EXHIBIT (23)
Independent Auditors’ Consent and Report on Schedules
The Board of Directors
Harleysville Group Inc.:
The audits referred to in our report dated February 13, 2004 included the related financial statement schedules as of December 31, 2003, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2003, included in the annual report on Form 10-K. These financial statement schedules are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statement schedules based on our audits. In our opinion, such financial statement schedules, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, present fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.
We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statements (Nos. 333-03127, 33-84348, 33-91726, 333-85941, 333-37386, 333-37212) on Form S-8 and registration statements (Nos. 333-104437, 33-78372, 33-90810) on Form S-3 of Harleysville Group Inc. of our report dated February 13, 2004, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Harleysville Group as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the related consolidated statements of income (loss), shareholders' equity and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2003, and all related financial statement schedules, which report appears in the December 31, 2003 annual report on Form 10-K of Harleysville Group Inc., and of our report dated March 11, 2004 with respect to the statements of financial condition of the Harleysville Group Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the related statements of income and changes in plan equity for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2003, which report appears in the Harleysville Group Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan annual report on Form 11-K.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 11, 2004
