Organizational Changes Position Argo Surety for Expanded Client Service

Business Wire, Inc.

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Argo Surety, a member of Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (Nasdaq GS: AGII), announced today several promotions that will position its commercial surety business for expanded operations and client service throughout the U.S.

Mark Farina has been promoted to senior vice president of underwriting, directing the eastern and southern regions of the U.S.; Dan Carlsonwas promoted to senior vice president of underwriting, sharing management responsibilities with Mr. Farina and managing the north central and western U.S. regions; Sarah Heineman was promoted to vice president of underwriting for the southern U.S. region; and Tara Quigley was promoted to vice president of underwriting for the eastern U.S. region.

“It has been gratifying to follow through on our plans for geographic growth, and these organizational moves properly structure our commercial surety platform for future growth and expanded capabilities,” said SVP and Chief Underwriting Officer Josh Betz. “These are well deserved promotions for each of these leaders and I look forward to working with this expert team as we expand our presence in commercial surety.”

Mark Farina,senior vice president of underwriting for commercial surety, has more than 22 years of experience in the insurance industry. He will direct the eastern and southern regions. Mr. Farina has been with Argo Surety since its formation in 2008 and has been instrumental in its impressive growth over the past four years. Mr. Farina has worked for Chubb Surety and Aetna Bond (now Travelers Bond). He has a BA degree from Ithaca College in New York. Mr. Farina will report to Mr. Betz.
Dan Carlson, senior vice president of underwriting for commercial surety, will direct the north central and western regions of the U.S. Mr. Carlson joined Argo Surety in August 2011 to begin expansion into these regions, opening Argo Surety’s office in Chicago. Prior to joining Argo Group, Mr. Carlson was a senior regional vice president for Zurich Commercial Surety and also held a similar position with CNA Surety. He has a degree in finance from Western Illinois University. Mr. Carlson will report to Mr. Betz.
Sarah Heineman, vice president for the southern region, has been with Argo Surety since 2008, serving as commercial surety assistant vice president in its Houston office. She previously held positions in the energy groups at First Interstate of Texas and Bank One of Texas and as a senior underwriter for surety at Travelers. Ms. Heineman holds a BBA in finance. She assumes all management and underwriting responsibility for the southern region and will report to Mr. Farina.
Tara Quigley, vice president for the eastern region, will also report to Mr. Farina. Ms. Quigley joined Argo Surety in 2009 as assistant vice president, underwriting. With more than 16 years in the insurance industry, Ms. Quigley has worked as the controller at International Bond & Marine and as managing director for commercial specialty at Travelers. She has a BS in industrial engineering from Purdue University.

Argo Surety specializes in commercial and contract surety bonds and coverage for licenses and permits, court costs, and other miscellaneous needs for a diverse selection of businesses and industries. Targeted classes include, but are not limited to: service and general contractors, highway, transportation, manufacturing, energy/oil and gas, waste services, public utilities, healthcare, technology and coal and other mining. Argo Surety bonds are available in all 50 states through Argo Group A.M. Best rated “A” (excellent) companies. In addition to bonds in the U.S., Argo Surety offers bond capacity in Canada and Mexico for many Fortune 1000 clients. See more details about Argo Surety coverage.

ABOUT ARGO GROUP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.

Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII) is an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. Argo Group offers a full line of products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims handling needs of businesses in four primary segments: Excess & Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, International Specialty and Syndicate 1200. Argo Group's insurance subsidiaries are A.M. Best-rated 'A' (Excellent) (third highest rating out of 16 rating classifications) with a stable outlook, and Argo's U.S. insurance subsidiaries are Standard and Poor's-rated 'A-' (Strong) with a stable outlook. More information on Argo Group and its subsidiaries is available at www.argolimited.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain statements that are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally and also may differ materially from actual future experience involving any one or more of such statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and uncertainties, see Argo Group's filings with the SEC. The inclusion of a forward-looking statement herein should not be regarded as a representation by Argo Group that Argo Group's objectives will be achieved. Argo Group undertakes no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.