A.M. Best Affirms Rating of St. Paul Guarantee, Withdraws Rating of Travelers Canada and Removes Both Ratings from under Review.

OLDWICK, N.J. -- A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of A (Excellent) of St. Paul Guarantee Insurance Company (St. Paul Guarantee) (Toronto). At the same time, A.M. Best has withdrawn the financial strength rating of A+ (Excellent) of its affiliate company, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of Canada (Travelers Canada) (Toronto) and assigned it a NR-5 (Not Formally Followed). Both ratings have been removed from under review with developing implications. St. Paul Guarantee has been assigned a rating outlook of stable.

These rating actions follow the January 1, 2005, completion of the amalgamation of St. Paul Guarantee and Travelers Canada. St. Paul Guarantee is a prominent insurer specializing in liability insurance and surety products in the Canadian marketplace. Furthermore, the company is a strategic subsidiary of The St. Paul Travelers Companies, Inc. (St. Paul Travelers) (NYSE: STA) (St. Paul, MN), and as such, St. Paul Guarantee benefits from St. Paul Travelers' management and underwriting expertise, financial flexibility and operational support.

For current Best's Ratings, independent data and analysis on more than 3,000 individual property/casualty companies, groups and industry composites, please visit http://www.ambest.com/pc.

A.M. Best Co., established in 1899, is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit A.M. Best's Web site at http://www.ambest.com.