Establishment of UK Platform

Lancashire Holdings Limited 24 July 2006 Lancashire Holdings Limited Hamilton, Bermuda, 24 July 2006 LANCASHIRE TO SET UP COMPLEMENTARY UK PLATFORM Lancashire Holdings Limited ('Lancashire' or 'the Company') today announced that the UK Financial Services Authority ('FSA') has notified the Company that it is minded to grant authorisation to a new underwriting company, to be called Lancashire Insurance Company (UK) Limited ('LUK'). A status of 'minded to grant' from the FSA means that authorisation for LUK to commence underwriting is likely to be granted provided certain conditions are met, including payment of required capital, which would come from existing resources. The Company expects to satisfy the FSA's conditions by the end of August 2006. LUK cannot accept risks until the FSA's conditions are satisfied and authorisation is granted. The commencement of LUK's underwriting operations is also conditional upon obtaining a satisfactory rating from A.M. Best. LUK would be authorised to write the classes of business currently written by Lancashire Insurance Company Limited ('LICL'), the Company's Bermuda Class 4 Insurance subsidiary. Assuming authorisation, LUK will initially be capitalised at £20 million (approximately US$37 million), rising to £60 million (approximately US$110 million) by 1 January 2007. LUK will enter into a quota share agreement with LICL for a whole account cession of a percentage of risks written in the UK. Richard Brindle, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Underwriting Officer, commented: 'While Lancashire has successfully executed its business plan from Bermuda alone, I am delighted that the FSA is minded to support our application to authorise LUK. This authorisation, if successful, will provide the Lancashire Group with increased flexibility and access to a larger pool of quality risks. LUK will leverage existing expertise within the Group, including underwriting. There will be no change in the classes written and no change in risk profile, with no change in the senior management team. LUK will better allow us to achieve our existing business plan through enhanced management of our underwriting throughout the cycle.' Neil McConachie, the Group Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, commented: 'We are following a path already taken by a number of Bermuda insurance and reinsurance groups. LUK does not diminish the role of LICL, our Bermuda underwriting platform. We see the two operations as complementary. With no change to Group capital overall, LUK will give us choice in the deployment of capital and improved access to our markets via authorisations throughout the European Union.' For further information, please contact: Lancashire Holdings +1 441 278 8950 Neil McConachie Greg Lunn Financial Dynamics +44 20 7269 7200 Rob Bailhache Nick Henderson www.lancashire.bm About Lancashire Lancashire was established in 2005 as a new insurance and reinsurance business to take advantage of the favourable underwriting conditions expected to arise from the large insured losses incurred in 2004 and 2005. The Company has an A.M. Best rating of A- (Excellent) with a stable outlook. Lancashire was admitted to AIM on 16 December 2005 following an Offer of Common Shares to investors. The Common Shares trade on AIM under the ticker symbol LRE. NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS CERTAIN STATEMENTS MADE IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT THAT ARE NOT BASED ON CURRENT OR HISTORICAL FACTS ARE FORWARD-LOOKING IN NATURE INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, STATEMENTS CONTAINING WORDS 'BELIEVES', 'ANTICIPATES', 'PLANS', 'PROJECTS', 'INTENDS', 'EXPECTS', 'LIKELY, 'ESTIMATES', 'PREDICTS', 'MAY', 'WILL', 'SEEKS', 'SHOULD' OR, IN EACH CASE, THEIR NEGATIVE OR COMPARABLE TERMINOLOGY. ALL STATEMENTS OTHER THAN STATEMENTS OF HISTORICAL FACTS INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE REGARDING THE GROUP'S PROSPECTS, GROWTH, BUSINESS STRATEGY, AND PLANS AND OBJECTIVES RELATING TO THE GROUP'S INSURANCE BUSINESSES AND PLATFORMS ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS INVOLVE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES, REGULATORY AND RATING AGENCY CONDITIONS AND OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS, SOME OF WHICH ARE OUTSIDE OF THE GROUP'S CONTROL, THAT COULD CAUSE THE ACTUAL RESULTS, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE GROUP TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT FROM FUTURE RESULTS, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS SPEAK ONLY AS AT THE DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR OTHER INFORMATION CONCERNED. LANCASHIRE HOLDINGS LIMITED EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY OBLIGATION OR UNDERTAKING (SAVE AS REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH ANY LEGAL OR REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS, INCLUDING THE AIM RULES) TO DISSEMINATE ANY UPDATES OR REVISIONS TO ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS CONTAINED HEREIN TO REFLECT ANY CHANGES IN THE GROUP'S EXPECTATIONS WITH REGARD THERETO OR ANY CHANGE IN EVENTS, CONDITIONS OR CIRCUMSTANCES ON WHICH ANY SUCH STATEMENT IS BASED. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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