Exhibit 6


                           CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT
                           -------------------------

     This Agreement is entered by and among Allied Group, Inc. (Allied Group"), 
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Nationwide Group Acquisition Corporation
(collectively, "Nationwide"), as of May 28, 1998.

                                   RECITALS
                                   --------

     WHEREAS, on May 19, 1998, Nationwide made a tender offer for all of the 
Common Stock of Allied Group at $47 per share;

     WHEREAS, on May 18, 1998, Nationwide filed a lawsuit against Allied Group, 
Allied Mutual Insurance Company ("Allied Mutual") and their directors, in the 
United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, under Case No. 
4-98-CV-10280 (the "Litigation");

     WHEREAS, the parties to this Agreement, their agents and representatives 
plan to meet on one or more occasions on or before June 2, 1998, (the "Meeting")
to discuss resolving the Litigation and the terms upon which a possible 
transaction between the parties can take place on a consensual basis and in 
order to do so they have entered into this Agreement to facilitate those 
discussions;

                                  WITNESSETH
                                  ----------

     NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby agreed as follows:

     1.   Subject to the parties' rights to enforce this Agreement, nothing said
or written by anyone at the meeting shall be discoverable or admissible in the 
Litigation or in any court, administrative or arbitration proceeding to which 
the parties hereto are parties.

     2.   Subject to any legal obligations they may have, including those under 
federal and state securities laws, the parties hereto







 


will forever keep confidential and not disclose to any third party the existence
of the Meeting (unless and until the existence of the Meeting has previously 
been disclosed pursuant to applicable legal requirements), any offer, terms of 
any offer, rejections of any offer, or discussions regarding the economics or 
the structure of any proposed transaction discussed at the Meeting, except that
the parties hereto may disclose such information to their directors, officers, 
employees, agents, representatives, attorneys, accountants,and financial 
advisors who need to know such information for the purpose of evaluating a 
transaction between Nationwide and Allied Group, so long as each recipient of 
this information, (a) is informed by the party disclosing it of the confidential
nature of such information and (b) expressly agrees to treat such information
confidentially in accordance with this Agreement.

     3.   If any of the parties hereto becomes (or it is reasonably likely that 
any of the parties hereto shall become) legally compelled to disclose any 
information that is required to be kept confidential under this Agreement, 
prompt notice of such fact shall be given to the other parties, so that any 
appropriate legal action may be taken to protect the confidentiality of such 
information.

     4.   Without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that any party 
hereto may have under this Agreement, each party acknowledges and agrees that 
damages would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of this Agreement and any
party hereto shall be entitled to the remedies of injunction, specific 
performance and other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of 
this Agreement.


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     5.   If any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be unenforceable, 
it shall not affect the enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement.

     6.   This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties 
hereto regarding the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may changed only by a
written agreement signed by the parties hereto.

     7.   This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the 
laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflicts of law principles
thereof.



                                        ALLIED GROUP, INC.


Date:  5-28-98                  By: [SIGNATURE APPEARS HERE]
     ----------------              ---------------------------------------------
                                Its:    President
                                    --------------------------------------------


                                        NATIONWIDE MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY


Date:  5-28-98                  By: [SIGNATURE APPEARS HERE]
     ----------------              ---------------------------------------------
                                Its: Vice President - Associate General Counsel
                                    --------------------------------------------


                                        NATIONWIDE GROUP ACQUISITION
                                        CORPORATION


Date:  5-28-98                  By: [SIGNATURE APPEARS HERE]
     ----------------              ---------------------------------------------
                                Its: Vice President - Associate General Counsel
                                    --------------------------------------------


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