Coface to Host 10/17/01 Leadership Forum in Boston; World Leader in Commercial Risk Management Assembles Industry Visionaries.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2001

The Coface Group, the world leader in export credit insurance and commercial risk management, today announced it will host a leadership forum in Boston centered on helping companies achieve competitive advantage in international trade.

The event will bring together industry decision makers committed to leveraging new technologies to minimize international trade risk. The topic of the evening seminar is, "Downturn in the National Economy: New Challenges and Opportunities for Export Trade". Attendees will gain insights from visionaries ranging from Jerome Cazes, the Managing Director of the Coface Group, to Gabriele D. Lamers, Senior International Economist with Fleet Boston Financial. The forum is scheduled for October 17, 2001 at The Exchange Conference Center at the Boston Fish Pier in Boston, Mass.

Those interested in attending the forum may access invitation information online: http://www.coface-leadership-forum.com

About Coface

Rated AA by Fitch, the Coface Group is the world leader in trade-risk management, serving 70,000 clients in 94 countries worldwide. Leveraging 56 years of experience and a database of 35 million companies, The Group's products represent the global standard in assessing creditworthiness and protecting companies worldwide against the risk of non-payment. The Group offers access to three global networks, CreditAlliance, InfoAlliance and @rating, which are based on a common risk system for credit information and the use of common products and standards worldwide. The Group is listed on the Paris Bourse and its shares are included in the SBF 120 and Euronext 150 stock indices. For more information, please visit www.cofacerating.com.