EQECAT Initial Estimates Of Insured Onshore Losses From Hurricane Gustav

September 1, 2008

Oakland, California

EQECAT, Inc., the leading authority on extreme-risk modeling, Monday afternoon (EST) said, based on current storm information provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),initial estimated onshore insured losses from Hurricane Gustav could range from $6 to $10 billion, primarily in Louisiana.

In addition, production of crude oil and natural gas offshore in the US Gulf of Mexico will be impacted by asset damage and disruption. EQECAT said it expects about 5 percent of the production capacity for oil, and 5 percent of production capacity for natural gas, for the next year will be shut-in.

EQECAT's estimates will be updated as additional information about the storm's characteristics becomes available.

Beyond wind damage to commercial and residentialfixed structures, such as office buildings, factories, warehouses, and homes, EQECAT's insured loss estimates include business interruption, as a result of the destruction of property; and demand surge, which occurs when the demand for products and services to repair damage significantly exceeds the regional supply. Thus, these products and services may have to be brought to the region quickly from distant points, resulting in additional costs for transportation, packaging and manufacture.

Excluded from EQECAT's insured loss estimates are losses related to flooding, private and commercial automobiles and similar vehicles.

EQECAT, Inc. provides state-of-the-art products and services to the global property and casualty insurance, reinsurance and financial markets. EQECAT is the technical leader and innovator of catastrophe risk management models that quantify exposure to a range of natural and man-made catastrophic risks.

Through its modeling software platform, WORLDCATenterprise™, EQECAT enables clients to quantify and manage the potential financial impact of natural hazards. WORLDCATenterprise includes 181 natural hazard software models for 95 countries spanning six continents. These models are based upon innovative applications of the latest science, engineering expertise, claims and exposure data and advanced mathematics.

EQECAT, a subsidiary of ABSG Consulting Inc., was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Oakland, California.

For more information, contact:

pr@eqecat.com

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