New Partnership To Bring Affordable Insurance To Environmental Businesses in the Northwest.

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 23, 1999--

For environmental businesses, finding comprehensive insurance coverage is now quicker and easier because of a cooperative effort by Northwest Environmental Business Council (NEBC) and American Benefits, Inc., (ABI) both of Portland, OR, along with ECS Underwriting of Exton, PA.

The organizations recently partnered to provide a comprehensive insurance program specifically designed for environmental service firms.

Through ECS Underwriting's Q&E Program, NEBC is offering its members, which represent environmental businesses in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska, a competitively-priced package of insurance, delivered with quick turnaround of insurance quotes, quality coverage, an easy application process and environmental underwriting expertise.

This program targets smaller environmental service firms and qualifying members must be performing less than $2.5 million in gross receipts.

"The small size of a company does not necessarily mean that a firm faces small risks," according to Will Hornsey, a senior underwriter with ECS Underwriting, one of the nation's leading providers of environmental insurance.

"It does mean, however, that finding affordable coverage is extremely important in protecting a company's assets. Finding a means of quickly applying for insurance and easily accessing other risk management resources are priorities too. The application process for this program is streamlined and can be conducted, in part, via the Internet."

The NEBC Program features ECS Underwriting's Pollution Protection Package, or P-policy. The P-policy combines General Liability, Professional

Liability, and Contractor's Pollution Legal Liability (CPL) coverages under one limit of liability. NEBC members can secure coverage under a master program that provides each member organization a limit of $1,000,000 per Occurrence and $2,000,000 Aggregate. Higher limits of up to $5,000,000 are available to the members.

"This program will help our members be more competitive in the environmental marketplace. This offering of high quality insurance at competitive rates, often lowering deductibles and increasing coverage, adds tremendous value to NEBC membership," said David Welsh, executive director of NEBC. "We are looking forward to working with ECS and ABI, Inc. on this offering."

"I would like to thank the NEBC organization for making this program available to their members," said NEBC member William Weinstein of Enzyme Technologies, Portland, OR. "This program enabled us to broaden our coverage to include professional liability and contractor's pollution legal liability, which we did not have before, to better address our liability exposures."

To help environmental businesses determine if NEBC's program is appropriate for them, a six-question checklist is readily available on NEBC's Web site at www.nebc.org. Upon completion of the checklist, the member, with the help of ABI, can instantly complete an application online and receive a quote for coverage within a few days.

Environmental businesses insured through the NEBC program will also be able to take advantage of the risk control and claims administration services of ECS Underwriting's sister companies -- ECS Risk Control and ECS Claims Administrators. An ECS Risk Control Guidance Manual is provided to all new insureds, compliments of ECS Risk Control.

Each chapter of the manual provides various risk management tools including sample forms, documents and risk control recommendations.

In addition, NEBC members will receive other valuable services such as employee health and safety training, environmental auditing, contract review services, HAZWOPER training, subcontractor evaluation and claims management, which will be offered in conjunction with regular NEBC membership meetings.

ECS, an XL Capital Company, is an underwriting manager providing integrated environmental risk management solutions(SM) to business and industry worldwide. ECS meets the diverse needs of its customers through insurance, risk control and claims management. XL Capital (NYSE: XL), rated A+ by A.M. Best, is a leading global provider of insurance, reinsurance and financial products.

The NEBC is recognized as the representative of the Northwest environmental industry by state and federal regulators as well as the regulated community. NEBC represents and promotes the prosperity of its membership, which represents environmental businesses in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

The organization also acts as an information clearinghouse by making referrals to organizations and companies in need of the environmental products and services that its members can provide.

American Benefits, Inc. (ABI) is NEBC's Insurance Agent for the new Master Policy. ABI is a full service insurance agency that specializes in providing all lines of business and personal insurance products, as well as solid risk management advice to closely held companies. NEBC's insurance program will be administered at ABI by Art Richards and Bob Liddle.

Richards and Liddle can be reached by phone at 503/292-1580 or by email at [e-mail].