, at its address
set forth at the beginning of this Agreement, to the attention of the General
Counsel, or at such other address, or to the attention of such other officer, as
the Company shall have furnished to the Purchaser in writing. Any notice so
addressed and delivered by hand or courier shall be deemed to be given when
received, and any notice so addressed and mailed by registered or certified mail
shall be deemed to be given three Business Days after being so mailed.

                                       47
<PAGE>

                  20.      Miscellaneous. This Agreement shall be binding upon
and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the respective successors and
assigns of the parties hereto, whether so expressed or not, and, in particular,
shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by any holder or holders at the
time of the Shares or any part thereof. This Agreement embodies the entire
agreement and understanding between the Purchaser and the Company and supersedes
all prior agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof.
This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with and governed
by the law of the State of New York. The headings in this Agreement are for
purposes of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning
hereof. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one
instrument.

                  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has caused this
Agreement to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.

                                        DIRECT GENERAL CORPORATION

                                        By: /s/James R. Tuerff
                                           -------------------------------
                                            Title: President and
                                                   Chief Executive Officer

                                        ELDON CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P.

                                        By: ELDON CAPITAL, L.L.C.
                                            its General Partner

                                            By: /s/Udayan D. Ghose
                                               --------------------------
                                                Managing Member

                                       48<PAGE>
                                                                     Exhibit 4.4

                           DIRECT GENERAL CORPORATION

                  ELDON CAPITAL PARTNERS (INTERNATIONAL), L.P.

                     SERIES B CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK

                                ----------------
                       PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                ----------------

                          Dated as of November 18, 1996

<PAGE>

                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                                PAGES
                                                                                                                -----
<S>      <C>                                                                                                    <C>
1.       Authorization of Shares..................................................................................1

2.       Sale and Purchase of Shares..............................................................................1

3.       Closing; Fees............................................................................................1
   3.1.          Closing..........................................................................................1
   3.2.          Legal Fees.......................................................................................2

4.       Conditions to Purchaser's Obligations....................................................................2
   4.1.          Representations and Warranties...................................................................2
   4.2.          Performance; No Default..........................................................................2
   4.3.          Compliance Certificate...........................................................................2
   4.4.          Opinions of Counsel..............................................................................2
   4.5.          Stockholders Agreement...........................................................................2
   4.6.          Amendment of Charter.............................................................................3
   4.7.          Other Financing..................................................................................3
   4.8.          Consents, Agreements.............................................................................3
   4.9.          Compliance with Securities Laws..................................................................3
   4.10.         Proceedings and Documents........................................................................3
   4.11.         Fees.............................................................................................4
   4.12.         Engagement Agreement.............................................................................4

5.       Condition to the Company's Obligations...................................................................4
   5.1.          Representations and Warranties...................................................................4
   5.2.          Performance; No Default..........................................................................4
   5.3.          Stockholders Agreement...........................................................................4
   5.4.          Consents, Agreements.............................................................................4
   5.5.          Minimum Investment...............................................................................5

6.       Representations and Warranties, etc......................................................................5
   6.1.          Organization, Standing, etc......................................................................5
   6.2.          Subsidiaries.....................................................................................5
   6.3.          Qualification....................................................................................5
   6.4.          Business; Financial Statements...................................................................5
   6.5.          Changes, etc.....................................................................................6
   6.6.          Reserves and other Insurance Liabilities.........................................................7
   6.7.          Capital Stock and Related Matters................................................................7
   6.8.          Tax Returns and Payments.........................................................................8
   6.9.          Debt.............................................................................................9
   6.10.         Title to Properties; Liens.......................................................................9
   6.11.         Litigation, etc..................................................................................9
   6.12.         Compliance with Other Instruments, etc..........................................................10
   6.13.         Governmental Consent............................................................................10
   6.14.         Patents, Trademarks, Authorizations, etc........................................................10
   6.15.         Compliance with ERISA...........................................................................11
   6.16.         Environmental Matters...........................................................................11
   6.17.         Insurance.......................................................................................12
   6.18.         Material Contracts and Obligations..............................................................12
</TABLE>

                                       i

<PAGE>

<TABLE>
<S>              <C>                                                                                             <C>
   6.19.         Employees.......................................................................................12
   6.20.         Books and Records...............................................................................13
   6.21.         Accounts and Notes Receivable...................................................................13
   6.22.         "Sensitive" Payments"...........................................................................13
   6.23.         Disclosure......................................................................................14
   6.24.         Use of Proceeds.................................................................................14
   6.25.         Investment Company Act..........................................................................14
   6.26.         U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation..........................................................14
   6.27.         No Adverse Legislation, Action or Decision, etc.................................................14

7.       Purchase for Investment; Source of Funds................................................................14
   7.1.          Purchase for Investment.........................................................................15
   7.2.          Source of Funds.................................................................................15
   7.3.          Authority.......................................................................................15
   7.4.          Experience......................................................................................15
   7.5.          Accredited Investor.............................................................................15

8.       Accounting; Financial Statements and Other Information..................................................15

9.       Covenants of the Company................................................................................17
   9.1.          Inspection......................................................................................17
   9.2.          Corporate Existence, etc.; Business.............................................................17
   9.3.          Payment of Taxes and Claims; Tax Consolidation..................................................18
   9.4.          Maintenance of Properties; Insurance............................................................18
   9.5.          Transactions with Affiliates....................................................................18
   9.6.          Board Approval..................................................................................19
   9.7.          Compensation of Executive Officers..............................................................19
   9.8.          Key Man Insurance...............................................................................19
   9.9.          Preemptive Rights...............................................................................19
   9.10.         Auditor and Actuary.............................................................................21
   9.11.         Ownership of Subsidiaries.......................................................................21
   9.12.         Negative Covenants..............................................................................21
   9.13.         Expenses of Directors and Purchaser Representatives.............................................23
   9.14.         Reservation of Common Stock.....................................................................23
   9.15.         Director and Officer Insurance..................................................................24
   9.16.         Stock Option Plan...............................................................................24
   9.17.         Compliance with Laws............................................................................24
   9.18.         Termination of Covenants........................................................................24

10.      Registration Under Securities Act, etc..................................................................24
   10.1.         Required Registrations..........................................................................24
   10.2.         Incidental Registration.........................................................................26
   10.3.         Registration Procedures.........................................................................27
   10.4.         Allocation of Expenses..........................................................................30
   10.5.         Indemnification and Contribution................................................................30
   10.6.         Indemnification with Respect to Underwritten Offering...........................................33
   10.7.         Information by Holder...........................................................................33
   10.8.         "Stand-Off" Agreement...........................................................................33
   10.9.         Limitations on Subsequent Registration Rights...................................................34
   10.10.        Rule 144 Requirements...........................................................................34
   10.11.        Selection of Underwriter........................................................................35
</TABLE>

                                       ii

<PAGE>

<TABLE>
<S>              <C>                                                                                             <C>
   10.12.        Mergers, Etc....................................................................................35

11.      Definitions.............................................................................................35

12.      Confidentiality.........................................................................................43

13.      Option to Sell or Purchase..............................................................................44

14.      Purchase Price Adjustment...............................................................................44

15.      Registration, Transfer and Substitution of Shares; Action by Shareholders...............................45
   15.1.         Share Register; Ownership of Shares.............................................................45
   15.2.         Transfer and Exchange of Shares.................................................................45
   15.3.         Replacement of Shares...........................................................................45
   15.4.         Shares held by Company, etc., Deemed Not Outstanding............................................45
   15.5.         Sale or Transfer of Shares; Legend..............................................................45

16.      Payments on Shares......................................................................................46

17.      Survival of Representations and Warranties..............................................................47

18.      Amendments and Waivers..................................................................................47

19.      Notices, etc............................................................................................47

20.      Miscellaneous...........................................................................................48
</TABLE>

                                      iii

<PAGE>

EXHIBITS AND SCHEDULES

EXHIBIT A Certificate of Designation

EXHIBIT B-1       Opinion of Company Counsel

EXHIBIT B-2       Opinion of General Counsel of Company

EXHIBIT B-3       Opinion of Special Louisiana Counsel

EXHIBIT C         Form of Stockholders Agreement

SCHEDULE A        Schedule of Purchasers

SCHEDULE B        Schedule of Subsidiaries

SCHEDULE C        Schedule of Equity Holders

SCHEDULE D        Schedule of Debt and Liens of Direct Companies

SCHEDULE E        Disclosure Schedule

                                       iv

<PAGE>

                       PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT

                  PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT, dated as of November 18,
1996, among DIRECT GENERAL CORPORATION, a Tennessee corporation (the "Company"),
and ELDON CAPITAL PARTNERS (INTERNATIONAL), L.P., a Delaware limited partnership
(the "PURCHASER").

                  1.       Authorization of Shares. The Company will authorize
the issue and sale of 51,980 shares of its Series B Convertible Preferred Stock,
no par value (the "Series B Preferred Stock"), having the rights, restrictions,
privileges, preferences and voting powers set forth in the Certificate of
Designation set out in Exhibit A (the "Certificate of Designation"), with such
changes therefrom, if any, as may be approved by the Company and the Purchaser.
Certain capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in section 11;
references to a "Schedule" or an "Exhibit" are, unless otherwise specified, to a
Schedule or an Exhibit attached to this Agreement.

                  2.       Sale and Purchase of Shares. Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, the Company will issue and sell to the Purchaser
and the Purchaser will purchase from the Company, at the Closing provided for in
section 3, the number of shares of the Series B Preferred Stock specified
opposite the name of the Purchaser in Schedule A at the purchase price of
$54.036 per share. Contemporaneously with entering into this Agreement, the
Company is entering into a separate Purchase Agreement (the "Other Agreement")
identical with this Agreement with the other purchaser named in Schedule A (the
"Other Purchaser"), providing for the sale to the Other Purchaser, at such
Closing, of the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock specified opposite
its name in Schedule A. The shares of Preferred Stock being purchased by all the
purchasers, listed in Schedule A, and the shares of Preferred Stock to be issued
by way of dividends, are hereinafter referred to as the "Shares".

                  3.       Closing; Fees.

                  3.1. Closing. The sale of the Shares to be purchased by the
Purchaser shall take place at the offices of Becker, Glynn, Melamed & Muffly
LLP, 299 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10171, at 10:00 a.m., New York City
time, at a closing (the "Closing") on November 25, 1996 or at such other time
and place as may be agreed upon by the Company and the Purchaser. At the Closing
the Company will deliver to the Purchaser the Shares to be purchased by the
Purchaser in the form of a single Share certificate (or such greater number of
Share certificates in such denominations as the Purchaser may request)
registered in the name of the Purchaser (or in the name of its nominee), against

<PAGE>

delivery by the Purchaser to the Company or its order of immediately available
funds in the amount of the purchase price therefor.

                  3.2. Legal Fees. On the date of the Closing, the Company will
pay the reasonable costs and expenses of the Purchaser incurred in connection
with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including without
limitation the fees and disbursements of the Purchaser's special counsel and
special regulatory counsel, if any, incurred in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, against presentation to the Company of a
schedule showing such costs and expenses in reasonable detail; provided that the
fees payable pursuant to this section 3.2 and section 3.2 of the Other Agreement
will in no event exceed an aggregate of $75,000.

                  4.       Conditions to Purchaser's Obligations. The obligation
of the Purchaser to purchase and pay for the Shares to be sold to it at the
Closing is subject to the fulfillment to the Purchaser's satisfaction, prior to
or at the Closing, of the following conditions:

                  4.1. Representations and Warranties. The representations and
warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement and those set forth in the
Schedules and Exhibits hereto shall be correct when made and at the time of the
Closing, except as affected by the consummation of such transactions.

                  4.2. Performance; No Default. The Company shall have performed
and complied in all material respects with all agreements and conditions
contained in this Agreement required to be performed or complied with by it
prior to or at the Closing.

                  4.3. Compliance Certificate. The Company shall have delivered
to the Purchaser an Officers' Certificate, dated the date of the Closing,
certifying that the conditions specified in sections 4.1 and 4.2 have been
fulfilled.

                  4.4. Opinions of Counsel. The Purchaser shall have received
(a) from Bass, Berry & Sims, counsel for the Company, a favorable opinion
substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B-1, (b) from Kurt G. Schreiber,
- Esq., Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Company, a favorable
opinion substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B-2, and (c) from
Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P., special Louisiana counsel for the - Company,
a favorable opinion substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B-3.

                  4.5. Stockholders Agreement. The Stockholders Agreement shall
have been duly executed and delivered by the parties thereto, in substantially
the form of Exhibit C.

                                       2

<PAGE>

                  4.6. Amendment of Charter. The Charter of the Company shall
have been amended to include (a) substantially the provisions set forth in
Exhibit A relating to the Series B Preferred Stock and (b) such revisions of the
certificate of designation relating to the Series A Preferred Stock as may be
necessary to permit the transactions contemplated hereby, and, except as so
amended, the Charter shall not have been amended or modified without the
Purchaser's prior written consent.

                  4.7. Other Financing. A complete and correct copy of the Loan
Agreement, dated October 3, 1996, among the Company, Direct, First Tennessee
Bank National Association, as Agent, and the banks named therein; the Fourth
Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, dated August 29, 1996, among the Company,
certain of its affiliates and Subsidiaries, First Tennessee Bank National
Association, as Agent, and the banks named therein; and the Stock Purchase
Agreement, dated as of September 6, 1996, between the Company and Mutual Service
Casualty Insurance Company; shall have been delivered to the Purchaser.

                  4.8. Consents, Agreements. The Company and the Purchaser shall
have obtained from the Department of Commerce and Insurance of the State of
Tennessee an Order of Exemption from the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated
Section 56-11-203 with respect to this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement; and the Company and the Purchaser shall have
obtained from the Department of Insurance of the State of Louisiana an Order of
Exemption from the provisions of Louisiana Code LFA-R.S. 22:1004 E(2) (a) with
respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Such Orders of Exemption shall be in form and scope satisfactory to the
Purchaser and shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date. The Direct
Companies shall have obtained all other consents and waivers of governmental
authorities and any other Person necessary in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, and such consents and waivers shall be in full
force and effect on the Closing Date. A complete and correct copy of such Orders
of Exemption and each of such other consents and waivers shall have been
delivered to the Purchaser.

                  4.9. Compliance with Securities Laws. The offering and sale of
the Shares to the Purchaser shall have complied with all applicable requirements
of federal and state securities laws (including state insurance securities laws)
and the Purchaser shall have received evidence thereof in form and substance
reasonably satisfactory to it.

                  4.10. Proceedings and Documents. All corporate and other
proceedings in connection with the transactions

                                       3

<PAGE>

contemplated by this Agreement and all documents and instruments incident to
such transactions shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Purchaser and its
special counsel, and the Purchaser and its special counsel shall have received
all such counterpart originals or certified or other copies of such documents as
they may reasonably request.

                  4.11. Fees. The fees required to be paid by section 3.2 shall
have been paid as therein provided.

                  4.12. Engagement Agreement. The Company shall have executed
and delivered to Eldon Capital the Engagement Agreement, providing for the
engagement by the Company of Eldon Capital as consultant to the Company, and the
Common Stock Purchase Warrant provided for therein.

                  5.       Condition to the Company's Obligations. The
obligation of the Company to issue and sell the Shares to be sold by it at the
Closing is subject to the fulfillment to the Company's satisfaction, prior to or
at the Closing, of the following conditions:

                  5.1. Representations and Warranties. The representations and
warranties of the Purchaser contained in this Agreement shall be correct when
made and at the time of the Closing, except as affected by the consummation of
such transactions.

                  5.2. Performance; No Default. The Purchaser shall have
performed and complied in all material respects with all agreements and
conditions contained in this Agreement required to be performed or complied with
by them, if any, prior to or at the Closing.

                  5.3. Stockholders Agreement. The Stockholders Agreement shall
have been duly executed and delivered by the parties thereto, in substantially
the form of Exhibit C.

                  5.4. Consents, Agreements. The Company and the Purchaser shall
have obtained from the Department of Commerce and Insurance of the State of
Tennessee an Order of Exemption from the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated
Section 56-11-203 with respect to this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement; and the Company and the Purchaser shall have
obtained from the Department of Insurance of the State of Louisiana an Order of
Exemption from the provisions of Louisiana Code LFA-R.S. 22:1004 E(2) (a) with
respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Such Orders of Exemption shall be in form and scope satisfactory to the Company
and shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date. The Direct Companies
shall have obtained all other consents and waivers of governmental authorities
and any other Person necessary in connection with the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement, and such consents and

                                       4

<PAGE>

waivers shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.

                  5.5. Minimum Investment. The Purchaser and the Other
Purchaser, collectively, shall have tendered at the Closing aggregate
consideration of not less than $8,000,000 for the purchase of the Shares.

                  6.       Representations and Warranties, etc. The Company
represents and warrants that:

                  6.1. Organization, Standing, etc. The Company is a corporation
duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of the State of Tennessee
and has all requisite corporate power and authority to own and operate its
properties, to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this
Agreement, to issue and sell the Shares and to carry out the terms of this
Agreement.

                  6.2. Subsidiaries. Schedule B correctly lists as to each
Subsidiary on the date of this Agreement (a) its name, (b) the jurisdiction of
its incorporation and (c) the percentage of its issued and outstanding shares
owned by the Company or another Subsidiary (specifying such other Subsidiary) .
Each Subsidiary is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good
standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation and has all
requisite corporate power and authority to own and operate its properties and to
carry on its business as now conducted. All the outstanding shares of capital
stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and
all such shares indicated in Schedule B as owned by the Company or by any other
Subsidiary are so owned beneficially and of record by the Company or by such
other Subsidiary free and clear of any Lien other than Permitted Liens.

                  6.3. Qualification. Each of the Direct Companies is duly
qualified and in good standing as a foreign corporation authorized to do
business in each jurisdiction (other than the jurisdiction of its incorporation)
in which the nature of its activities or the character of the properties it owns
or leases makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure so to
qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the business, operations,
affairs, condition (financial or otherwise), properties or assets of the Direct
Companies, taken as a whole.

                  6.4. Business; Financial Statements. The Company has delivered
to the Purchaser complete and correct copies of (a) the audited balance sheets
of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of December 31, 1993, 1994 and 1995, and
- the audited statements of

                                       5

<PAGE>

earnings, shareholders' equity and cash flows of the Company and its
Subsidiaries for the fiscal years then ended, together with the opinion thereof
of Faulkner Mackie & Cochran, P.C., independent accountants, in the case of the
fiscal years ended December 31, 1993 and 1994, and Ernst & Young, LLP,
independent accountants, in the case of the fiscal year ended December 31, 1995,
(b) the unaudited balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of June
30, 1996, and the related unaudited statement of earnings and shareholders'
equity of the Company for the six months then ended, (c) the audited balance
sheet of Direct as of December 31, 1995, and the audited statements of earnings,
shareholders' equity and cash flows of Direct for the fiscal year then ended,
together with the opinion thereon of Ernst & Young, LLP, independent
accountants, and (d) the unaudited balance sheet of Direct as of June 30, 1996,
and the audited statements of earnings and shareholders' equity of Direct for
the six months then ended (together with the financial statements described in
clauses (a), (b) and (c), the "Financial Statements"). The Financial Statements
have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
(or, in the case of the Financial Statements of Direct, Statutory Accounting
Principles) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods specified
(except such changes as are therein specified and except, in the case of such
unaudited financial statements, for the absence of the statement of cash flows
and footnotes), and present fairly the financial position of the Company and its
consolidated Subsidiaries as of the respective dates specified and the
consolidated results of their operations and changes in financial position for
the respective periods specified, subject, in the case of such unaudited
financial statements, to year-end adjustments.

                  6.5. Changes, etc. Except as set forth in Schedule E, since
December 31, 1995, there has not been:

                  (a)      any change in the assets, liabilities, financial
         condition or operations of any of the Direct Companies other than
         changes in the ordinary course of business that have not been, either
         individually or in the aggregate, materially adverse;

                  (b)      any material change (individually or in the
         aggregate), except in the ordinary course of business, in the
         contingent obligations of any of the Direct Companies by way of
         guaranty, endorsement, indemnity, warranty, or otherwise;

                  (c)      any waiver or compromise by any of the Direct
         Companies of a material right or of a material debt owed to it;

                                       6

<PAGE>

                  (d)      any loans from the Direct Companies to their
         employees, officers, or directors, other than travel advances made in
         the ordinary course of business and other than loans which in the
         aggregate do not exceed $10, 000;

                  (e)      any increase or series of increases in excess of 10%
         in the compensation of any of the ten most highly- compensated
         employees of the Direct Companies;

                  (f)      any issuance or sale by the Company of any shares of
         Common Stock or other securities;

                  (g)      any direct or indirect declaration or payment by the
         Company of any sum or property for any dividend or other distribution
         on account of any shares of any class of stock of the Company or any
         redemption, retirement, purchase or other acquisition of any shares of
         any class of stock of the Company;

                  (h)      any other event or condition that has had a material
         adverse effect on any of the Direct Companies' business or prospects;
         or

                  (i)      any agreement or commitment by any of the Direct
         Companies to do any of the things described in this section 6.5.

                  6.6. Reserves and other Insurance Liabilities. Direct's
reserves, including but not limited to loss reserves (including loss adjustment
expense reserves), loss reserves for claims incurred but not reported (including
loss adjustment expense reserves), and unearned premiums, determined under
Statutory Accounting Principles as at June 30, 1996, as reflected in the
Financial Statements, equal or exceed those required under the insurance laws of
the State of Tennessee, including written interpretations thereof by the
Department of Commerce and Insurance of the State of Tennessee. Each reserving
assumption utilized by Direct in its calculations of such reserves is reasonable
in light of Direct's experience, and no information has come to Direct's
attention which would cause it to believe that any such assumption should be
changed in any material respect. Direct has delivered to the Purchaser a signed
report of an actuarial firm of national reputation as to the matters set forth
in this section 6.6.

                  6.7. Capital Stock and Related Matters. (a) As of the Closing
Date, after giving effect to the filing of the Certificate of Designation, the
authorized capital stock of the Company will consist of 10,000,000 shares of
Common Stock, no par value, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par
value, of which 244,812 shares are authorized and constitute the Series A

                                       7

<PAGE>

Preferred Stock, and 225,000 are authorized and constitute the Series B
Preferred Stock. On the Closing Date after giving effect to the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement and the Other Agreement, 1,100,367 shares of the
Common Stock, 244,812 of the Series A Preferred Stock and 148,049 shares of the
Series B Preferred Stock will be issued and outstanding. The shares of Common
Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock have been duly
authorized and validly reserved for issuance upon such conversion and, when so
issued, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The Company does
not have outstanding securities convertible into or exchangeable for any shares
of its capital stock, nor will it have outstanding any rights to subscribe for
or to purchase, or any options for the purchase of, or any agreements providing
for the issuance (contingent or otherwise) of, or any calls, commitments or
claims of any character relating to, any shares of its capital stock or any
securities convertible into or exchangeable for any shares of its capital stock,
other than (a) the Series A Preferred Stock, (b) options for the purchase of
119,000 shares of Common Stock issued and issuable to certain employees of the
Direct Companies under the Option Plan, (c) the Shares and (d) 16,255 shares of
Common Stock subject to the terms and conditions of the Common Stock Purchase
Warrant issued to Eldon Capital. Immediately after giving effect to the issuance
of the Shares, the Fully-Diluted Common Stock will be 1,628,483 shares of
Common Stock.

                  (b)      Schedule C sets forth a complete and accurate list of
         the stockholders and other equity holders of the Company, showing the
         number of shares of its capital stock, or securities convertible into
         or exchangeable for any shares of its capital stock, owned of record by
         each holder. Except as set forth in the certificate of designation
         relating to the Series A Preferred Stock, the Stock Purchase Agreement,
         dated as of September 6, 1996, between the Company and Mutual Service
         Casualty Insurance Company and in the Stockholders Agreement, there are
         no agreements between the Company and any holder of its capital stock
         relating to the acquisition (including without limitation rights of
         first refusal or preemptive rights), disposition or voting of the
         capital stock of the Company.

                  6.8. Tax Returns and Payments. The Direct Companies have
filed, or have obtained presently effective extensions with respect to, all tax
returns required by law to be filed by them and have paid all taxes, assessments
and other governmental charges levied upon the Direct Companies and any of their
respective properties, assets, income or franchises which are due and payable,
other than those presently payable without penalty or interest and those
presently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently
conducted for which such reserves or other appropriate provision, if any, as
shall be required by generally accepted accounting principles shall have

                                       8

<PAGE>

been made. The Federal income tax liabilities of the Direct Companies have not
been finally determined by the Internal Revenue Service, and the time for audit
has not expired, for any fiscal period. The charges, accruals and reserves on
the books of the Direct Companies in respect of Federal, state and foreign
income taxes for all fiscal periods are adequate in the opinion of the Company,
and the Company knows of no unpaid assessment for additional Federal, state or
foreign income taxes for any period or any basis for any such assessment.

                  6.9. Debt. Schedule D correctly describes all secured and
unsecured Debt of the Direct Companies (including, subject to the next following
sentence, any significant intercompany items) outstanding, or for which the
Direct Companies have commitments, on the date of this Agreement, and identifies
the collateral securing any secured Debt. None of the Direct Companies is in
default with respect to any Debt or any instrument or agreement relating
thereto. The outstanding amounts of intercompany items which are outstanding in
the ordinary course of business are set forth in Schedule D as of June 30, 1996,
and since that date there has been no change in such outstanding amounts except
in the ordinary course of business.

                  6.10. Title to Properties; Liens. The Direct Companies have
good title to their respective properties and assets, including the properties
and assets reflected in the Financial Statements referred to in section 6.4
(except properties and assets disposed of since such date in the ordinary course
of business), and, except as set forth in Schedule E, none of such properties or
assets is subject to any Liens other than Permitted Liens. The Direct Companies
enjoy peaceful and undisturbed possession under all leases necessary in any
material respect for the operation of their respective properties and assets,
and all such leases are valid and subsisting and are in full force and effect,
except where the failure of any such lease to be in full force and effect would
not have a material adverse effect on the business, operations, affairs,
condition (financial or otherwise), properties or assets of the Direct
Companies, taken as a whole.

                  6.11. Litigation, etc. Except as set forth in Schedule E,
there is no action, proceeding or investigation pending or overtly threatened
(or any basis therefor known to the Company) which questions the validity of
this Agreement or the Series B Preferred Stock or any action taken or to be
taken pursuant to this Agreement or the Series B Preferred Stock, or which would
result in any material adverse change in the business, operations, affairs,
condition (financial or otherwise), properties or assets of the Company or

                                       9

<PAGE>

any of its Subsidiaries, or in any liability on the part of the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries, which would be material to the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.

                  6.12. Compliance with Other Instruments, etc. None of the
Direct Companies is in violation of any term of its Charter, as amended,
certificate or articles of incorporation or by-laws, and none of the Direct
Companies is in violation of any term of any agreement or instrument to which it
is a party or by which it is bound or any term of any applicable law, ordinance,
rule or regulation of any governmental authority or any term of any applicable
order, judgment or decree of any court, arbitrator or governmental authority
(including without limitation the Agreed Order of the Department of Commerce and
Insurance of the State of Tennessee dated April 7, 1994), the consequences of
which violation would have a materially adverse effect on the business,
operations, affairs, condition (financial or otherwise), properties or assets of
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; the execution,
delivery and performance of this Agreement will not result in any violation of
or be in conflict with or constitute a default under any such term or result in
the creation of (or impose any obligation on any of the Direct Companies to
create) any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Direct Companies
pursuant to any such term; and there is no such term which materially adversely
affects the business, operations, affairs, condition (financial or otherwise),
properties or assets of any of the Direct Companies.

                  6.13. Governmental Consent. No consent, approval or
authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any governmental authority on
the part of any of the Direct Companies is required (other than such as have
been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, or are being made at or
prior to the Closing) for the valid execution and delivery of this Agreement or
the valid offer, issue, sale and delivery of the Shares pursuant to this
Agreement. Neither this Agreement, nor the sale and delivery of the Shares, nor
the carrying out of any term of this Agreement or the Shares, will result in any
change of control for purposes of any law, ordinance, rule or regulation of any
governmental authority.

                  6.14. Patents, Trademarks, Authorizations, etc. The Direct
Companies own or possess all patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names,
copyrights, licenses and authorizations, and all rights with respect to the
foregoing, necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as now
conducted, without any known material conflict with the rights of others, other
than those the failure to own or possess which would not have a material adverse
effect on the Direct Companies, taken as a whole.

                                       10

<PAGE>

                  6.15. Compliance with ERISA. (a) None of the Direct Companies
has breached the fiduciary rules of ERISA or engaged in any prohibited
transaction in connection with which any of the Direct Companies could be
subjected to (in the case of any such breach) a suit for damages or (in the case
of any such prohibited transaction) either a civil penalty assessed under
section 502(i) of ERISA or a tax imposed by section 4975 of the Code, which
suit, penalty or tax, in any case, would be materially adverse to any of the
Direct Companies.

                  (b)      No Plan or any trust created under any such Plan has
         been terminated since September 2, 1974.

                  (c)      Full payment has been made of all amounts which the
         Company or any Related Person is required under the terms of each Plan
         to have paid as contributions to such Plan as of the last day of the
         most recent fiscal year of such Plan ended prior to the date hereof.

                  (d)      None of the Direct Companies is or has ever been
         obligated to contribute to any "multiemployer plan" (as such term is
         defined in section 4001 (a) (3) of ERISA)

                  (e)      The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
         issue and sale of the Shares hereunder will not involve any transaction
         which is subject to the prohibitions of section 406 of ERISA or in
         connection with which a tax could be imposed pursuant to section 4975
         of the Code.

                  The Company has delivered to the Purchaser, if requested, a
complete and correct list of all employee benefit plans with respect to which
the Company is a party in interest and with respect to which its securities are
employer securities.

                  As used in this section 6.15(e), the terms "employee benefit
plans" and "party in interest" have the respective meanings specified in section
3 of ERISA and the term "employer securities" has the meaning specified in
section 407(d) (1) of ERISA.

                  6.16. Environmental Matters. The Direct Companies have
complied and are in compliance with all Environmental Laws in all material
respects. The Direct Companies have obtained and are in compliance with all
permits, licenses and other authorizations that are required pursuant to
Environmental Laws for the occupation of their facilities and the operation of
their business, without transfer, reissuance, or other governmental approval or
action, other than those the failure to obtain or to be in compliance with which
would not have a material adverse effect on the Direct Companies, taken as a
whole. There is no pending claim, complaint, citation, report or other written

                                       11

<PAGE>

notice regarding any material liability of any of the Direct Companies,
including any investigatory, remedial or corrective obligations, arising under
Environmental Laws.

                  6.17. Insurance. The Company maintains valid policies of
workers' compensation insurance and of insurance with respect to its properties
and business of the kinds and in the amounts (a) not less than is customarily
obtained by corporations of established reputation engaged in the same or
similar business and similarly situated, including, without limitation,
insurance against loss, damage, fire, theft, public liability, and other risks
and (b) in the judgment of the Company's management, reasonably exercised, are
adequate to provide the necessary protection to the Direct Companies and their
business from risks associated with their business. Set forth in Schedule E is a
complete list of all material insurance policies maintained as of the date
hereof by the Direct Companies.

                  6.18. Material Contracts and Obligations. Schedule E sets
forth a list of all agreements of any nature to which any of the Direct
Companies is a party or by which any of them is bound and which are material to
the Direct Companies, taken as a whole, including without limitation (a) each
agreement, other than insurance policies entered into in the ordinary course of
business, that requires future expenditures by any of the Direct Companies in
any fiscal year in excess of $100,000 or that might result in payments to any of
the Direct Companies in any fiscal year in excess of $100,000, (b) all
employment and consulting agreements, employee benefit, bonus, pension, profit
sharing, stock option, stock purchase, and similar plans and arrangements, and
consulting, distributor and sales representative agreements, (c) any agreement
with any stockholder, officer, or director of the Company, or any "affiliate" or
"associate" of such persons (as such terms are defined in the rules and
regulations promulgated under the Securities Act), including, without
limitation, any agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of
services by, rental of real or personal property from, or otherwise requiring
payments to, any such person or entity, (d) any agreement relating to the
Intellectual Property Rights, and (e) all reinsurance agreements. The Company
has made available or delivered to the Purchaser copies of each of such
agreements and contracts, and all of such agreements and contracts are valid,
binding, and in full force and effect.

                  6.19. Employees. None of the employees of the Direct Companies
is represented by any labor union, and there is no strike or any organization
drive pending with respect to any of the Direct Companies or, to the best
knowledge of the Company, overtly threatened in writing. The Direct Companies
have complied in all material respects with all applicable state and federal
equal opportunity and other laws relating to employment.

                                       12

<PAGE>

To the knowledge of the Company, no employee of the Direct Companies is or will
be in violation of any judgment, decree or order or any term of any employment
contract, patent disclosure agreement, or other contract or agreement relating
to the relationship of any such employee with any of the Direct Companies or any
other Person, except where such violation would not result in any material
adverse change in the assets, condition (financial or otherwise), business, or
prospects of any of the Direct Companies. None of the Direct Companies has
actual knowledge that any officer or key employee, or that any group of key
employees, intends to terminate their employment with the Direct Companies, nor
does any of the Direct Companies have a present intention to terminate the
employment of any of the foregoing except in the ordinary course of business.
Set forth in Schedule E is a list of all employees and consultants (excluding
commissioned agents) of the Direct Companies that have received payments from
the Direct Companies in the aggregate of $100,000 or more per annum since
December 31, 1994.

                  6.20. Books and Records. The minute books of each of the
Direct Companies contain complete and accurate records of all meetings and other
corporate actions of its stockholders and Board of Directors and committees
thereof. The stock ledgers of each of the Direct Companies is complete and
reflects all issuances, transfers, repurchases, and cancellations of shares of
its capital stock.

                  6.21. Accounts and Notes Receivable. The accounts and notes
receivable of the Direct Companies, if any, reflected in the Financial
Statements, and those acquired and accrued thereafter through the date of
Closing are, and shall be, bona fide receivables created in the ordinary course
of business, and the allowances for bad debts established in respect thereof are
reasonable.

                  6.22. "Sensitive" Payments". None of the Direct Companies, nor
to the knowledge of the Company any of their respective officers or directors,
nor anyone acting on behalf of any of them, has made or received any "sensitive"
payments, and no such person has or will maintain any unrecorded cash or
non-cash assets out of which any "sensitive" payments might be made. Except as
provided in the next sentence, "sensitive" payments means whether or not
illegal, (a) payments to or from government officials or employees, (b)
commercial bribes or kick-backs, (c) amounts paid with an understanding that
rebates or refunds will be made in contravention of the laws of any
jurisdiction, either directly or through a third party, (d) political
contributions and (e) payments or commitments (whether made in form of
commissions, payments of fees for goods or services received or otherwise) made
with the understanding or under circumstances which would indicate that all or
part thereof is to be paid by

                                       13

<PAGE>

the recipient to government officials or employees or as a commercial bribe,
influence payment or kick-back. However, sensitive" payments shall not include
contributions to political campaigns or organizations which are permissible
under federal and state election laws.

                  6.23. Disclosure. Neither this Agreement (including schedules
and exhibits to this Agreement) nor the Memorandum, when taken together,
contains (in each case, as of its date) any untrue statement of a material fact
or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements
contained in this Agreement (including schedules and exhibits to this Agreement
and the Memorandum), in light of the circumstances under which they were made,
not misleading. There is no fact (other than matters of a general economic or
political nature which do not affect the Direct Companies uniquely) known to the
Company which materially adversely affects the business, operations, affairs or
condition (financial or otherwise) of the Direct Companies, taken as a whole,
which has not been disclosed to the Purchaser in writing by or on behalf of the
Company specifically for use in connection with the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement.

                  6.24. Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the proceeds of
the sale of the Shares for general corporate purposes.

                  6.25. Investment Company Act. The Company is not an
"investment company", or a company "controlled" by an "investment company",
within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

                  6.26. U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company is
not now and has never been a "United States Real Property Holding Corporation"
as defined in Section 897(c) (2) of the Code and Section 1.897-2(b) of the
Regulations promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service.

                  6.27. No Adverse Legislation, Action or Decision, etc. To the
Company's knowledge, no legislation has been enacted by either house of Congress
or the legislature of any state, no other action has been taken by any United
States or state governmental authority, whether by order, regulation, rule,
ruling or otherwise, and no decision has been rendered by any court of competent
jurisdiction in the United States, which would materially and adversely affect
the Series B Preferred Stock being purchased hereunder.

                  7.       Purchase for Investment; Source of Funds. The
Purchaser represents as follows:

                                       14

<PAGE>

                  7.1. Purchase for Investment. The Purchaser is purchasing the
Shares for its own account for investment not with a view to, or for sale in
connection with, the distribution thereof or with any present intention of
distributing or selling any of the Shares.

                  7.2. Source of Funds. All of the funds to be used by the
Purchaser to pay the purchase price of the Shares consists of funds which do not
constitute assets of any employee benefit plan. As used in this section 7.2, the
term "employee benefit plan" shall have the meaning assigned to such term in
section 3 of ERISA.

                  7.3. Authority. The Purchaser has full power and authority to
enter into and to perform this Agreement in accordance with its terms.

                  7.4. Experience. The Purchaser has carefully reviewed the
representations concerning the Company contained in this Agreement and has made
detailed inquiry concerning the Company, its business, and its personnel; the
officers of the Company have made available to the Purchaser any and all written
information that he or it has requested and have answered to the Purchaser's
satisfaction all inquiries made by the Purchaser; and the Purchaser has adequate
net worth and means of providing for its current needs and contingencies to
sustain a complete loss of its investment in the Company.

                  7.5. Accredited Investor. The Purchaser is an "Accredited
Investor" within the definition set forth in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D of the
Securities Act.

                  8.       Accounting; Financial Statements and Other
Information. The Company will maintain, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries
to maintain, a system of accounting established and administered in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles, and will accrue, and will cause
each of its Subsidiaries to accrue, all such liabilities as shall be required by
generally accepted accounting principles. The Company will deliver (in
duplicate) to each holder of any Shares purchased pursuant to this Agreement:

                  (a)      within 150 days after the end of the fiscal year
         ending December 31, 1996, and within 90 days after the end of each
         fiscal year of the Company thereafter, an unqualified audit of the
         Company and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated and consolidating basis,
         as of the close of such fiscal year, including a balance sheet and
         statement of income and surplus, with notes thereon, together with the
         unqualified audit report and opinion of Ernst & Young, LLP or other
         "Big Six" independent public accountant, showing

                                       15

<PAGE>

         the financial condition of the Company and its Subsidiaries at the
         close of such year and the results of operations during such year, such
         financial statements to be prepared in accordance with generally
         accepted accounting principles;

                  (b)      Within 65 days after the end of each fiscal year of
         each Affiliated Insurer, unaudited financial statements prepared on a
         Statutory Accounting Basis in the form required to be filed with the
         Commissioner;

                  (c)      In the case of fiscal year ending December 31, 1996
         only, within 90 days after the end of such fiscal year of the Company
         unaudited, consolidated and consolidating financial statements of the
         Company;

                  (d)      Within 150 days after the end of each fiscal year of
         each Affiliated Insurer an audit of such Affiliated Insurer and its
         subsidiaries, as prescribed by its state of domicile, as of the close
         of such fiscal year, together with the audit report and opinion of such
         "Big Six" independent public accountant, showing the financial
         condition of such Affiliated Insurer and its subsidiaries at the close
         of such year and the results of operations during such year, such
         financial statements to be prepared on the Statutory Accounting Basis
         and to contain no qualifications which are unacceptable to the
         Purchasers;

                  (e)      Within forty-five (45) days after the end of the
         first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Company,
         financial statements of the Company, such financial statements to
         include an income statement and balance sheet, certified as accurate by
         an officer of the Company;

                  (f)      Within forty-five (45) days after the end of each
         fiscal quarter, quarterly financial statements for each Affiliate
         Insurer prepared on a Statutory Accounting Basis, in the form required
         to be filed with the Commissioner;

                  (g)      As soon as available after the end of each month,
         monthly management information reports generated in the ordinary course
         of the business, detailing among other things gross premiums written
         and loss experience for such month;

                  (h)      promptly upon receipt thereof, copies of all reports
         submitted to the Company by independent public accountants in
         connection with each annual, interim or special audit of the books of
         the Company or any Subsidiary made by such accountants, including,
         without limitation, the comment letter submitted by such accountants to
         management in connection with their annual audit;

                                       16

<PAGE>

                  (i)      immediately upon any executive officer of the Company
         obtaining knowledge of any condition or event which constitutes a
         default under this Agreement, an Officers' Certificate describing the
         same and the period of existence thereof and what action the Company
         has taken, is taking and proposes to take with respect thereto;

                  (j)      immediately upon any principal officer of the Company
         or any other officer of the Company involved in its financial
         administration obtaining knowledge of the occurrence of any (i)
         "reportable event", as such term is defined in section 4043 of ERISA,
         or (ii) "prohibited transaction", as such term is defined in section
         4975 of the Code, in connection with any Plan or any trust created
         thereunder, a written notice specifying the nature thereof, what action
         the Company has taken, is taking and proposes to take with respect
         thereto, and, when known, any action taken or threatened by the
         Internal Revenue Service or the PBGC with respect thereto; and

                  (k)      with reasonable promptness, such other financial
         reports and information and data with respect to the Company or any of
         its Subsidiaries as from time to time may be reasonably requested.

                  9.       Covenants of the Company. Subject to Section 9.17,
the Company covenants that from the date of this Agreement through the Closing
and thereafter so long as any of the Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement
remains outstanding:

                  9.1. Inspection. The Company and its Subsidiaries shall permit
the Purchaser, or any authorized representative thereof, to visit and inspect
the properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries, including its corporate and
financial records, and to discuss its business and finances with officers of the
Company and its Subsidiaries, during normal business hours following reasonable
notice and as often as may be reasonably requested. In addition, the Company and
its Subsidiaries agree to provide the Purchaser copies of all information
reasonably requested by the Purchaser from the Company or its Subsidiaries. All
such requested information shall be provided to the Purchaser within thirty
Business Days of the request, unless otherwise agreed to in writing.

                  9.2. Corporate Existence, etc.; Business. The Company shall
maintain in full force and effect its corporate existence, rights, licenses
(including insurance licenses) and franchises and those of its Subsidiaries; and
the Company shall maintain in full force and effect all rights to use patents,
processes, trademarks, trade names, service marks or copyrights owned or

                                       17

<PAGE>

possessed by it or any Subsidiary and deemed by the Company to be necessary to
the conduct of its business.

                  9.3. Payment of Taxes and Claims; Tax Consolidation. The
Company will promptly pay and discharge, or cause to be paid and discharged,
when due and payable, all lawful taxes, assessments, and governmental charges or
levies imposed upon the income, profits, property, or business of the Company or
any Subsidiary; provided, however, that any such tax, assessment, charge, or
levy need not be paid if the validity thereof shall currently be contested in
good faith by appropriate proceedings and if the Company shall have set aside on
its books adequate reserves therefor; and provided, further, that the Company
will pay all such taxes, assessments, charges, or levies forthwith upon the
commencement of proceedings to foreclose any lien that may have attached as
security therefor. The Company will promptly pay or cause to be paid when due,
or in conformance with customary trade terms, all other indebtedness incident to
the operations of the Company.

                  9.4. Maintenance of Properties; Insurance. The Company will
keep its properties and those of its Subsidiaries in good repair, working order,
and condition, reasonable wear and tear excepted, and from time to time make all
needful and proper repairs, renewals, replacements, additions, and improvements
thereto; and the Company will at all times comply with the provisions of all
material leases to which any of them is a party or under which any of them
occupies property so as to prevent any loss or forfeiture thereof or thereunder.
The Company will maintain or cause to be maintained, with financially sound and
reputable insurers, insurance with respect to its properties and business and
the properties and business of its Subsidiaries against loss or damage of the
kinds customarily insured against by corporations of established reputation
engaged in the same or similar business and similarly situated, of such types
and in such amounts as are customarily carried under similar circumstances by
such other corporations.

                  9.5. Transactions with Affiliates. The Company will not, and
will not permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, engage in any
transaction material to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (including,
without limitation, the purchase, sale or exchange of assets or the rendering of
any service) with any Affiliate of the Company, except in the ordinary course of
and pursuant to the reasonable requirements of the Company's or such
Subsidiary's business and upon fair and reasonable terms that are no less
favorable to the Company or such Subsidiary, as the case may be, than those
which might be obtained, in the good faith judgment of the Company, in an arm's
length transaction at the time from Persons which are not such an Affiliate,
provided that the foregoing restrictions shall not

                                       18

<PAGE>

apply to any transaction between the Company and a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary or
between one Wholly-Owned Subsidiary and another Wholly-Owned Subsidiary.

                  9.6. Board Approval. The Company will not, without the prior
approval of the Board: (a) make any loan, advance or capital contribution to any
Subsidiary, (b) make (or permit any Subsidiary to make) any loan or advance to
any officer (Vice President or above) of the Company or any Subsidiary, except
any loan or advance equal to $50,000 or less, or Cc) acquire (by merger, share
exchange, business combination, consolidation or acquisition of assets) any
other corporation or other entity. In addition, the Board will not establish any
committee of the Board without the prior unanimous approval of the Board.

                  9.7. Compensation of Executive Officers. The Board or the
Compensation Committee of the Board shall establish the aggregate compensation
to be paid to each of the executive officers of the Company and each of its
Subsidiaries. The Company agrees to obtain the consent of a majority of the
outstanding Shares prior to implementing any increase to its executive officers,
consultants or other persons who receive in the aggregate from the Company or
its Subsidiaries or Affiliates more than $175,000 per annum or, with respect to
William C. Adair, Jr., more than $250,000 per annum, plus year-end bonus payable
in the ordinary course of business, consistent with the Company's historic
practice.

                  9.8. Key Man Insurance. The Company will use its best efforts
to obtain and maintain term life insurance upon the life of each of William C.
Adair, Jr. and James R. Tuerff in an amount not less than $1,000,000 each, with
the proceeds payable to the Company and to be applied by the Company for
purposes deemed appropriate by the Board.

                  9.9. Preemptive Rights. (a) The Company hereby grants to the
Purchaser the preemptive right to purchase all or any part of the Purchaser's
pro rata share of New Securities (as defined below) that the Company may from
time to time propose to sell and issue, subject to the terms and conditions set
forth below. The Purchaser's pro rata share, for purposes of this subsection
9.9, shall equal a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of
Common Stock then held by the Purchaser, or issuable upon conversion or exercise
of any shares, convertible securities, options, rights or warrants then held by
the Purchaser, and the denominator of which is the total number of shares of
Common Stock then outstanding plus the total number of shares of Common Stock
issuable upon conversion or exercise of then outstanding shares, convertible
securities, options, rights, or warrants.

                                       19

<PAGE>

                  (b)      "New Securities" shall mean any capital stock of the
         Company whether or not now authorized, and any rights, options, or
         warrants to purchase capital stock of the Company, and any other
         securities of any type whatsoever that are, or may become, convertible
         into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of capital stock of the
         Company; provided, however, that the term "New Securities" shall not
         include (a) the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the
         Shares; (b) the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the
         Series A Preferred Stock, (c) securities offered to the public pursuant
         to a Public Offering; (d) securities issued as consideration for the
         acquisition of any Person by the Company by merger, purchase of
         substantially all the assets of such Person or other reorganization
         resulting in the ownership by the Company of not less than a majority
         of the voting power of such Person; (e) not more than 250,000 shares of
         Common Stock issued to employees or consultants of the Company pursuant
         to the Option Plan; (f) securities issued as a result of any stock
         split, stock dividend, or reclassification of Common Stock,
         distributable on a pro rata basis to all holders of Common Stock; (g)
         securities issued upon exercise of the Common Stock Purchase Warrant
         issued to Eldon Capital; and (h) securities issued by way of payment of
         dividends in kind with respect to the Shares.

                  (c)      In the event the Company intends to issue New
         Securities, it shall give the Purchaser written notice of such
         intention, describing the type of new Securities to be issued, the
         price thereof, and the general terms upon which the Company proposes to
         effect such issuance. The Purchaser shall have thirty days from the
         date of any such notice to agree to purchase all or part of its pro
         rata share of such New Securities for the price and upon the general
         terms and conditions specified in the Company's notice by giving
         written notice to the Company stating the quantity of New Securities to
         be so purchased. The Purchaser shall have a right of over-allotment
         such that if the Other Purchaser or any other holder of similar
         preemptive rights fails to exercise its right to purchase its total pro
         rata portion of New Securities, the Purchaser may purchase such portion
         on a pro rata basis, by giving written notice to the Company within
         five days from the date that the Company provides written notice to the
         Purchaser of the amount of New Securities with respect to which the
         nonpurchasing party has failed to exercise in full its right under the
         corresponding provisions of the agreement or instrument pursuant to
         which such similar rights are outstanding.

                  (d)      In the event the Purchaser fails to exercise the
         foregoing right to purchase any New Securities within such 30-day
         period (or the additional five-day period provided for
         over-allotments), the Company may within 90 days thereafter sell any or
         all of such New Securities not agreed to be purchased by the Purchaser,
         at a price and upon general terms no more favorable to

                                       20

<PAGE>

         the purchasers thereof than specified in the notice given to the
         Purchaser pursuant to paragraph (c) above. In the event the Company has
         not sold such New Securities within such 90-day period, the Company
         shall not thereafter issue or sell any New Securities without first
         offering such New Securities to the Purchaser in the manner provided
         above.

                  (e)      The Purchaser may apportion its pro rata share of New
         Securities among itself and its officers, general partners, limited
         partners, and to any other Person agreed to by the Company and the
         Purchaser, in such proportions as the Purchaser deems appropriate.

                  9.10. Auditor and Actuary. The Company shall retain a "Big
Six" firm of independent public accountants to audit its books and records at
least annually. In addition, the Company shall retain an actuarial firm of
national reputation to provide actuarial services to the Company; provided,
however, that such actuarial firm may be the same firm as the firm of certified
public accountants referred to in this section 9.10.

                  9.11. Ownership of Subsidiaries. Each of the Company's
Subsidiaries shall be Wholly-Owned by the Company, except for Direct Insurance
Agency Midwest, Inc. which will continue to be 75% (or more) owned by the
Company.

                  9.12. Negative Covenants. So long as any Shares sold pursuant
to this Agreement are outstanding, the Company (consistent with the provisions
of the Certificate of Designation) shall not, without the prior written consent
of the holders of not less than 51% of the outstanding Shares:

                  (a)      authorize or issue any class or series of stock,
         including, but not limited to, Convertible Securities, in addition to
         Common Stock, Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock;

                  (b)      authorize or issue additional shares of Common Stock
         at a price per share less than the initial Current Conversion Price (as
         defined in the Certificate of Designation) or authorize or issue
         additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock or Series B Preferred
         Stock;

                  (c)      effect an exchange, reclassification or cancellation
         of all or part of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock, except for
         the right of redemption of the Series A Preferred Stock contained in
         the Company's Charter, as amended, or Series B Preferred Stock;

                                       21

<PAGE>

                  (d)      effect an exchange, or create a right of exchange, of
         all or part of the shares of another class or series of capital stock
         into shares of Series A Preferred Stock or Series B Preferred Stock;

                  (e)      create a class or series of shares having rights,
         preferences or privileges prior to or on a parity with the shares of
         Series B Preferred Stock;

                  (f)      (i) effect a cash dividend during any of calendar
         years 1996, 1997 (other than in respect of the Series A Preferred
         Stock) or (ii) effect a cash dividend (other than in respect of the
         Series A Preferred Stock) during calendar year 1998 and any year
         thereafter, excluding any annual cash dividend not to exceed the lesser
         of $500,000 or 5% of the preceding year's net income as stated in the
         audited financial statements for such year (subject to all other
         limitations imposed by the Tennessee Business Corporation Act, as
         amended, or other state or federal regulatory entity); or effect any
         other distribution of assets (including cash, securities and intangible
         assets or other property) other than as required by the Certificate of
         Designation and the certificate of designation relating to the Series A
         Preferred Stock; it being agreed that to the extent any cash dividend
         shall be paid on any Common Stock, the holders of Series B Preferred
         Stock shall participate in such dividend as though such shares had been
         converted to Common Stock immediately prior to the record date for such
         dividend;

                  (g)      enter (or permit any Subsidiary to enter) into Debt
         instruments as the maker or guarantor which, in the aggregate, are in
         an amount greater than $2.0 million, except any credit facility
         approved by the Board of Directors to provide (x) funding for notes
         receivable properly generated (in the ordinary course of - business and
         consistent with all applicable laws and regulations) by Direct
         Financial Services, Inc., (y) funding for policies of insurance sold on
         an installment billing basis in the ordinary course of business and
         consistent with all applicable laws and regulations by any of the
         subsidiaries and (z) - refunding of any or all debt instruments
         outstanding as of the date of the initial issuance of the Shares,
         provided that no such refunding will increase the aggregate principal
         amount available pursuant to the debt instruments being refunded;

                  (h)      make (or permit any Subsidiary to make) any loan or
         advance greater than $100,000 to, or own any stock or other securities
        of, any Subsidiary or other corporation, partnership, or other entity
         unless (i) it is wholly owned by the Company, (ii) it is Direct
         Insurance Agency Midwest, Inc., so long as a majority of its voting
         stock is controlled by the Company, or (iii) with respect to Direct or
         any other insurance Subsidiary,

                                       22

<PAGE>

         if such investments are consistent with state and federal laws and
         regulations applicable to such portfolio investments;

                  (i)      (i) enter into any merger, share exchange, business
         combination or consolidation (or permit any Subsidiary to enter into
         any such transaction) with any other corporation or other entity (other
         than such a transaction between Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries of the
         Company), (ii) sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of all or
         substantially all of its properties or assets, (iii) acquire all or
         substantially all of the properties or assets of any other Person
         (other than any acquisition by the Company or its Subsidiaries in which
         (x) the aggregate consideration paid (including the assumption of
         liabilities) does not exceed $2,000,000, and (y) the transaction
         involves the acquisition of a business or assets of a business
         constituting the same business as that being conducted by the Company
         as of the time of the acquisition), or (iv) liquidate, dissolve or wind
         up the Company's affairs; or

                  (j)      amend the Company's Charter in any way if such
         amendment would cancel, or adversely change, alter or affect the
         preferences or rights (including, without limitation, the conversion
         privilege or the liquidation preference) of the Series B Preferred
         Stock.

                  9.13. Expenses of Directors and Purchaser Representatives. The
Company shall promptly reimburse in full each director of the Company who is not
an employee of the Company and who was elected as a director solely or in part
by the holders of Series B Preferred Stock for all of his reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending each meeting of the Board of
Directors of the Company, any committee thereof of which the director is a
member of otherwise acting on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries. In
addition, the Company agrees to promptly reimburse in full each Purchaser
representative, not a director, for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in attending any meetings of, or performing any functions (as requested
by the Company) on behalf of, the Company; provided, however, that the Company
will not be required to reimburse more than two representatives of the Purchaser
and the Other Purchaser collectively for attendance at a meeting or the
performance of such functions unless requested by the Company to attend such
meeting or perform such function or unless otherwise approved by an officer of
the Company.

                  9.14. Reservation of Common Stock. The Company shall reserve
and maintain a sufficient number of shares of Common stock for issuance upon
conversion of all of the outstanding Shares.

                                       23

<PAGE>

                  9.15. Director and Officer Insurance. The Company shall
obtain, and maintain thereafter, a policy of insurance covering the Company's
directors and officers for actions they may take in such capacities. The policy
of insurance shall be in an amount and underwritten by a firm acceptable to the
Board of Directors and the Purchaser and the Other Purchaser, such acceptance by
the Purchaser and the Other Purchaser not to be unreasonably withheld.

                  9.16. Stock Option Plan. The Company shall not authorize more
than 250,000 shares of Common Stock or other securities for issuance under the
Option Plan or any other stock incentive plan.

                  9.17. Compliance with Laws. The Company will comply with the
requirements of all applicable laws, rules, regulations and orders of any
governmental authority, except to the extent noncompliance therewith does not
constitute a willful disregard for the law, rule, regulation or order or such
noncompliance would not result in a material adverse effect on the assets,
condition (financial or otherwise), business or prospects of the Company and its
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

                  9.18. Termination of Covenants. The covenants of the Company
contained in this section 9 and in section 8, shall terminate, and be of no
further force or effect, either (a) upon the closing date of a Qualified Public
Offering or (b) on March 31, 1999, if on such date (i) an IPO shall previously
have been effected by the Company and (ii) the Current Market Price, multiplied
by the number of shares of Fully-Diluted Common Stock outstanding on such date,
is equal to or greater than $130,500,000.

                  10.      Registration Under Securities Act, etc.

                  10.1. Required Registrations. (a) At any time after the
closing of the Company's first underwritten public offering of shares of Common
Stock pursuant to a Registration Statement, a Stockholder or Stockholders
holding in the aggregate at least 50% of the Registrable Shares may request, in
writing, that the Company effect the registration on Form S-1, Form S-2, or Form
S-3, as applicable (or any successor form), of Registrable Shares owned by such
Stockholder or Stockholders having an aggregate offering price of at least
$3,000,000 (based on the then current market price or fair value). If the
holders initiating the registration intend to distribute the Registrable Shares
by means of an underwriting, they shall so advise the Company in their request.
In the event such registration is underwritten, the right of other Stockholders
to participate shall be conditioned on such Stockholders' participation in such
underwriting. Upon receipt of any such request, the Company shall promptly give

                                       24

<PAGE>

written notice of such proposed registration to all Securityholders. Such
Securityholders shall have the right, by giving written notice to the Company
within thirty days after the Company provides its notice, to elect to have
included in such registration such of their Registrable Shares as such
Securityholders may request in such notice of election; provided that if the
underwriter (if any) managing the offering determines in good faith that,
because of marketing factors, all of the Registrable Securities requested to be
registered by all Securityholders may not be included in the offering, then all
Securityholders who have requested registration shall participate in the
offering pro rata based upon the number of Registrable Securities that they have
requested to be so registered. Thereupon, the Company shall, as expeditiously as
possible, use its best efforts to effect the registration, on Form S-1, Form S-2
or Form S-3 (or any successor form), of all Registrable Securities that the
Company has been requested to so register.

                  (b)      The Company shall not be required to effect more than
         two registrations pursuant to paragraph (a) above, except that, as to
         any registration, the Company will not be deemed to have effected such
         registration for the purposes of this paragraph (b) unless, in the case
         of a registration initiated by any Stockholder or Stockholders, such
         registration shall have permitted the Stockholders to dispose of at
         least the lesser of (i) 50% of the Registrable Shares or (ii) 75% of
         the Registrable Shares which such Stockholder or Stockholders shall
         have requested to be included in such registration. Furthermore,
         the Company shall be deemed to have effected a registration pursuant to
         paragraph (a) above if, in the case of a registration initiated by any
         Securityholder other than a Stockholder, such registration shall have
         permitted the Stockholders pursuant to section 10.2 hereof to dispose
         of at least 50% of the Registrable Shares. In addition, the Company
         shall not be required to effect any registration (other than on Form
         S-3 or any successor form relating to secondary offerings) within six
         (6) months after the effective date of any other Registration Statement
         of the Company.

                  (c)      If at the time of any request to register Registrable
         Shares pursuant to this section 10.1, the Company is engaged or has
         fixed plans to engage within thirty days of the time of the request in
         a registered public offering as to which the Stockholders may include
         Registrable Shares pursuant to section 10.2 or is engaged in any other
         activity that, in the good faith determination of the Company's Board
         of Directors, would be adversely affected by the requested registration
         to the material detriment of the Company, then the Company may at its
         option direct that such request be delayed for a period not in excess
         of six months from the effective date of such offering or the date of
         commencement of such other material activity, as the

                                       25

<PAGE>

         case may be, such right to delay a request to be exercised by the
         Company not more than once in any two year period.

                  10.2. Incidental Registration. (a) Whenever the Company
proposes to file a Registration Statement (other than pursuant to subsection
10.1) at any time and from time to time, it will, prior to such filing, give
written notice to all Stockholders of its intention to do so and, upon the
written request of a Stockholder or Stockholders given within thirty days after
the Company provides such notice (which request shall state the intended method
of disposition of such Registrable Shares), the Company shall use its best
efforts to cause all Registrable Shares that the Company has been requested by
such Stockholder or Stockholders to register to be registered under the
Securities Act to the extent necessary to permit their sale or other disposition
in accordance with the intended methods of distribution specified in the request
of such Stockholder or Stockholders; provided that the Company shall have the
right to postpone or withdraw any registration effected pursuant to this section
10.2 without obligation to any Stockholder.

                  (b)      In connection with any offering by the Company under
         this section 10.2 involving an underwriting, the Company shall not be
         required to include any Registrable Shares in such offering unless the
         holders thereof accept the terms of the underwriting as agreed upon
         between the Company and the underwriters selected by it (provided that
         such terms must be consistent with this Agreement), and then only in
         such quantity as will not, in the good faith opinion of the
         underwriters, jeopardize the success of the offering by the Company. If
         in the opinion of the managing underwriter the registration of all, or
         part of, the Registrable Shares that the holders have requested to be
         included would materially and adversely affect such public offering,
         then the Company shall be required to include in the underwriting only
         that number of Registrable Shares, if any, that the managing
         underwriter believes may be sold without causing such adverse effect.
         If the number of Registrable Shares to be included in the underwriting
         in accordance with the foregoing is less than the total number of
         shares that the holders of Registrable Shares have requested to be
         included, then the holders of Registrable Shares who have requested
         registration and other holders of shares of Common Stock entitled to
         include shares of Common Stock in such registration shall participate
         in the underwriting pro rata based upon their total ownership of shares
         of Common Stock of the Company (giving effect to the conversion into
         Common Stock of all securities convertible into Common Stock). If any
         holder would thus be entitled to include more shares than such holder
         requested to be registered, the excess shall be allocated among other
         requesting holders pro rata based upon their total ownership of
         Registrable Shares.

                                       26

<PAGE>

                  10.3. Registration Procedures. If and whenever the Company is
required by the provisions of this Agreement to use its best efforts to effect
the registration of any of the Registrable Shares under the Securities Act, the
Company shall:

                  (a)      file with the Commission a Registration Statement
         with respect to such Registrable Shares and use its best efforts to
         cause that Registration statement to become and remain effective;

                  (b)      as expeditiously as possible prepare and file with
         the Commission any amendments and supplements to the Registration
         Statement and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement as
         may be necessary to keep the Registration Statement effective, in the
         case of a firm commitment underwritten public offering, until each
         underwriter has completed the distribution of all securities purchased
         by it and, in the case of any other offering, until the earlier of the
         sale of all Registrable Shares covered thereby or one hundred twenty
         days after the effective date thereof;

                  (c)      as expeditiously as possible furnish to each selling
         Stockholder such reasonable numbers of copies of the prospectus,
         including a preliminary prospectus, in conformity with the requirements
         of the Securities Act, and such other documents as the selling
         Stockholder may reasonably request in order to facilitate the public
         sale or other disposition of the Registrable Shares owned by the
         selling Stockholder;

                  (d)      as expeditiously as possible use its best efforts to
         register or qualify the Registrable Shares covered by the Registration
         Statement under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such states as the
         selling Stockholders shall reasonably request, and do any and all other
         acts and things that may be necessary or desirable to enable the
         selling Stockholders to consummate the public sale or other disposition
         in such states of the Registrable Shares owned by the selling
         Stockholder; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required
         in connection with this paragraph (d) to qualify as a foreign
         corporation or execute a general consent to service of process in any
         jurisdiction;

                  (e)      use its best efforts to cause all Registrable Shares
         covered by such Registration Statement to be registered with or
         approved by such other governmental agencies or authorities as may be
         necessary to enable the seller or sellers thereof to consummate the
         disposition of such Registrable Shares;

                  (f)      furnish to each seller of Registrable Shares a signed
         counterpart, addressed to such seller (and the underwriters, if any),
         of

                                       27

<PAGE>

                           (x)      an opinion of counsel for the Company, dated
                  the effective date of such Registration Statement (and, if
                  such registration includes an underwritten public offering,
                  dated the date of any closing under the underwriting
                  agreement), reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to
                  such seller, and

                           (a)      a "comfort" letter, dated the effective date
                  of such Registration Statement (and, if such registration
                  includes an underwritten public offering, dated the date of
                  any closing under the underwriting agreement), signed by the
                  independent public accountants who have certified the
                  Company's financial statements included in such Registration
                  Statement,

covering substantially the same matters with respect to such Registration
Statement (and the prospectus included therein) and, in the case of the
accountants' letter, with respect to events subsequent to the date of such
financial statements, as are customarily covered in opinions of issuer's counsel
and in accountants' letters delivered to the underwriters in underwritten public
offerings of securities and, in the case of the accountants' letter, such other
financial matters, as such seller (or the underwriters, if any) may reasonably
request;

                  (g)      immediately notify each seller of such Registrable
         Shares, and (if requested by any such seller) confirm such advice in
         writing, (w) when the prospectus or any prospectus supplement or
         post-effective amendment has been filed, and, with respect to the
         Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment, when the same
         has become effective, (x) of any request by the Commission for
         amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the
         prospectus or for additional information, (y) of the issuance by the
         Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
         Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that
         purpose and (z) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with
         respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Registrable
         Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of
         any proceeding for such purpose;

                  (h)      use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the
         withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of the
         Registration Statement at the earliest possible time;

                  (i)      as promptly as practicable notify each holder of
         Registrable Shares covered by such Registration Statement, at any time
         when a prospectus relating thereto is required to be delivered under
         the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which
         the prospectus included in such Registration

                                       28

<PAGE>

         Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a
         material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated
         therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in
         the light of the circumstances under which they were made (whereupon
         the selling Stockholders shall immediately cease making offers of
         Registrable Shares and shall return all prospectuses to the Company),
         and at the request of any such holder promptly prepare and furnish to
         such seller a reasonable number of copies of a supplement to or an
         amendment of such prospectus as may be necessary so that, as thereafter
         delivered to the purchasers of such securities, such prospectus shall
         not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
         material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
         statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances
         under which they were made;

                  (j)      otherwise comply with all applicable rules and
         regulations of the Commission, and make available to its security
         holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement
         covering the period of at least twelve months, but not more than
         eighteen months, beginning with the first full calendar month after the
         effective date of such registration statement, which earnings statement
         shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act,
         and not file any amendment or supplement to such registration statement
         or prospectus to which any such seller shall have reasonably objected
         on the grounds that such amendment or supplement does not comply in all
         material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or of the
         rules or regulations thereunder, having been furnished with a copy
         thereof at least five business days prior to the filing thereof;

                  (k)      provide and cause to be maintained a transfer agent
         and registrar for all Registrable Shares covered by such Registration
         Statement not later than the effective date of such Registration
         Statement;

                  (l)      cooperate with the sellers of such Registrable Shares
         to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates
         representing Registrable Shares to be sold, which securities shall not
         bear any restrictive legends and shall be in a form eligible for
         deposit with The Depository Trust Company; and enable such Registrable
         Shares to be in such denominations and registered in such names as such
         sellers may request at least two business days prior to any sale of
         Registrable Shares;

                  (m)      use its best reasonable efforts (x) to cause all such
         Registrable Shares covered by such registration statement to be listed
         on a national securities exchange (if such Registrable

                                       29

<PAGE>

         Shares are not already so listed) and on each additional national
         securities exchange on which similar securities issued by the Company
         are then listed, if the listing of such Registrable Shares is then
         permitted under the rules of such exchange, or (y) to secure
         designation of all such Registrable Shares covered by such Registration
         Statement as a NASDAQ "national market system security" within the
         meaning of Rule 11Aa2-1 of the Commission or, failing that, secure
         NASDAQ authorization for such Registrable Shares and, without limiting
         the generality of the foregoing, to arrange for at least two market
         makers to register as such with respect to such Registrable Shares with
         the NASD;

                  (n)      provide a CUSIP number for all Registrable Shares,
         not later than the effective date of the applicable Registration
         Statement; and

                  (o)      enter into such agreements and take such other
         actions as the Requisite Holders shall reasonably request in order to
         expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Shares.

                  10.4. Allocation of Expenses. The Company will pay all
Registration Expenses of all registrations under this Agreement; provided,
however, that if a registration under section 10.1 is withdrawn at the request
of the Stockholders requesting such registration (other than as a result of
information concerning the business or financial condition of the Company that
is made known to the Stockholders after the date on which such registration was
requested) and if the requesting Stockholders elect not to have such
registration counted as a registration requested under subsection 10.1, the
requesting Stockholders shall pay the Registration Expenses of such registration
pro rata in accordance with the number of their Registrable Shares included in
such registration. For purposes of this section 10, the term "Registration
Expenses" shall mean all expenses incurred by the Company in complying with this
section 10, including, without limitation, all registration and filing fees,
exchange listing fees, printing expenses, fees, and expenses of counsel for the
Company and the fees and expenses of one counsel selected by the selling
Stockholders to represent the selling Stockholders, state Blue Sky fees and
expenses, and the expense of any special audits incident to or required by any
such registration, but excluding underwriting discounts, selling commissions,
and the fees and expenses of selling Stockholders' own counsel (other than the
counsel selected to represent all selling Stockholders)

                  10.5. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) In the event of
any registration of any of the Registrable Shares under the Securities Act
pursuant to this Agreement, the Company will indemnify and hold harmless the
seller of such Registrable Shares, each underwriter of such Registrable Shares,
and each other person, if any, who controls such seller or underwriter within
the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act

                                       30

<PAGE>

against any losses, claims, damages, or liabilities, joint or several, to which
such seller, underwriter, or controlling person may become subject under the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act, state securities or Blue Sky laws, or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, or liabilities (or actions
in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any Registration
Statement under which such Registrable Shares were registered under the
Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus, or final prospectus contained in the
Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to such Registration
Statement, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading; and the Company will reimburse such seller,
underwriter, and each such controlling person for any legal or any other
expenses reasonably incurred by such seller, underwriter, or controlling person
in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage,
liability, or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in
any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability
arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or omission made in such
Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, or final prospectus, or any such
amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished to the Company, in writing, by or on behalf of such seller,
underwriter, or controlling person specifically for use in the preparation
thereof.

                  (b)      In the event of any registration of any of the
         Registrable Shares under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement,
         each seller of Registrable Shares, severally and not jointly, will
         indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors and
         officers and each underwriter (if any) and each person, if any, who
         controls the Company or any such underwriter within the meaning of the
         Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any losses, claims,
         damages, or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Company, such
         directors and officers, underwriter, on controlling person may become
         subject under the Securities Act, Exchange Act, state securities or
         Blue Sky laws, or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages,
         or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are
         based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
         material fact contained in any Registration Statement under which such
         Registrable Shares were registered under the Securities Act, any
         preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained in the
         Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to the
         Registration Statement, or arise out of or are based upon any omission
         or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated
         therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if
         the statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity
         with information relating to such seller

                                       31

<PAGE>

         furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of such seller
         specifically for use in connection with the preparation of such
         Registration Statement, prospectus, amendment, or supplement; provided,
         however, that the obligations of such Stockholders hereunder shall be
         limited to an amount equal to the proceeds to each Stockholder of
         Registrable Shares sold in connection with such registration.

                  (c)      Each party entitled to indemnification under this
         section 10.5 (the "Indemnified Party") shall give notice to the party
         required to provide indemnification (the "Indemnifying Party") promptly
         after such Indemnified Party has actual knowledge of any claim as to
         which indemnity may be sought, and shall permit the Indemnifying Party
         to assume the defense of any such claim or any litigation resulting
         therefrom; provided, that counsel for the Indemnifying Party, who shall
         conduct the defense of such claim or litigation, shall be approved by
         the Indemnified Party (whose approval shall not be unreasonably
         withheld); and, provided, further, that the failure of any Indemnified
         Party to give notice as provided herein shall not relieve the
         Indemnifying Party of its obligations under this section 10. The
         Indemnified Party may participate in such defense at such party's
         expense; provided, however, that the Indemnifying Party shall pay such
         expense if representation of such Indemnified Party by the counsel
         retained by the Indemnifying Party would be inappropriate due to actual
         or potential differing interests between the Indemnified Party and any
         other party represented by such counsel in such proceeding. No
         Indemnifying Party, in the defense of any such claim or litigation,
         shall, except with the consent of each Indemnified Party, consent to
         entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement that does not
         include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or
         plaintiff to such Indemnified Party of a release from all liability
         respect of such claim or litigation, and no Indemnified Party shall
         consent to entry of any judgment or settle such claim or litigation
         without the prior written consent of the Indemnifying Party.

                  (d)      In order to provide for just and equitable
         contribution to joint liability under the Securities Act or otherwise,
         in any case in which either (i) any holder of Registrable Shares
         exercising rights under this - Agreement, or any controlling person of
         any such holder, makes a claim for indemnification pursuant to this
         section 10.5 but it is judicially determined (by the entry of a final
         judgment or decree by a court of competent jurisdiction and the
         expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the last right of appeal)
         that such indemnification may not be enforced in such case
         notwithstanding the fact that this section 10.5 provides for
         indemnification in such case, or (ii) contribution may be required on
         the part -- of any such selling Stockholder or any such controlling
         person in circumstances for which indemnification is provided under
         this

                                       32

<PAGE>

         section 10.5; then, in each such case, the Company and such Stockholder
         will contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages, or
         liabilities to which they may be subject (after contribution from
         others) (x) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the
         relative fault of the Company and the prospective sellers of
         Registrable Shares covered by the Registration Statement which resulted
         in such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action or proceeding in
         respect thereof, with respect to the statements or omissions which
         resulted in such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action or
         proceeding in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable
         considerations or (y) if the allocation provided by clause (x) above is
         not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as shall be
         appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company
         and such prospective sellers from the offering of the securities
         covered by such registration statement, provided, that for purposes of
         clauses (x) or (y), the relative benefits received by the prospective
         sellers shall be deemed not to exceed the amount of proceeds received
         by such prospective sellers and no holder of Registrable Securities
         shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount such
         holder could have been required to pay to an indemnified party if the
         indemnity under subsection (b) of this section 10.5 was available. No
         person or entity guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation, within the
         meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act, shall be entitled to
         contribution from any person or entity who is not guilty of such
         fraudulent misrepresentation.

                  10.6. Indemnification with Respect to Underwritten Offering.
In the event that Registrable Shares are sold pursuant to a Registration
Statement in an underwritten offering pursuant to section 10.1(a), the Company
agrees to enter into an underwriting agreement containing customary
representations and warranties with respect to the business and operations of an
issuer of the securities being registered and customary covenants and agreements
to be performed by such issuer, including without limitation customary
provisions with respect to indemnification by the Company of the underwriters of
such offering.

                  10.7. Information by Holder. Each holder of Registrable Shares
included in any registration shall furnish to the Company such information
regarding such holder and the distribution proposed by such holder as the
Company may request in writing and as shall be required in connection with any
registration, qualification or compliance referred to in this section 10.

                  10.8. "Stand-Off" Agreement. Each Stockholder, if requested by
the Company and an underwriter of Common Stock or other securities of the
Company, shall agree not to sell or otherwise transfer or dispose of any
Registrable Shares or other

                                       33

<PAGE>

securities of the Company held by such Stockholder for a specified period of
time (not to exceed 120 days) following the effective date of a Registration
Statement; provided, that:

                  (a)      such agreement shall only apply to the first such
         Registration Statement covering Common Stock of the Company to be sold
         on its behalf to the public in an underwritten offering; and

                  (b)      all Stockholders holding not less than the number of
         shares of Common Stock held by such Stockholder (including shares of
         Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of Shares, or other
         convertible securities, or upon the exercise of options, warrants or
         rights) and all officers and directors of the Company enter into
         similar agreements.

                  Such agreement shall be in writing in a form satisfactory to
the Company and such underwriter. The Company may impose stop-transfer
instructions with respect to the Registrable Shares or other securities subject
to the foregoing restriction until the end of the standoff period.

                  10.9. Limitations on Subsequent Registration Rights. The
Company shall not, without the prior written consent of Stockholders holding at
least 51% of the Registrable Shares, enter into any agreement (other than this
Agreement) with any holder or prospective holder of any securities of the
Company that would allow such holder or prospective holder (a) to include
securities of the Company in any registration filed under section 10.1 or 10.2
or (b) to make a demand registration.

                  10.10. Rule 144 Requirements. After the earliest of (a) the
closing of the sale of securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration
Statement, (b) the registration by the Company of a class of securities under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act, or (c) the issuance by the Company of an
offering circular pursuant to Regulation A under the Securities Act, the Company
agrees to:

                  (a)      comply with the requirements of Rule 144(c) under the
         Securities Act with respect to current public information about the
         Company;

                  (b)      use its best efforts to file with the Commission in a
         timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company
         under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act (at any time after it has
         become subject to such reporting requirements); and

                  (c)      furnish to any holder of Registrable Shares upon
         request (i) a written statement by the Company as to

                                       34

<PAGE>

         its compliance with the requirements of said Rule 144 (c), and the
         reporting requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act (at
         any time after it has become subject to such reporting requirements),
         (ii) a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the
         Company, and (iii) such other reports and documents of the Company as
         such holder may reasonably request to avail itself of any similar rule
         or regulation of the Commission allowing it to sell any such securities
         without registration.

                  10.11. Selection of Underwriter. In the case of any
registration effected pursuant to this section 10, the Company shall have the
right to designate the managing underwriter in any underwritten offering,
subject to the approval of the holders of a majority of the Registrable Shares
requested to be included in such offering, which approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld.

                  10.12. Mergers, Etc. The Company shall not, directly or
indirectly, enter into any merger, consolidation, or reorganization in which the
Company shall not be the surviving corporation unless the proposed surviving
corporation shall, prior to such merger, consolidation, or reorganization, agree
in writing to assume the obligations of the Company under this section 10, and
for that purpose references hereunder to "Registrable Shares" shall be deemed to
be references to the securities that the Stockholders would be entitled to
receive in exchange for Registrable Shares under any such merger consolidation,
or reorganization; provided, however, that the provisions of this section 10
shall not apply in the event of any merger, consolidation, or reorganization in
which the Company is not the surviving corporation if all Stockholders are
entitled to receive in exchange for their Registrable Shares consideration
consisting solely of (a) cash, (b) securities of the acquiring corporation that
may be immediately sold to the public without registration under the Securities
Act, or (c) securities of the acquiring corporation that the acquiring
corporation has agreed to register within 90 days of completion of the
transaction for resale to the public pursuant to the Securities Act.

                  11.      Definitions. As used herein the following terms have
the following respective meanings:

                  Affiliate:        any Person directly or indirectly
controlling or controlled by or under common control with the Company or any
Subsidiary, including (without limitation) any Person beneficially owning or
holding 5% or more of any class of voting securities of the Company or any
Subsidiary or any other corporation of which the Company or any Subsidiary owns
or holds 5% or more of any class of voting securities, provided that, for
purposes of this definition, "control" (including, with correlative meanings,
the terms "controlled by" and "under common

                                       35

<PAGE>

control with"), as used with respect to any Person, shall mean the possession,
directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the
management and policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting
securities or by contract or otherwise, and provided further that the Purchaser
shall not be deemed to be an Affiliate of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
solely by reason of ownership of Shares or other securities issued in exchange
for the Shares or by reason of having the benefits of any agreements or
covenants of the Company contained in this Agreement.

                  Affiliated Insurers:       Direct and any other property,
casualty insurance company wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company.

                  Board:   the Board of Directors of the Company or a committee
of three or more directors lawfully exercising the relevant powers of the Board.

                  Business Day:     any day except a Saturday, a Sunday or other
day on which commercial banks in New York City are required or authorized by law
to be closed.

                  Certificate of Designation:         the meaning specified
therefor in section 1.

                  Code:    the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from
time to time.

                  Commission:       the Securities and Exchange Commission, or
any other Federal agency at the time administering the Securities Act.

                  Commissioner:     with respect to the state of Tennessee, the
Tennessee Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance, and with respect to any other
state the administrative head of the department of such state charged with
responsibility for regulation of insurance companies.

                  Common Stock:     the common stock, no par value, of the
Company.

                  Convertible Securities:    (i) any obligations, rights,
warrants or options exercisable with respect to the Common Stock or shares of
stock or obligations, rights, warrants or options which by their terms are
convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock, and (ii) any
obligations, rights or other options exercisable with respect to the Common
Stock or shares of stock or obligations, rights, warrants or options which by
their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for obligations or shares of
stock which in turn are, directly or

                                       36

<PAGE>

indirectly, convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock.

                  Current Market Price:      on any date of determination, the
fair value of one share of the Common Stock determined in good faith by the
Board as of a date which is within 15 days of the date of determination.

                  Debt:    as applied to any Person (without duplication)

                  (a)      any indebtedness for borrowed money which such Person
         has directly or indirectly created, incurred or assumed; and

                  (b)      any indebtedness, whether or not for borrowed money,
         secured by any Lien in respect of property owned by such Person,
         whether or not such Person has assumed or become liable for the payment
         of such indebtedness; and

                  (c)      any indebtedness, whether or not for borrowed money,
         with respect to which such Person has become directly or indirectly
         liable and which represents or has been incurred to finance the
         purchase price (or a portion thereof) of any property or services or
         business acquired by such Person, whether by purchase, consolidation,
         merger or otherwise, excluding accounts payable incurred in the
         ordinary course of business if such accounts are not more that 90 days
         past due; and

                  (d)      any indebtedness of any other Person of the character
         referred to in subdivision (a), (b), (c) or (d) of this definition with
         respect to which the Person whose Debt is being determined has become
         liable by way of a Guaranty.

                  Direct:  Direct Insurance Company, a Tennessee corporation.

                  Direct Companies: the Company and its Subsidiaries.

                  Eldon Capital:    Eldon Capital, Incorporated, a Delaware
corporation.

                  Environmental Laws:        Federal, state and local laws,
rules and regulations relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened
releases of pollutants, contaminants, chemicals or industrial, toxic or
hazardous substances or wastes into the environment (including, without
limitation, air, surface water, ground water or land), or otherwise relating to
the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal,
transport or handling of pollutants, contaminants, chemicals, or industrial,
toxic or hazardous substances or wastes.

                                       37

<PAGE>

                  ERISA:   the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,
as amended from time to time.

                  Exchange Act:     the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, or any similar Federal statute, and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder all as the same shall be in effect at the time of
determination.

                  Fully-Diluted Common Stock:         at any time of
determination, the sum of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding
at such time and (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock into which all
Options and Convertible Securities outstanding at such time are convertible,
exchangeable or exercisable.

                  Guaranty:         as applied to any Person, any direct or
indirect liability, contingent or otherwise, of such Person with respect to any
indebtedness, lease, dividend or other obligation of another, including, without
limitation, any such obligation directly or indirectly guaranteed, endorsed
(otherwise than for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business) or
discounted or sold with recourse by such Person, or in respect of which such
Person is otherwise directly or indirectly liable, including, without
limitation, any such obligation in effect guaranteed by such Person through any
agreement (contingent or otherwise) to purchase, repurchase or otherwise acquire
such obligation or any security therefor, or to provide funds for the payment or
discharge of such obligation (whether in the form of loans, advances, stock
purchases, capital contributions or otherwise), or to maintain the solvency or
any balance sheet or other financial condition of the obligor of such
obligation, or to make payment for any products, materials or supplies or for
any transportation or services regardless of the non-delivery or nonfurnishing
thereof, in any such case if the purpose or intent of such agreement is to
provide assurance that such obligation will be paid or discharged, or that any
agreements relating thereto will be complied with, or that the holders of such
obligation will be protected against loss in respect thereof. The amount of any
Guaranty shall be equal to the outstanding principal amount of the obligation
guaranteed.

                  Intellectual Property Rights:       all patents, trademarks,
service marks, trade names, copyrights, licenses and authorizations, and all
rights with respect to the foregoing, owned or possessed by the Direct
Companies.

                  Investment:       as applied to any Person, any direct or
indirect purchase or other acquisition by such Person of stock or other
securities of any other Person, or any direct or indirect loan, advance or
capital contribution by such Person to any other Person, including all Debt and
accounts receivable from such other

                                       38

<PAGE>

Person which are not current assets or did not arise from sales to such other
Person in the ordinary course of business.

                  IPO:     the issuance by the Company in an initial registered
public offering under the Securities Act of a number of shares of Common Stock.

                  Lien:    as to any Person, any mortgage, lien, pledge, adverse
claim, charge, security interest or other encumbrance in or on, or any interest
or title of any vendor, lessor, lender or other secured party to or of such
Person under any conditional sale or other title retention agreement or
capitalized lease with respect to, any property or asset owned or held by such
Person, or the signing or filing of a financing statement which names such
Person as debtor, or the signing of any security agreement authorizing any other
party as the secured party thereunder to file any financing statement.

                  Material Agreement:        any material debt agreement
(including any loan or security agreement), indenture, lease, agreement or
instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any of
them or their properties is bound.

                  Memorandum:       the Request for Capital Investment, dated
April 18, 1996, prepared by the Company in connection with the offer and sale of
the Shares.

                  NASD:    the National Association of Securities Dealers.

                  NASDAQ:  the Automated Quotation System of the NASD.

                  Officers' Certificate:     a certificate executed on behalf of
the Company by the Chairman of the Board of Directors (if an officer) or its
President or one of its Vice Presidents and its Treasurer or one of its
Assistant Treasurers.

                  Option Plan:      the Company's 1996 Employee Stock Incentive
Plan, providing for the issuance from time to time to employees of the Direct
Companies of options for the purchase of the Company's Common Stock.

                  Options: rights, options or warrants to subscribe for,
purchase or otherwise acquire either shares of Common Stock or Convertible
Securities.

                  Other Agreement:  the meaning specified in section 2.

                  Other Purchaser:  the meaning specified in section 2.

                                       39

<PAGE>

                  PBGC:    the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any
governmental authority succeeding to any of its functions.

                  Permitted Liens:  (a) Liens for taxes, assessments or other
governmental charges the payment of which is not at the time required by section
9.3; (b) statutory Liens of landlords and Liens of carriers, warehousemen,
mechanics and materialmen incurred in the ordinary course of business for sums
not yet due or the payment of which is not at the time required by section 9.3;
(c) Liens (other than any Lien imposed by ERISA) incurred or deposits made in
the ordinary course of business (i) in connection with workers' compensation,
unemployment insurance and other types of social security, or (ii) to secure (or
to obtain letters of credit that secure) the performance of tenders, statutory
obligations, surety and appeal bonds, bids, leases, performance bonds, purchase,
construction or sales contracts and other similar obligations, in each case not
incurred or made in connection with the borrowing of money, the obtaining of
advances or credit or the payment of the deferred purchase price of property;
(d) any attachment or judgment Lien, unless the judgment it secures shall not,
within 60 days after the entry thereof, have been discharged or execution
thereof stayed pending appeal, or shall not have been discharged within 60 days
after the expiration of any such stay; (e) leases or subleases granted to
others, easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar charges or
encumbrances, in each case incidental to, and not interfering with, the ordinary
conduct of the business of the Company or any Subsidiary; and (f) Liens existing
on the date of this Agreement and securing Debt of the Company and its
Subsidiaries referred to in Schedule D.

                  Person:  a corporation, a limited liability company, an
association, a partnership, an organization, a business, an individual, a
government or political subdivision thereof or a governmental agency.

                  Plan:    an "employee pension benefit plan" (as defined in
section 3 of ERISA) which is or has been established or maintained, or to which
contributions are or have been made, by the Company or any of its Related
Persons, or an employee pension benefit plan as to which the Company or any of
its Related Persons would be treated as a contributory sponsor under section
4069 of ERISA if it were to be terminated.

                  Public Offering:  the issuance by the Company in an initial
registered public offering under the Securities Act of shares of its Common
Stock.

                  Purchaser:        the party to this Agreement purchasing the
number of shares opposite its name in Schedule A, and each

                                       40

<PAGE>

subsequent holder from time to time of any of such shares of the Series B
Preferred Stock.

                  Qualified Public Offering: a Public Offering in which (a) the
price per share to the public for the shares sold for the Company, multiplied by
(b) the number of shares of Fully-Diluted Common Stock outstanding at the
effective time of the Public Offering, shall be equal to or greater than
$130,500,000.

                  Registrable Securities:    collectively, (a) Registrable
Shares, (b) the securities entitled to registration pursuant to the Warrant, (c)
the securities entitled to registration pursuant to the Securities Purchase
Agreement, dated December 2, 1994, as amended, relating to the Series A
Preferred Stock and (d) the securities entitled to registration pursuant to the
Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 6, 1996, between the Company and
Mutual Service Casualty Insurance Company.

                  Registrable Shares         (a) the shares of Common Stock
issued or issuable upon conversion of the Shares, (b) any shares of Common Stock
acquired by the Purchaser or the Other Purchaser pursuant to section 9.9 hereof
and any shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion or exercise of
capital stock or other securities of the Company acquired by the Purchaser or
the Other Purchaser pursuant to section 9.9 hereof, and (c) any other shares of
Common Stock of the Company issued in respect of such shares (because of stock
splits, stock dividends, reclassification, recapitalization, or similar events);
provided, however, that shares of Common Stock that are Registrable Shares shall
cease to be Registrable Shares upon any sale pursuant to a Registration
Statement, Section 4(1) of the Securities Act, or Rule 144 under the Securities
Act. Wherever reference is made in this Agreement to a request or consent of
holders of a certain percentage of Registrable Shares, the determination of such
percentage shall include shares of Common stock issuable upon conversion of the
Shares even if such conversion has not yet been effected.

                  Registration Expenses:     the expenses described in section
10.4.

                  Registration Statement:    a registration statement filed by
the Company with the Commission for a public offering and sale of securities of
the Company (other than a registration statement on Form S-8 or Form S-4, or
their successors, or any other form for a limited purpose, or any registration
statement covering only securities proposed to be issued in exchange for
securities or assets of another corporation)

                                       41

<PAGE>

                  Related Person:   any trade or business, whether or not
incorporated, which, together with the Company, is under common control, as
described in section 414(b) or (c) of the Code.

                  Requisite Holders:         the holders of more than 50% of (a)
the Shares at the time outstanding determined on the basis of the number of
shares of Common Stock deliverable upon exercise thereof and (b) as to any
Shares that shall have been converted into shares of Common Stock, the number of
shares of Common Stock outstanding as a result of such exercise; voting as a
single class.

                  Securities Act:   the Securities Act of 1933, or any similar
Federal statute, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, all
as the same shall be in effect at the time of determination.

                  Securityholders:  collectively, (a) the Stockholders, (b) the
Warrantholders, (c) the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock entitled to
registration pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, dated December 2,
1994, as amended, relating to the Series A Preferred Stock and (d) the holders
of the Common Stock entitled to registration pursuant to the Stock Purchase
Agreement, dated as of September 6, 1996, between the Company and Mutual Service
Casualty Insurance Company.

                  Series A Preferred Stock:  the Series A Convertible Preferred
Stock, no par value, of the Company.

                  Series B Preferred Stock:  the Series B Convertible Preferred
Stock, no par value, of the Company.

                  Shares:  the meaning specified therefor in section 2.

                  Statutory Accounting Principles:    statutory accounting
practices prescribed or permitted by the National Association of Insurance
Commissioners and the Department of Insurance of the applicable jurisdiction.

                  Stockholders:     the two purchasers listed on Schedule A, and
each subsequent holder from time to time of any Registrable Shares.

                  Stockholders Agreement:    the Amended and Restated
Stockholders Agreement among the Company, the Purchaser, the Other Purchaser and
certain other holders of the capital stock of the Company, in substantially the
form of Exhibit C.

                  Subsidiary:       any corporation at least a majority (by
number of votes) of the Voting Stock of which is at the time

                                       42

<PAGE>

owned by the Company or by one or more Subsidiaries or by the Company and one or
more Subsidiaries.

                  Voting Stock:      with reference to any corporation, stock of
any class or classes (or equivalent interests), if the holders of the stock of
such class or classes (or equivalent interests) are ordinarily, in the absence
of contingencies, entitled to vote for the election of the directors (or Persons
performing similar functions) of such corporation, even though the right so to
vote has been suspended by the happening of such a contingency.

                  Warrant: the Common Stock Purchase Warrant, expiring November
25, 2004, originally issued by the Company to Eldon Capital, and any Warrant or
Warrants issued in substitution therefor pursuant to the terms thereof.

                  Warrantholders:   the holder or holders from time to time of
the Warrant.

                  Wholly-Owned:     as applied to any Subsidiary, a Subsidiary
all the outstanding shares (other than directors' qualifying shares, if required
by law) of every class of stock of which are at the time owned by the Company or
by one or more Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries or by the Company and one or more
Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries.

                  12.      Confidentiality. The Purchaser agrees that it will
not disclose without the prior consent of the Company (other than to its
employees, officers, directors, advisors, auditors or counsel or to another
holder of the Shares) any proprietary or confidential information with respect
to the Company or any Subsidiary, provided that the Purchaser may disclose any
such information (a) as has become generally available to the public, (b) as may
be required or appropriate in any report, statement or testimony submitted to
any municipal, state or Federal regulatory body having or claiming to have
jurisdiction over the Purchaser, (c) as may be required or appropriate in
response to any summons or subpoena or in connection with any litigation, (d) to
the extent that it is appropriate in order to comply with any law, order,
regulation or ruling applicable to it, provided, in the case of the foregoing
clauses (b), (c) and (d), that the Purchaser will give the Company reasonable
prior notice of its intended disclosure and will, to the extent it may do so
consistently with the Purchaser's obligations under applicable law, afford the
Company an opportunity to contest such disclosure in any relevant proceeding, or
(e) to the prospective transferee in connection with any contemplated transfer
of any of the Shares by the Purchaser, provided, in the case of the foregoing
clause (e), that the prospective transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by
the provisions of this section.

                                       43

<PAGE>

                  13.      Option to Sell or Purchase. The Company hereby grants
to the Purchaser, subject to terms and conditions of this section 13, (x) the
right to sell all or part of the Shares owned by it to the Company for a
purchase price per share equal to $54.036 per share (the "Option Price") and (y)
the right to purchase up to an additional 96,069 shares of the Series B
Preferred Stock from the Company for a purchase price per share equal to the
Option Price. The Purchaser may exercise the rights granted herein at any one
time on or prior to January 1, 1997, in whole or in part, by written notice (the
"Option Notice") to the Company setting forth a date (the "Option Closing Date")
for the consummation of the sale or purchase, as the case may be, which date
shall be not less than five and not more than ten days following the date of the
Option Notice.

                  On the Option Closing Date the Company will be obligated to
purchase the Shares from the Purchaser, or sell the additional shares to the
Purchaser, as the case may be, described in the Option Notice, on the terms set
forth herein, if, and only if, the Company has obtained a buyer for such Shares
(in the case of a sale by the Purchaser) or a seller of such additional shares
(in the case of a purchase by the Purchaser), in each case satisfactory to the
Company.

                  14.      Purchase Price Adjustment. If during the period from
the Closing Date to the date of the audit of the Company's consolidated
financial statements for the fiscal year 1998, the Company shall restate its
consolidated audited financial statements for the fiscal year 1995, then to the
extent that the aggregate effect of such restatement is to reduce fiscal year
ended December 31, 1995 consolidated book value by more than $1 million, the
Current Conversion Price (as defined in section B(e) (3) of the Certificate of
Designation) shall be reduced at a rate of 1.75% for each $1 million reduction
in such book value in excess of the initial $1 million reduction; provided, that
the aggregate of such adjustments of the Current Conversion Price shall not
exceed 20% of the then Current Conversion Price. For the purposes of this
section 14, restatement shall not include: (a) a change in generally accepted
accounting principles due to adoption of newly enacted Financial Accounting
Standards including, but not limited to, Statements of Financial Accounting
Standards, Proposed Statements of Financial Accounting Standards, or Emerging
Issues Task Force Abstracts; (b) American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants Statements of Position or Issues Papers; (c) application of SEC
Rules and Regulations, including but not limited to, Regulation S-X or
Regulation S-K, Securities Act Industry Guides, Exchange Act Industry Guides,
Staff Accounting Bulletins or Codification of Financial Reporting Releases, or;
(d) changes in tax law, including but not limited to, new legislation or
revisions to the Internal Revenue Code.

                                       44

<PAGE>

                  15.      Registration, Transfer and Substitution of Shares;
Action by Shareholders.

                  15.1. Share Register; Ownership of Shares. The Company will
keep at its principal office a register in which the Company will provide for
the registration of Shares and the registration of transfers of Shares. The
Company may treat the Person in whose name any Share is registered on such
register as the owner thereof for the purpose of receiving payment of dividends
on such Share and for all other purposes, and the Company shall not be affected
by any notice to the contrary. All references in this Agreement to a "holder" of
any Share shall mean the Person in whose name such Share is at the time
registered on such register.

                  15.2. Transfer and Exchange of Shares. Upon surrender of any
Share certificate for registration of transfer or for exchange to the Company at
its principal office, the Company at its expense will execute and deliver in
exchange therefor a new Share certificate or certificates, in such denominations
as may be requested by the holder or transferee, which aggregate the number of
Shares represented by such surrendered Share certificate, registered as such
holder or transferee may request.

                  15.3. Replacement of Shares. Upon receipt of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to the Company of the loss, theft, destruction or
mutilation of any Share certificate and, in the case of any such loss, theft or
destruction of any Share certificate, upon delivery of an indemnity agreement
satisfactory to the Company from the holder thereof, or, in the case of any such
mutilation, upon the surrender of such Share certificate for cancellation to the
Company at its principal office, the Company at its expense will execute and
deliver, in lieu thereof, a new Share certificate representing the number of
Shares represented by such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated Share.

                  15.4. Shares held by Company, etc., Deemed Not Outstanding.
For the purposes of determining whether the holders of the requisite number of
Shares at the time outstanding have taken any action authorized by this
Agreement with respect to the giving of consents or approvals, any Shares
directly or indirectly owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or
Affiliates shall be disregarded and deemed not to be outstanding.

                  15.5. Sale or Transfer of Shares; Legend. (a) The Shares and
the Registrable Shares and shares issued in respect of the Shares or the
Registrable Shares shall not be sold or transferred unless either (i) they first
shall have been registered under the Securities Act, or (ii) the Company first
shall have been furnished with an opinion of legal counsel, reasonably
satisfactory to the Company, to the effect

                                       45

<PAGE>

that such sale or transfer is exempt from the registration requirements of the
Securities Act.

                  (a)      Notwithstanding the foregoing, no registration or
         opinion of counsel shall be required for (i) a transfer by the
         Purchaser, if that is a partnership to a partner of such partnership or
         a retired or withdrawn partner of such partnership who retires or
         withdraws after the date hereof, or to the estate of any such partner
         or retired or withdrawn partner, if the transferee agrees in writing to
         be subject to the terms of this section 15.5 to the same extent as if
         he were an original Purchaser hereunder, or (ii) a transfer made in
         accordance with Rule 144 or Rule 144A under the Securities Act.

                  (b)      Each certificate representing the Shares and the
         Registrable Shares and shares issued in respect of the Shares or the
         Registrable Shares shall bear a legend substantially in the following
         form:

                  THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT
                  BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS
                  AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE
                  TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED UNLESS AND
                  UNTIL SUCH SHARES ARE REGISTERED UNDER SUCH ACT OR
                  AN OPINION OF COUNSEL SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY IS
                  OBTAINED TO THE EFFECT THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT
                  REQUIRED.

                  The foregoing legend shall be removed from the certificates
representing any Registrable Shares, at the request of the holder thereof, at
such time as they become eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144(k) under the
Securities Act. No representation contained elsewhere herein or in any document
executed in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall be
construed to preclude the Purchaser from effecting at any time a resale of any
of the shares (or the underlying Common Stock upon conversion of the Shares)
pursuant to the provisions of Rule 144A. If requested by the Purchaser, the
Company shall use its best efforts to permit the shares (or underlying Common
Stock) to be designated PORTAL securities in accordance with the rules and
regulations adopted by the NASD relating to trading in the PORTAL Market.

                  (c)      The Company agrees, upon the request of the
         Purchaser, to make available to the Purchaser and to any prospective
         transferee of any Shares or Registrable Shares of the Purchaser the
         information concerning the Company described in Rule 144A(d) (4) under
         the Securities Act.

                  16.      Payments on Shares. The Company will pay all
dividends becoming due on the Shares held by the

                                       46

<PAGE>

Purchaser by the method and at the address specified for such purpose in
Schedule A, or by such other method or at such other address as the Purchaser
shall have from time to time specified to the Company in writing for such
purpose.

                  17.      Survival of Representations and Warranties. All
representations and warranties contained in this Agreement shall survive the
execution and delivery of this Agreement, any investigation at any time made by
the Purchaser or on its behalf, the purchase of the Shares under this Agreement
and any disposition or payment of the Shares.

                  18.      Amendments and Waivers. Any term of this Agreement
may be amended and the observance of any term of this Agreement or of the Shares
may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance and either
retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of the Company and
the holders of more than 50% of the Shares at the time outstanding (subject to
section 12.4), provided that, without the prior written consent of the holders
of all the Shares at the time outstanding (subject to section 12.4), no such
amendment or waiver shall (a) reduce the aforesaid percentages of the Shares the
holders of which are required to consent to any amendment or waiver, or (b)
modify section 4. Any amendment or waiver effected in accordance with this
section 18 shall be binding upon each holder of any Share at the time
outstanding, each future holder of any Share and the Company.

                  19.      Notices, etc. Except as otherwise provided in this
Agreement, notices and other communications under this Agreement shall be in
writing and shall be delivered by hand or by commercial overnight courier
service, or mailed by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or
sent by facsimile transmission, addressed, (a) if to the Purchaser, at the
address set forth in Schedule A or at such other address as the Purchaser shall
have furnished to the Company in writing, or (b) if to any other holder of any
Share, at such address as such other holder shall have furnished to the Company
in writing, or, until any such other holder so furnishes to the Company an
address, then to and at the address of the last holder of such Share who has
furnished an address to the Company, or (c) if to the Company, at its address
set forth at the beginning of this Agreement, to the attention of the General
Counsel, or at such other address, or to the attention of such other officer, as
the Company shall have furnished to the Purchaser in writing. Any notice so
addressed and delivered by hand or courier shall be deemed to be given when
received, and any notice so addressed and mailed by registered or certified mail
shall be deemed to be given three Business Days after being so mailed.

                                       47

<PAGE>

                  20.      Miscellaneous. This Agreement shall be binding upon
and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the respective successors and
assigns of the parties hereto, whether so expressed or not, and, in particular,
shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by any holder or holders at the
time of the Shares or any part thereof. This Agreement embodies the entire
agreement and understanding between the Purchaser and the Company and supersedes
all prior agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof.
This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with and governed
by the law of the State of New York. The headings in this Agreement are for
purposes of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning
hereof. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one
instrument.

                                       48

<PAGE>

                  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has caused this
Agreement to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.

                                       DIRECT GENERAL CORPORATION

                                       By: /s/ James R. Tuerff
                                          --------------------------------------
                                          Title: President and
                                                 Chief Executive Officer

                                       ELDON CAPITAL PARTNERS (INTERNATIONAL),
                                       L.P.

                                       By: ELDON CAPITAL, (BERMUDA), L.P.
                                           its General Partner

                                       By: ELDON CAPITAL (BERMUDA), LTD.
                                           its General Partner

                                       By: /s/ Peter Martin
                                          --------------------------------------
                                          Title: Director

                                       49

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