S&P’s Hosts 18th Annual Conference June 1-3

Unprecedented challenges facing the U.S. insurance industry in the past year, including asbestos claims and lawsuits, terrorism, a weak economy, and a continuing weak investment markets, have many insurance executives hoping the worst is behind them.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services 18th annual Insurance Conference will include a blue-ribbon list of industry leaders to discuss these and other issues confronting the industry and the outlook for the coming year. Insurance CFO’s will also discuss their companies’ strategies to address the turbulent markets.

Set for June 1-3 at the Grand Hyatt in New York, the conference theme is “Are Better Times Ahead?” In addition to credit analysts from Standard & Poor’s Insurance Ratings, Structured Finance, and Global Fixed Income Research practices, scheduled speakers at the conference include:

Joseph Brandon, chairman and CEO, General Re; Kriss Cloninger III, president and CFO, AFLAC; Christopher Conkey, Chief Investment Officer, EverGreen Asset Management; Colin Devine, managing director, Salomon Smith Barney; Jerry de St. Paer, executive vice president and CFO, XL Capital; Dominic Frederico, chairman, ACE INA; Jay Gellert, president and CEO, Health Net; John Gillespie, deputy chairman, White Mountains Insurance Group; David Havens, executive director, UBS Warburg; Seth Hearne, vice president, FTN Financial Securities; Arun Kumar, managing director, J.P. Morgan Securities; Thomas Moloney, CFO, John Hancock Financial Services; Richard Murry, chief claims strategist, Swiss Re; Roger Sellek, commercial director, Lloyd’s; Gregory Serio, superintendent, N.Y. Department of Insurance; David Schiff, editor, Schiff’s Insurance Observer; Alice Schroeder, managing director, Morgan Stanley; Roderick Thaler, executive vice president and national director, Willis Reinsurance; Richard Vaughan, executive vice president and CFO, Lincoln Financial Group. Thomas Walsh, senior vice president, Lehman Brothers; and Michael Young, partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

Among the presentations are:
*The CEO’s Perspective: The conference will begin with a panel discussion covering the CEO’s perspective of the insurance industry. Scheduled to participate are Maurice Greenberg of American International Group, Ramani Ayer of Hartford Financial Services Group, and Arthur Ryan of Prudential Financial;
*Terrorism Analysis and Insight: Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spencer, CEO of Aegis Defence Services, will provide an analysis of the global terrorist threat, the steps terrorists will most likely take in the future, and what it means for the insurance industry;
*CFOs Discuss Company Strategies and Accomplishments: Chief financial officers from many leading insurance companies will discuss their companies’ strategies for the future and their recent accomplishments.

Among the companies whose CFOs will be presenting at the conference are: ACE, Ltd.; Aetna; American International Group;
Hartford Financial Services; John Hancock Financial Services;
Met Life; Principal Financial Group; Prudential Financial; Travelers Property Casualty; St. Paul Companies; UnumProvident; and XL Capital.

For more information or to register online, go to http://www.events.standardandpoors.com/insurance.