He said, "Our advertising has consistently done its job of creating awareness, establishing a competitive offering and selling seats."

The result will be fewer competitive offerings, higher prices and less service.

"The company has strong competitive offerings and has been focusing on cutting costs," he said, "particularly in adjusting claims."

Market dominance is a measure of the strength of a brand, product, service, or firm, relative to competitive offerings.

Among the tax-exempt issues priced yesterday was a $193.5 million competitive offering from Nevada.

The system's price point, ease of use and simple installation set this system apart from competitive offerings.

The largest competitive offering was a $256 million issue from the District of Columbia.

They might not all be competitive offerings for consumers, but times changes, companies and strategies ebb and flow.

And they argue, as they did five years ago, that the United States has few competitive offerings.

"Obviously, every time we see people with a competitive offering, we get a little apprehensive," he said.