Madison-based American Family Insurance on Wednesday laid off 87 people, almost all in Madison and all from the company's information services division, as part of an ongoing effort to cut costs.

The workers — some with 20 years' experience — were asked to leave immediately after they learned their jobs were eliminated, company spokesman Steve Witmer confirmed.

"We tried to strike a balance of being very respectful to the people and talking to them face to face," Witmer said, "but it's also understood that these are people that work in very sensitive positions. So while we believe that our employees are good, honest people, we also need to make sure that we're safeguarding our systems."

The cut positions included 85 people based at the company headquarters at 6000 American Parkway and its other Madison location, off Milwaukee Street, plus two people outside Madison. There are 850 people remaining in the company's information services division, making the job reductions equal to about a 10 percent cut there.