Validus Holdings, Ltd. Announces Public Offering of Depositary Shares Representing Series B Preference Shares

PEMBROKE, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Validus Holdings, Ltd. (“Validus” or the “Company”) (NYSE: VR) today announced the commencement of an underwritten public offering of depositary shares, each of which represents a 1/1,000th interest in a share of its Non-Cumulative Preference Shares, Series B, $0.175 par value and $25,000 liquidation preference per share (equivalent to $25 per depositary share). Validus intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase additional depositary shares to cover over-allotments, if any. Validus intends to apply to list the depositary shares on the NYSE under the symbol “VRPRB.”

Validus intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

The offering will be made pursuant to an existing effective shelf registration statement (including a prospectus) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and a preliminary prospectus supplement. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus may be obtained from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by contacting: Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated at NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3^rd Floor, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department, email: [email protected], Tel: (800) 294-1322 or Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC at 180 Varick Street, New York, New York 10014, email: [email protected], Tel: (800) 584-6837.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the depositary shares, nor shall there be any offer or sale of the depositary shares in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The depositary shares may be offered only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus.

About Validus Holdings, Ltd.

Validus Holdings, Ltd. (“Validus”) is a holding company for reinsurance and insurance operating companies and investment advisors including Validus Reinsurance, Ltd. (“Validus Re”), Talbot Holdings Ltd. (“Talbot”), Western World Insurance Group, Inc. (“Western World”) and AlphaCat Managers, Ltd. (“AlphaCat”).

Validus Re is a global reinsurance group focused primarily on treaty reinsurance. Talbot is a specialty insurance group primarily operating within the Lloyd’s insurance market through Syndicate 1183. Western World is a U.S. specialty lines insurance group focused on excess and surplus lines. AlphaCat is a Bermuda based investment adviser managing capital for third parties and Validus in insurance linked securities and other property catastrophe and specialty reinsurance investments.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include forward-looking statements, both with respect to the Company and its industry, that reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Statements that include the words "expect", "intend", "plan", "believe", "project", "anticipate", "will", "may" and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements and, therefore, you should not place undue reliance on any such statements. We believe that these factors include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events; 2) rating agency actions; 3) adequacy of Validus' risk management and loss limitation methods; 4) cyclicality of demand and pricing in the insurance and reinsurance markets; 5) statutory or regulatory developments including tax policy, reinsurance and other regulatory matters; 6) Validus' ability to implement its business strategy during "soft" as well as "hard" markets; 7) adequacy of Validus' loss reserves; 8) continued availability of capital and financing; 9) retention of key personnel; 10) competition; 11) potential loss of business from one or more major insurance or reinsurance brokers; 12) Validus' ability to implement, successfully and on a timely basis, complex infrastructure, distribution capabilities, systems, procedures and internal controls, and to develop accurate actuarial data to support the business and regulatory and reporting requirements; 13) general economic and market conditions (including inflation, volatility in the credit and capital markets, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates); 14) the integration of businesses Validus may acquire or new business ventures Validus may start; 15) the effect on Validus' investment portfolios of changing financial market conditions including inflation, interest rates, liquidity and other factors; 16) acts of terrorism or outbreak of war; and 17) availability of reinsurance and retrocessional coverage, as well as management's response to any of the aforementioned factors.

The foregoing review of important factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included herein and elsewhere, including the risk factors included in Validus' most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and other documents of the Company on file with or furnished to the SEC. Any forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by Validus will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Validus or its business or operations. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

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Investors:

Validus Holdings, Ltd.

[email protected]

+1-441-278-9000

or

Media:

Brunswick Group

Charlotte Connerton / Bryan Darrow
+1-212-333-3810

Source: Validus Holdings, Ltd.