Press Release:

Allied North America Launches Los Angeles Office Seasoned surety professional tapped to lead new brokerage 7/7/2007 – Jericho, NY, July 7, 2007 – Allied North America, the leading independent insurance and surety broker serving the construction industry, has announced the opening of Allied North America Insurance Brokerage of Los Angeles, LLC and appointed Keith W. Newell its President. A 20-year surety veteran, Newell is charged with building the office from the ground up, as part of Allied’s strategic vision to further strengthen its ability to meet the evolving insurance needs of the growing West Coast construction market. He brings a valuable entrepreneurial spirit and more than a decade of experience as a manager and underwriter with leading surety companies to Allied clients, according to Henry Lombardi, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Allied Group of Companies. “Keith’s unique combination of solid surety expertise, strong business acumen and passion for the construction business makes him the ideal leader for our Los Angeles operation, the logical next step in Allied’s regional growth,” Lombardi explains. The brokerage entered California nearly 10 years ago and, since then, has become the leader in construction insurance in that state as well as in Nevada, he says. “We’re well on our way to continuing Allied’s track record of success in this region,” says Newell. “We’re building a brokerage that’s tailored to the unique needs of the LA market, but that also offers clients the industry-leading strength, nationwide resources – and unwavering commitment to the construction industry – only Allied can provide,” he explains. Newell, who reports to Lombardi, is recruiting leading insurance professionals to the office, while actively building his client base. “Builders and contractors are such powerful contributors to our economy and to our communities that there is nothing more satisfying to me than helping these businesses reach their goals.” In addition to construction surety, Newell also has experience in providing commercial surety solutions to businesses in a variety of industries, from health care to manufacturing. “Keith’s proven track record establishing new locations, building high-performance teams and creating solid solutions that attract and retain clients will be key to our ongoing success in the West Coast market,” says Lombardi. In addition to the Los Angeles office, Allied also operates market-leading California offices in Fremont and Folsom, as well as one headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About Allied North America
Allied North America is a full service insurance brokerage firm specializing in servicing the needs of the construction industry. Allied is currently ranked the 29th largest insurance brokerage firm in the United States, according to Business Insurance, and one of the largest independent surety and construction insurance brokerage firms in the country. Allied has offices in cities throughout North America. For more information visit us at www.alliedna.com, or call corporate headquarters at 516-733-9200.