Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:AGII), an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products, announced today the successful placement of a series of three catastrophe bonds which will provide $172 million of protection to its insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries through Loma Re Insurance (Bermuda) Ltd.

Coverage provided through the Loma bond program incepts January 1, 2014, and runs for a period of four years, protecting Argo Group's participating US insurance units, Argo Re, and Lloyd's Syndicate 1200 against U.S. hurricanes, earthquakes and convective storms and Canadian earthquakes. Argo Group is one of the first in the catastrophe bond market to offer a product with an annual aggregate loss calculation which combines an indemnity trigger mechanism for traditional insurance business with an index-based trigger mechanism for reinsurance business.

This issuance continues Argo Group's participation in the Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) market. While providing reinsurance protection from the frequency of catastrophe losses, participation in the ILS market is also expected to position Argo Group to continue to capitalize on market opportunities, by efficiently replacing capital otherwise needed to support the risk of frequent and sizable events.

Argo Group President and Chief Executive Officer Mark E. Watson III said, "We were pleased to expand our participation in the ILS market as a key part of our catastrophe risk management program. The aggregate coverage and term of the Loma Re protection adds attractive stability to Argo's financial results."

About Argo Group

Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:AGII) is an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. Through its operating subsidiaries, Argo Group offers a full line of products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims handling needs of businesses in four primary segments: Excess & Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, International Specialty and Syndicate 1200. Argo Group's insurance subsidiaries are A.M. Best-rated 'A' (Excellent) and Argo Group's U.S. insurance subsidiaries are Standard & Poor's-rated 'A-' (Strong). For more information visit www.argolimited.com.

Argo Group
Lisa Scannell, 617-235-6138
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
lscannell@argogroupus.com