Torus Insurance to Use EQECAT's Gulf Of Mexico Offshore Energy Model for Portfolio Risk Management and Underwriting

September 24, 2008

Oakland, California

EQECAT, Inc., a subsidiary of ABSG Consulting Inc. (ABS Consulting), and the leading authority on extreme-risk modeling, announced today that Torus Insurance, a technical lines insurer specializing in large complex risks with particular focus on the energy sector, has licensed EQECAT's Gulf of Mexico Offshore Energy Model (OEM) for portfolio risk management and underwriting.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The EQECAT OEM helps oil and gas producers, insurers and reinsurers to manage hurricane risk for offshore assets. Currently, the model covers exposures in the US Gulf of Mexico. It is part of EQECAT's WORLDCATenterprise™ catastrophe risk management software platform.

David Hope, Chief Underwriting Officer of Torus Insurance said, "Torus underpins its portfolio decision-making with rigorous analysis, and we are working to align ourselves with the leading technical innovators in the insurance market. In the Gulf of Mexico central to this goal will be using the most highly developed technology available to help understand and manage hurricane risk."

"Torus Insurance is an example of the marketplace’s continued confidence in EQECAT’s state-of-the-art technology," said Tom Larsen, Senior Vice President of EQECAT. "We are confident that our modeling platform will assist insurers, like Torus, to help clients prepare more thoroughly for a range of risks."

"Leveraging ABS Consulting's energy market engineering experience, EQECAT's Gulf of Mexico offshore energy model is the only model available that produces a realistic and validated risk representation for the spectrum of insured coverage and conditions in this market. This unmatched combination helps to set a new standard for modeling the potential exposure resulting from catastrophes in the Gulf of Mexico," he said.

ABS Consulting is a leading independent provider of risk management services in the offshore energy market, providing solutions for marine and offshore operators, business, finance and government.

The EQECAT OEM was launched in May 2007 and is based on rigorous science, engineering research, and robust mathematical methodologies.

About Torus

Torus is a technical lines insurer specializing in large complex risks with particular focus on the energy sector. Its investment in experienced underwriting teams and industry leading technology is designed to provide insurance buyers with knowledgeable partners and their service providers with improved service at every point of the insurance transaction. Torus is rated A- (excellent) by A.M. Best.

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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