Gov. Bob Taft asked the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to look into the contract with Imagitas two months ago, saying he was concerned the Allstate Corp. ads might be taken as a state endorsement of the company over other insurance agents.

The Professional Insurance Agents Association of Ohio, an organization representing thousands of state insurers, complained in a letter to Taft earlier this year that only Illinois-based Allstate was included in the mailings.

“We're delighted the governor took a leadership role and did the right thing,” said George Haenszel, the trade group's executive vice president.

The insurance ads, which generated about $250,000 in annual revenue, will be discontinued starting next month, said Tamara Dukes, an Imagitas vice president.

The state uses the money raised by the ads to defray the $1.2 million cost of printing and mailing the notices, bureau spokesman Fred Stratmann said.

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