HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUMMIT RE! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SWISS RE AND SUMMIT RE!

Fort Wayne, Indiana, December 10, 2009 Summit Re celebrates its 10th anniversary in November, 2009. The company was established in 1999 with the exit of Lincoln Re from most medical excess lines. Summit Re has partnered with Swiss Re (formerly ERC) for managed care catastrophic medical excess reinsurance since its founding in 1999.

In September, Swiss Re and Summit Re celebrated this 10-year anniversary with a ceremony in the Swiss Re offices in Overland Park, Kansas. The companies exchanged gifts of pewter and crystal.

Jeff Argotsinger, director, Client Markets, and Rudi Flunger, managing director/head, Insurance and Specialty, presented a gift to Mark Troutman, president of Summit Re, and thanked him for an excellent 10-year relationship. Mark Troutman reciprocated and stated that it was an honor to work with them on managed care catastrophic medical excess business.

The 10th anniversary is celebrated and commemorated with the metal, tin. The tin anniversary has a theme of preservation, longevity and protection (much like reinsurance!). Although tin itself is a soft, malleable metal, it forms alloys with other metals like lead, silver and copper, creating durable goods of pewter or bronze.

Tin achieved immortality of sorts in 1810, when Peter Durand patented the tin-plated iron can for preserving food. Tin protected the iron from corrosion, enabling the food or liquid within the can to last indefinitely. In 1974, American chemists analyzed canned foods from the Bertrand, a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1865 while on its way to provision Montana gold miners. The brandied peaches, oysters, plum tomatoes and honey were still perfectly preserved 109 years later.

Summit Re and Swiss Re believe the key to success in the medical excess reinsurance marketplace is the same as the key to success in a successful marriage. It's more than luck! Both companies emphasize the need for the strong communication and a shared vision. The Swiss Re-Summit Re partnership has always been predicated on mutual expertise, transparency and financial strength.

In closing, Mark Troutman described the 10-year relationship like a roller coaster - many ups and downs, twists and turns, but a very enjoyable ride!

Jeff Argotsinger, Director, Client Markets, Swiss Re and Mark Troutman, President, Summit Re