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Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited Comments on its Initial Outlook for 2007.


HAMILTON, Bermuda -- Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited's ("Aspen") (NYSE NYSE

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) (BSX BSX Bermuda Stock Exchange
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:AHL BH) Group Chief Executive Officer, Chris O'Kane, commented today on Aspen's initial outlook for 2007. Mr. O'Kane is expected to speak at the Credit Suisse The Credit Suisse Group (SWX:CSGN, NYSE: CS) is a financial services company, headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. It is the second-largest Swiss bank, behind UBS AG.  Insurance Conference on November 16, 2006, and is expected to address this topic during the presentation. The information provided below includes forward-looking statements and is based on current business conditions. To the extent that the business written varies from the levels indicated in this outlook, Aspen's results will vary accordingly. Additionally, the indicated outlook may change based on the factors described in the forward-looking information section found below.

Mr. O'Kane, said:

"While we expect market conditions to remain generally attractive in 2007 we anticipate that rates will decline in certain of our product lines. We therefore expect gross written premiums to be approximately $1.9 billion plus or minus 5%. We are also planning to reduce significantly the amount of retrocession RETROCESSION, civil law. When the assignee of heritable rights conveys his rights back to the cedent, it is called a retrocession. Erskine, Prin. B. 3, t. 5, n. 1; Dict. do Jur. h.t.  we purchase and therefore currently expect to cede only between 6%-10% of our gross written premiums.

"We expect the reduction in our retrocessional expense and a number of other changes in our underwriting portfolio to result in an improvement in our net underwriting margins. We currently expect that our combined ratio will be in the range of 83% to 88% assuming no major losses or prior year reserve movements.

"Investment income should continue to rise and, in a somewhat uncertain interest rate environment, we currently expect it to be within the range of $230 million to $250 million.

"Interest charges and preference dividend payments will increase as a result of the current proposed offering of perpetual preference shares but the proposed use of proceeds to repurchase ordinary shares will result in higher pro forma As a matter of form or for the sake of form. Used to describe accounting, financial, and other statements or conclusions based upon assumed or anticipated facts.

The phrase pro forma
 return on equity and earnings per share.

"Based on the expected distribution of income between our operating companies our tax rate for 2007 should be within the range of 16% to 19%.

"Based on the above outlook and assumptions for 2007, the implied return on equity for 2007 would be between 16%-20%."

About Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited

Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited was established in June 2002. Aspen is a Bermudian holding company that provides property and casualty reinsurance The contract made between an insurance company and a third party to protect the insurance company from losses. The contract provides for the third party to pay for the loss sustained by the insurance company when the company makes a payment on the original contract.  in the global market, property and liability insurance principally in the United Kingdom and the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area.  and specialty insurance and reinsurance consisting mainly of marine and energy and aviation worldwide. Aspen's operations are conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiaries located in London, Bermuda and the United States: Aspen Insurance UK Limited, Aspen Insurance Limited and Aspen Specialty Insurance Company. Aspen has four operating segments: property reinsurance, casualty reinsurance, specialty insurance and reinsurance and property and casualty insurance. Aspen's principal existing founding shareholders include The Blackstone Group Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) is a prominent private equity and investment management firm founded in 1985 by Peter G. Peterson and Stephen A. Schwarzman. The company is based in New York City, in River House on Park Avenue at Fifty-first Street, with offices in Atlanta, , Candover Partners Limited and Credit Suisse First Boston Credit Suisse First Boston was originally the trading name of the Financière Crédit Suisse-First Boston, a London-based 50-50 investment banking joint venture formed in 1978 between the First Boston Corporation and Credit Suisse.  Private Equity. For more information about Aspen, please visit the Company's website at www.aspen.bm.

Application of the Safe Harbor Safe Harbor

1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated.

2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive.
 of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and  of 1995

This press release contains written, and Aspen's officers may make related oral, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws regarding Aspen's initial outlook for certain operating results for 2007, the possible repurchase of Aspen's ordinary shares and the financing of any such repurchases. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts, and can be identified by the use of words such as "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "project," "anticipate," "seek," "will," "estimate," "may," "continue," and similar expressions of a future or forward-looking nature.

All forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions, estimates and data concerning future results and events and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Aspen's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. Aspen believes these factors include, but are not limited to: the number and type of insurance and reinsurance contracts that we write at the January 1st and other renewal periods in 2007; the premium rates available at the time of such renewals within our targeted business lines; the absence of large or unusually frequent loss events; the impact that our future operating results, capital position and rating agency and other considerations have on the execution of any capital management initiatives; the impact of any capital management activities on our financial condition; the impact of acts of terrorism and related legislation and acts of war Tom Clancy's Op-Center: Acts of War is a technothriller by Jeff Rovin Plot introduction
The mobile Regional Operations Center (ROC) in Turkey investigates a dam blown up by Kurdish terrorists.
; the possibility of greater frequency or severity of claims and loss activity, including as a result of natural or man-made catastrophic events such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, than our underwriting, reserving or investment practices have anticipated; evolving interpretive issues with respect to coverage as a result of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma; the level of inflation in repair costs due to limited availability When customers of the PSTN make telephone calls, they commonly make use of a telecommunications network called a switched-circuit network. In a switched-circuit network, devices known as switches are used to connect the caller to the callee.  of labor and materials labor and materials (time and materials) n. what some builders or repair people contract to provide and be paid for, rather than a fixed price or a percentage of the costs.  after catastrophes; the effectiveness of Aspen's loss limitation methods; changes in the availability, cost or quality of reinsurance or retrocessional coverage; the reliability of, and changes in assumptions to, catastrophe pricing, accumulation and estimated loss models; loss of key personnel; a decline in our operating subsidiaries' ratings with Standard & Poor's, A.M. Best Company or Moody's Investors Service Moody's Investors Service

A leading global credit rating, research and risk analysis firm.


Moody's Investors Service

A leading firm engaged in credit rating, risk analysis, and research of fixed-income securities and their issuers.
; changes in general economic conditions including inflation, foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and other factors that could affect our investment portfolio; increased competition on the basis of pricing, capacity, coverage terms or other factors; decreased demand for Aspen's insurance or reinsurance products and cyclical downturn of the industry; changes in governmental regulations or tax laws in jurisdictions where Aspen conducts business; Aspen or its Bermudian subsidiary becoming subject to income taxes in the United States or the United Kingdom; the effect on insurance markets, business practices and relationships of ongoing litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute.

When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation.
, investigations and regulatory activity by the New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
 State Attorney General's office and other authorities concerning contingent commission arrangements with brokers and bid solicitation activities; the total industry losses resulting from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma and the actual number of Aspen's insureds incurring losses from these storms; and with respect to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, Aspen's reliance on loss reports received from cedants and loss adjustors, Aspen's reliance on industry loss estimates and those generated by modeling techniques, the impact of these storms on Aspen's reinsurers, any changes in Aspen's reinsurers' credit quality, the amount and timing of reinsurance recoverables and reimbursements actually received by Aspen from its reinsurers and the overall level of competition and the related demand and supply dynamics as contracts come up for renewal. Any ordinary share repurchases by Aspen are subject to rating agency considerations, the market price of its ordinary shares, Aspen's ongoing sources and uses of cash and the liquidity requirements of its insurance and reinsurance business. Any issuance by Aspen of any perpetual preference shares or other security is subject to market conditions for such security, the satisfactory agreement with any underwriters or other purchasers in relation to the terms and price of such security and customary conditions to the completion of any such financing transaction. For a more detailed description of additional uncertainties and other factors that could impact the forward-looking statements in this release, please see the "Risk Factors" section in Aspen's Annual Report on Form 10-K Form 10-K

A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information.


Form 10-K

See 10-K.
 for the year ended December 31, 2005, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 6, 2006.
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Date:Nov 8, 2006
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