Allied World Reports a 95.8% Combined Ratio for the Third Quarter 2015

• Record net premiums earned of $650.7 million, an increase of 20.1% compared to the prior year quarter, driven by organic growth and the recently acquired Asian operations
• With the inclusion of the acquired Asian operations, gross premiums written for the Global Markets Insurance segment more than doubled compared to the prior year quarter
• Net income for the quarter was reduced by net catastrophe losses of $28.9 million from the explosions in the port of Tianjin, China and net realized investment losses of $113.6 million

ZUG, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG (NYSE:AWH) today reported a net loss of $51.6 million, or $0.57 per share, for the third quarter of 2015 compared to net income of $30.9 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2014.

The company reported operating income of $51.4 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2015, compared to operating income of $60.6 million, or $0.61 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2014.

"Despite a challenging investment environment and a large event loss, we believe we are well positioned to create shareholder value,” commented President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Carmilani. “We continue to be excited about the attractive platform we have built over the last few years."

Third Quarter Summary (Unaudited)
(Expressed in millions of U.S. dollars, except per share amounts)					Three Months Ended September 30,
											Diluted per share
					2015			2014			2015				2014
Net (loss) income				$	(51.6	)		$	30.9		$	(0.56	)*		$	0.31
Add after tax effect of:
Net realized investment losses					103.8				29.4			1.12				0.30
Foreign exchange (gain) loss					(0.8	)			0.3			(0.01	)			0.00
Operating income				$	51.4			$	60.6		$	0.55			$	0.61

Third Quarter Operating Results

• Gross premiums written were $754.1 million, a 6.5% increase compared to $707.9 million in the third quarter of 2014.
  • The Global Markets Insurance segment grew over 100% driven by the inclusion of the acquired Asian operations and 10.0% excluding the impact of the acquired Asian operations.
  • The North American Insurance segment decreased 1.4% led by decreases in various lines including healthcare and property. Partially offsetting this was growth in programs and specialty and other.
  • The Reinsurance segment decreased 9.0% driven by the non-renewal of several casualty and property treaties.
• Net premiums written were $607.0 million, a 6.7% increase compared to $568.7 million in the third quarter of 2014.
• Net premiums earned were $650.7 million, a 20.1% increase compared to $541.7 million in the third quarter of 2014.
• Related to the explosions in the port of Tianjin, China, the company experienced $28.9 million of catastrophe losses, on a pre-tax basis and net of reinstatement premiums, for the third quarter of 2015. The net impact of the explosions on Allied World is based on loss reporting from impacted insureds, models and other information on the event. Of that $28.9 million, $25.9 million impacted the Reinsurance segment, $2.75 million impacted the North American Insurance segment, and $0.25 million impacted the Global Markets Insurance segment. This compares to catastrophe losses of $28.1 million, on a pre-tax basis and net of reinstatement premiums, for the third quarter of 2014 related to Hurricane Odile, Windstorm Ela, and PCS designated storm 45 in the Midwestern United States.
• Underwriting income was $27.9 million compared to underwriting income of $45.0 million in the third quarter of 2014.
• The combined ratio was 95.8% compared to 91.7% in the third quarter of 2014.
• The loss and loss expense ratio was 64.1% in the third quarter of 2015 compared to 62.0% in the prior year quarter. During the third quarter of 2015, the company recorded net favorable reserve development on prior loss years of $8.6 million, a benefit of 1.3 percentage points to the loss and loss expense ratio, compared to $46.9 million a year ago, a benefit of 8.7 percentage points.
• The company's expense ratio was 31.7% for the third quarter of 2015 compared to 29.7% for the third quarter of 2014, largely driven by higher acquisition costs related to the business mix of the acquired Asian operations.

Investment Results

• The total financial statement return on the company's investment portfolio for the three months ended September 30, 2015 was (0.8)% compared to 0.1% for the three months ended September 30, 2014, and 0.5% for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 compared to 2.7% for the nine months ended September 30, 2014.
• For the quarter, the decrease in total return was driven by $77.8 million of mark-to-market losses on investments, largely due to the performance of the equity portfolio amid recent market volatility.
• Net investment income increased 5.2% compared to the prior year quarter as a result of contributions from the fixed income portfolio as well as higher returns from the hedge fund and private equity portfolios.
• See the table below for the components of our investment returns:

Shareholders' Equity

• As of September 30, 2015, the company’s total shareholders' equity decreased to $3,555.4 million, compared to $3,778.3 million as of December 31, 2014.
• As of September 30, 2015, diluted book value per share was $38.03, a decrease of 1.9% compared to $38.75 as of June 30, 2015, and a decrease of 0.6% compared to $38.27 as of December 31, 2014.

Capital Management

• During the third quarter of 2015, the company did not repurchase any common shares.
• In May 2015, the company’s shareholders approved four quarterly dividends equal to $0.26 per share. The first and second dividends were paid on July 2, 2015 and October 1, 2015, respectively.

Supplementary Information

Allied World will be providing both a Financial Supplement and an Investment Supplement as of September 30, 2015. This information will be available in the "Investor Relations" section of the company's website at www.awac.com.

Conference Call

Allied World will host a conference call on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss the results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2015. The public may access a live webcast of the conference call at the "Investor Relations" section of the company's website at www.awac.com. In addition, the conference call can be accessed by dialing (888) 317-6003 (U.S. callers) or (412) 317-6061 (international callers) and entering the passcode 7962064 approximately ten minutes prior to the call.

Following the conclusion of the presentation, a replay of the call will be available through Thursday, November 5, 2015 by dialing (877) 344-7529 (U.S. callers) or (412) 317-0088 (international callers) and entering the passcode 10072282. In addition, the webcast will remain available online through Thursday, November 5, 2015 at www.awac.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In presenting the company's results, management has included and discussed in this press release certain non-generally accepted accounting principles ("non-GAAP") financial measures within the meaning of Regulation G as promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Management believes that these non-GAAP measures, which may be defined differently by other companies, better explain the company's results of operations in a manner that allows for a more complete understanding of the underlying trends in the company's business. However, these measures should not be viewed as a substitute for those determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP").

"Operating income" is an internal performance measure used in the management of the company's operations and represents after-tax operational results excluding, as applicable, net realized investment gains or losses, net foreign exchange gain or loss, and other non-recurring items. The company excludes net realized investment gains or losses, net foreign exchange gain or loss, and other non-recurring items from the calculation of operating income because these amounts are heavily influenced by and fluctuate in part according to the availability of market opportunities and other factors. In addition to presenting net income determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the company believes that showing operating income enables investors, analysts, rating agencies and other users of the company's financial information to more easily analyze our results of operations and underlying business performance. Operating income should not be viewed as a substitute for U.S. GAAP net income.

The company has included "diluted book value per share" because it takes into account the effect of dilutive securities; therefore, the company believes it is an important measure of calculating shareholder returns.

"Annualized return on average shareholders' equity" ("ROAE") is calculated using average shareholders’ equity, excluding the average after tax other comprehensive income or loss, which may include unrealized gains (losses) on investments and currency translation adjustments. Unrealized gains (losses) on investments are primarily the result of interest rate and credit spread movements and the resultant impact on fixed income securities. Such gains (losses) are not related to management actions or operational performance, nor are they likely to be realized. Therefore, the company believes that excluding these amounts provides a more consistent and useful measurement of operating performance, which supplements U.S. GAAP information. In calculating ROAE, the net income (loss) available to shareholders for the period is multiplied by the number of such periods in a calendar year in order to arrive at annualized net income (loss) available to shareholders. The company presents ROAE as a measure that is commonly recognized as a standard of performance by investors, analysts, rating agencies and other users of its financial information.

"Annualized operating return on average shareholders' equity" is calculated using operating income (as defined above and annualized in the manner described for net income (loss) available to shareholders under ROAE above), and average shareholders' equity, excluding the average after tax unrealized gains (losses) on investments. Unrealized gains (losses) are excluded from equity for the reasons outlined in the annualized return on average shareholders' equity explanation above.

Reconciliations of these financial measures to their most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures are included in the attached tables.

About Allied World

Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG, through its subsidiaries and brand known as Allied World, is a global provider of innovative property, casualty and specialty insurance and reinsurance solutions. Allied World offers superior client service through a global network of offices and branches. All of Allied World's rated insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries are rated A by A.M. Best Company, A by Standard & Poor's, and A2 by Moody's, and our Lloyd's Syndicate 2232 is rated A+ by Standard & Poor's and AA- by Fitch.

Please visit the following for further information on Allied World: Web: www.awac.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/alliedworld | LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/Allied-World.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any forward-looking statements made in this press release reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance 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, our forward-looking statements could be affected by pricing and policy term trends; increased competition; the adequacy of our loss reserves; negative rating agency actions; greater frequency or severity of unpredictable catastrophic events; the impact of acts of terrorism and acts of war; the company or its subsidiaries becoming subject to significant income taxes in the United States or elsewhere; changes in regulations or tax laws; changes in the availability, cost or quality of reinsurance or retrocessional coverage; adverse general economic conditions; and judicial, legislative, political and other governmental developments, as well as management's response to these factors, and other factors identified in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We are under no obligation (and expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or revise any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

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Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG

Media:

Lauren Post, +1-646-794-0544

Vice President, Global Public & Media Relations

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Faye Cook, +1-441-278-5406

Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications

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Investors:

Sarah Doran, +1-646-794-0590

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Treasurer

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Website: www.awac.com

Source: Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG