News Releases

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group, today announced that its environmental liability division, ACE Environmental Risk, has renewed its support of American Forests, the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization, to improve the environment by planting 7,000 trees in seven locations across the United States. In appreciation of its clients’ support in 2010, ACE Environmental Risk is making this donation as part of American Forests’ Global ReLeaf Campaign for the fourth consecutive year.

“ACE is pleased to continue its support of American Forests in their ongoing efforts to help restore areas damaged by wildfire and other natural disasters, through tree-planting restoration projects throughout the United States,” said William P. Hazelton, Executive Vice President, ACE Environmental Risk. “We share with American Forests a culture of innovation in offering environmental solutions. ACE is committed to developing insurance products and risk management services that facilitate market-based solutions to current and pending environmental issues.”

American Forests, one of the first organizations to address the issue of global warming, helps people understand the many values of trees and the need to restore forest ecosystems in urban and rural areas through community-based initiatives. The organization introduced Global ReLeaf in 1988 to restore damaged forest ecosystems through the planting of trees. The goal of this campaign is to plant 100 million trees by the year 2020.

The environment isn’t only a business priority at ACE. The company is also doing its part by reducing its own environmental impact and contributing to various environmental causes. As a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program, ACE set a goal to reduce its core global greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent per employee by 2012, and reached this goal two years ahead of schedule. To engage its 16,000 employees worldwide in its environmental efforts, ACE promotes the “ACE Green” program, through which employee committees in nearly 200 offices are taking steps such as powering off office equipment, reducing waste through recycling, and participating in local volunteer cleanup days.

The environment is a priority in ACE’s corporate philanthropy as well. For example, grants from the ACE Charitable Foundation in 2010 are helping to train farmers and improve agricultural yields in Indonesia, teach and implement sustainable agricultural techniques in the Peruvian Andes, and preserve sensitive lands and habitats across the U.S. In recognition of this range of environmental efforts, ACE was listed 6^th in the banks and insurance sector and 64^th overall in Newsweek’s 2010 Green Rankings of the 500 largest U.S. companies.

ACE Environmental Risk, a division of ACE USA, offers a full range of environmental liability solutions designed to minimize bottom line impacts and provide hands-on management for those liabilities. ACE Environmental Risk’s liability product suite includes premises pollution liability, contractor’s pollution liability, and remediation cost containment programs. These programs are primarily distributed through the retail brokerage community to the commercial market. To learn more about ACE Environmental Risk’s products and services, please visitwww.aceusa.com. For more information about ACE’s overall environmental initiative, please visitwww.acegreen.com. For more information on American Forests, visit www.americanforests.org.

ACE USA is the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group, and is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company and AA- (Very Strong) by Standard & Poor’s. ACE USA, through its underwriting companies, provides insurance products and services throughout the U.S. Additional information on ACE USA and its products and services can be found at www.aceusa.com. Celebrating 25 years of insuring progress, the ACE Group is a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a diverse group of clients. Headed by ACE Limited (NYSE:ACE), a component of the S&P 500 stock index, the ACE Group conducts its business on a worldwidebasis with operating subsidiaries in more than 50 countries. Additional information can be found at:www.acegroup.com.