orPublic RelationsJim Peavy 9084392200 ext

Lombard Generals performance has been supported by its broad based commerciallines focus, which targets small and mid-sized businesses, specialty lines,commercial trade groups and associations, as well as a select number of largeCanadian businesses. The rating affirmations of Lombard reflect its favorable accident yearunderwriting performance generated by its personal lines business, which wasoffset by less than favorable calendar year results emanating from continuedcommercial liability prior year reserve development The stable outlook is basedon A.M. Bests belief that each of these business segments will maintainunderwriting discipline in the prolonged competitive market, appropriate capitallevels and above average financial performance over the long term. The ICR of Northbridge acknowledges its lack of financial leverage, thediversified nature of its markets and earnings, reduced severity of earningsvolatility from shock losses and its stable balance sheet supported byinvestment returns and favorable reserve development. The ICR of "bbb" has been affirmed for Northbridge Financial Corp. Best Company is a global full-service credit ratingorganization dedicated to serving the financial and health care serviceindustries, including insurance companies, banks, hospitals and health caresystem providers. For more information, visit A.M Best Co.AnalystsJoyce Sharaf, 908-439-2200, ext.

orDaniel Ryan, 908-439-2200, ext. orPublic RelationsJim Peavy, 908-439-2200, ext. orRachelle Morrow, 908-439-2200, ext. Copyright Business Wire 2009. (Recasts, adds byline, more comments and details) By Ana Nicolaci da Costa BRASILIA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Brazil's economy shed the mostamount of formal jobs in nearly 10 years in December as theglobal financial crisis took a toll on Latin America's biggesteconomy. The figure was higher than the 600,000 job losses predictedby President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last week and more thandouble the 300,000 considered normal for the month of Decemberbecause of seasonal factors.

"Obviously, this is already the result of the crisis,"Labor Minister Carlos Lupi said at a news conference. Brazil's economy had been growing rapidly in recent yearsbut a global financial crisis is now hurting several industrieswhich have started to lay off workers and cut investments. The bulk of the job cuts came in industry, services,agriculture and the construction sectors, with the latter twoespecially hard-hit by the scarcity of liquidity resulting fromthe global credit crisis, Lupi said "I thought it was bad because it was very spread out. I hadimagined (the job cuts) would have been concentrated in certainindustrial sectors," said Zeina Latif, chief Brazil economistat ING in Sao Paulo. Lula said recently the government would announce economicmeasures this month to prevent more job cuts and avert a majorslowdown in Brazil. Business leaders and union officials havealso met to try to come up with alternatives to job cuts as away of dealing with the fallout of the crisis "We are going to act firmly to generate jobs," Lupi said.