2008-10-03 00:00:01 -

- Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd., (NasdaqGS: AGII), an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market, today announced it has consolidated its professional liability insurance underwriting operating units - including Colony Professional Lines business and Insight Insurance Services - and has named the new stand-alone professional lines business Argo Pro. Argo Pro will now be under the leadership of recently promoted President John Keane, who was previously senior vice president of Colony Professional Lines business.

Argo Pro will conduct business within Argo Group's Excess & Surplus Lines (E&S) segment and will be comprised of the allied medical, errors & omissions (E&O) and environmental divisions. It will continue to write specialty risks on

both a non-admitted and admitted basis. Argo Group recently acquired Insight Insurance Services Inc., a specialist in professional liability insurance for accounting professionals, architects, engineers and insurance agents.

"We are excited to announce the formation of Argo Pro to focus specifically on this niche market," said Keane. "This strategic move underscores our commitment to serve the professional lines insurance market through expert underwriting and dedicating specialized resources. Our underwriting capabilities now address an entire spectrum of risks from preferred, loss-free risks to distressed and harder-to-place risks."

Argo Group's E&S segment is the 12th largest E&S carrier in the U.S. and provides commercial lines property and casualty insurance on both an admitted and non-admitted basis in all 50 states.

Over the past several years, Argo Pro has grown consistently. The allied medical division has broadened its risk appetite significantly across its existing segments of social services, miscellaneous healthcare and long-term care facilities.

The E&O division has grown from a startup operation in 1996 and will continue to broaden the range of products and services provided to Argo Pro's customers and producers. Argo Group's recent acquisition of Insight is one such step. The environmental division is the third largest underwriter of underground storage tanks and is a leader in providing pollution coverage for dry cleaners.

"We look forward to growing Argo Pro's breadth of offerings in the professional lines market," said David Williams, vice president of professional liability product development.

"We are always looking for opportunities to write new risks and develop new products as well as adding to the already skilled underwriting teams we have at Argo Pro," said Keane. "In so doing, it allows us to continue to strive for excellence on behalf of all our clients and partners in a more concerted, strategic manner."

ABOUT ARGO GROUP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.

Headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII) is an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. Argo Group offers a full line of high-quality products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims handling needs of businesses in four primary segments: Excess & Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, Reinsurance, and International Specialty. Information on Argo Group and its subsidiaries is available at www.argolimited.com.

Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd.
Rebecca Kelley, 210-321-8547
rkelley@argogroupus.com