The Board of Directors of ACE Limited (NYSE: ACE) announced today that
it will recommend to shareholders a 33% increase in the company’s
quarterly dollar-denominated dividend, from $0.35 per share to $0.47 per
share. The company will file a proxy statement with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, which will be mailed to shareholders of record as
of November 30, 2011.
"We are pleased to propose to our shareholders a substantial increase to
the dividend, which reflects our full confidence in ACE’s strong balance
sheet and earnings generation power,” said Evan G. Greenberg, Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer, ACE Limited. "The increased dividend payout
provides an attractive cash return for our shareholders particularly in
this current low interest rate environment and represents a modest
impact to capital, so preserving our considerable capital flexibility
for risk and growth opportunities both now and into the future. We
believe this action furthers our commitment to creating exceptional
shareholder value.”
"As part of our continuous review of ACE’s overall capital management
needs and plans, we determined an increase to our dividend was warranted
at this time,” said Philip V. Bancroft, Chief Financial Officer, ACE
Limited. "This action is a one-time increase that resets the level of
our annual dividend. We reassess our dividend every year and intend to
continue our longstanding practice of steady dividend increases.”
The resolution to increase the dividend would be an amendment to the
existing dividend resolution as approved by the company’s shareholders
on May 18, 2011, and would apply to the next two quarterly dividend
installments. An extraordinary general shareholder meeting to vote on
the resolution will take place on Monday, January 9, 2012, at the
company’s offices in Zurich. The Board also declared that the first of
such installments shall be payable on January 31, 2012, to shareholders
of record at the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on
January 10, 2012. In the event shareholders reject the proposed
increase, the dividend would continue to be paid in the originally
approved amount.
The ACE Group is a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a
diverse group of clients. Headed by ACE Limited (NYSE:ACE), a component
of the S&P 500 stock index, the ACE Group conducts its business on a
worldwide basis with operating subsidiaries in more than 50 countries.
Additional information can be found at: www.acegroup.com
Cautionary Statement Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements:
Forward-looking statements made in this press release, such as
statements regarding dividends and record date, the proposed
extraordinary general meeting, and capital flexibility, reflect the
company’s current views with respect to future events and are made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and
uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from
those set forth in these statements. For example, the company’s
forward-looking statements about its dividend payments could be affected
by any change in schedule for the shareholder meeting, potential
rejection of the dividend proposal by shareholders, extraordinary
currency fluctuations leading to reduction in the USD value of the
dividend pursuant to the dividend cap approved by the company’s
shareholders and described in the company’s proxy statement dated April
4, 2011.
Forward-looking statements related to capital
flexibility and growth opportunities may be affected by actual business
results or external events such as catastrophes or developments in the
financial markets.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the
dates on which they are made. The company undertakes no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Additional Information and Where to Find it:
This press release is not a solicitation of a proxy and is not a
substitute for any proxy statement or other filing that may be required
to be made with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection
with the extraordinary general meeting.
Shareholders and other
interested parties are urged to read any such documents that are filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission because those documents will
contain important information. Shareholders will be able to receive such
documents free of charge at the SEC's web site, www.sec.gov,
in the Investor Relations section of the company's website, www.acegroup.com,
or by contacting ACE Investor Relations by telephone at 1 (441) 299-9283.
