Exhibit 99.1

[SELECTIVE GRAPHIC OMITTED]

                                   Selective Insurance
                                   40 Wantage Avenue
                                   Branchville, New Jersey 07890
                                   www.selective.com


For release on November 3, 2005:
Media Contact: Sharon Cooper
973-948-1324, sharon.cooper@selective.com

Investor Contact: Jennifer DiBerardino
973-948-1364, jennifer.diberardino@selective.com

                    Selective Insurance Group Completes Sale
                        of $100 Million of Senior Notes

Branchville, NJ - November 3, 2005 - Selective Insurance Group, Inc.
(NASDAQ:SIGI) today announced it has completed its previously announced
offering of $100 million aggregate principal amount of its 6.7% senior notes
due 2035.

Selective intends to contribute $50 million of the net proceeds to fund an
irrevocable trust to provide for certain payment obligations in respect of its
outstanding debt. Selective intends to use the remainder of the net proceeds of
the offering for general corporate purposes, which may include contributions to
its insurance subsidiaries and share repurchases.

The notes were offered in the United States to qualified institutional buyers
pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act")
and institutional investors that are accredited investors within the meaning of
the Securities Act and outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S under
the Securities Act. The notes have not been registered under the Securities Act
or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United
States without registration or an applicable exemption from registration
requirements.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer
to buy the notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer,
solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation
or sale is unlawful.

Selective Insurance Group, Inc., headquartered in Branchville, New Jersey, is a
holding company for six property and casualty insurance companies that offer
primary and alternative market insurance for commercial and personal risks. The
insurance companies are rated "A+" (Superior) by A.M. Best. Through other
subsidiaries, the company offers medical claim management services; human
resources administration services; risk management products and services; and
flood insurance policy, administration and claim services. Selective maintains
a website at www.selective.com.

In this press release, Selective and its management discuss and make statements
based on currently available information regarding their intentions, beliefs,
current



expectations, and projections regarding Selective's future operations and
performance. Such statements are "forward-looking" statements as defined in
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which provides a safe
harbor under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 for forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are
often identified by words such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should,"
"expect," "plan," "anticipate," "target," "project," "propose," "intend,"
"believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "pro forma," "seek," "likely,"
or "continue," or other comparable terminology and their negatives. Selective
and its management assume no obligation to update these forward-looking
statements due to changes in underlying factors, new information, future
developments or otherwise.

Selective and its management caution investors that such forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance. Risks and uncertainties
are inherent in Selective's future performance. Factors that could cause
Selective's actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such
forward-looking statements, include, among other things, those discussed or
identified from time to time in our public filings with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and those associated with:

o    the frequency and severity of catastrophic events, including, but not
     limited to, hurricanes, tornadoes, windstorms, earthquakes, hail, severe
     winter weather, fires, explosions and terrorism;
o    adverse economic, market, regulatory, legal or judicial conditions;
o    the concentration of our business in a number of Eastern region states;
o    the adequacy of our loss reserves and loss expense reserves;
o    the cost and availability of reinsurance;
o    our ability to collect on reinsurance and the solvency of our reinsurers;
o    uncertainties related to insurance rate increases and business retention;
o    changes in insurance regulations that impact our ability to write and/or
     cease writing insurance policies in one or more states particularly
     changes in New Jersey automobile insurance laws and regulations;
o    our ability to maintain favorable ratings from ratings agencies, including
     A.M. Best, S&P, Moody's and Fitch;
o    fluctuations in interest rates and the performance of the financial
     markets; and
o    our entry into new markets and businesses.

Selective's SEC filings can be accessed through the Investors and Corporate
Governance sections of the company's website, www.selective.com, or through the
SEC's EDGAR Database at www.sec.gov (Selective EDGAR CIK No. 0000230557).

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