AIA: P/C Insurers Don't Seek Aid Via Treasury CPP

Evan Greenberg, chairman and CEO of ACE Group and Chairman of the American Insurance Association (AIA) issued the following statement as the U.S. Treasury Department deliberates on if it will include insurance companies under the Capital Purchase Program (CPP) that is part of the $700 billion emergency economic stabilization package approved by Congress. The CPP was created to inject capital into credit markets and to prevent counterparty failure of such a magnitude as to pose a systemic risk to the financial system.

“Congress established the CPP under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to purchase preferred shares in banks and other savings institutions as a means to recapitalize and strengthen their financial position.

“We have surveyed our Board of Directors and the substantial majority of the insurers represented by AIA do not support the inclusion of property-casualty insurers in Treasury's Capital Purchase Program. If made available, they will not elect to participate.

“Those members believe that, as property-casualty insurance writers, they are well-capitalized and well-positioned to weather the current financial market crisis without the assistance of the CPP announced by Treasury.

“As a result, the property-casualty insurers who are members of AIA strongly prefer to compete in the private market and the substantial majority will elect not to participate in the CPP."