2008-09-14 17:02:04 -

- Zurich Steve McKay, 847-706-2265 steven.mckay@zurichna.com Zurich, a leading property and casualty insurance provider in North America and globally, said today that insurance professionals were in place with more on the way to areas affected by Hurricane Ike to assist customers in processing claims.

Mike Hargrave, Zurich's Property Claims national catastrophe manager, said "Zurich's team will be on the ground in affected areas as soon as possible to help customers efficiently process their claims. We know how important it is to local communities, and to the US economy as a whole, to get businesses back up and running as quickly as possible.

"We want to ensure that the experience of submitting a claim is a smooth one for

our customers," Hargrave said. "We have additional claims specialists staffing our toll-free reporting hotline to handle claims that have been submitted. Our Claims Reporting Care Center is always open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to expeditiously process these claims."

Hargrave said customers have five channels through which to report a claim:

-- Internet - Go to the main page of www.zurichna.com and click on the "Filing a claim and other hurricane-related information" link in the Hurricanes box.

-- Phone - Contact Zurich's Claims Reporting Care Center at 800-987-3373 or 847-240-8020.

-- Fax - 877-962-2567 to send all important documentation.

-- E-mail - Contact Zurich's Claims Reporting Care Center at usz_carecenter@zurichna.com.

-- U.S. Mail - Zurich Claims Reporting Care Center: P.O. Box 49547, Colorado Springs, CO 80949-9537

Hargrave also gave the following tips to help in filing claims:

-- Report the claim immediately - don't delay.

-- Collect as much information as possible regarding the loss such as address, policy number(s), name and address of company or reporting location, description of the loss, estimated damages and immediate needs.

-- Save all pertinent documentation, photos and any materials/receipts.

Hargrave said once a claim is filed, customers can use the 10-digit claim number they will receive to inquire about the status of the claim by following these procedures:

-- Call 800-987-3373 or 847-240-8020.

-- Select option '2' to check on an existing claim.

-- Then select option '1', enter the 10-digit claim number, and you will be connected to the Zurich claims professional handling your claim.

About Zurich

Zurich's North America Commercial and Global Corporate in North America business divisions are part of Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich), an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Founded in 1872, the Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It employs approximately 60,000 people serving customers in more than 170 countries. In North America, Zurich (www.zurichna.com) is a leading commercial property-casualty insurance provider serving the global corporate, large corporate, middle market, specialties and programs sectors

¶ Providing Additional Claims Resources Where and When It Matters