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                                 EXHIBIT 23 (a)

                         Consent of Independent Auditors

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Annual Report (Form 10-K)
of Bancinsurance Corporation of our report dated March 1, 2001, included in the
2000 Annual Report to Shareholders of Bancinsurance Corporation.

Our audit also included the financial statement schedules of Bancinsurance
Corporation listed in Item 14(a). These schedules are the responsibility of the
Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion based on our
audits. In our opinion, the financial statement schedules referred to above,
when considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole,
present fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.

We also consent to the incorporation by reference in Registration Statements on
Form S-8 pertaining to the 1984 Stock Option Plan and the 1994 Stock Option Plan
of our report dated March 1, 2001 with respect to the consolidated financial
statements of Bancinsurance Corporation incorporated herein by reference, and
our report included in the preceding paragraph with respect to the financial
statement schedules included in this Annual Report (Form 10-K) of Bancinsurance
Corporation of the year ended December 31, 2000.

/s/Ernst & Young LLP

Columbus, Ohio
March 16, 2001