Director Protection Too Serious To Be Left Solely up to The Company AUSTIN, Texas, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- National Insurance Partners, Inc., ("NIP") is pleased to announce the launch of X-PROTECT(TM), a very broad form of D&O insurance coverage available for independent directors. In partnership with the Executive Liability Division of Great American Insurance Group, NIP will be the exclusive wholesaler for X-PROTECT(TM) and will appoint a select number of agents and brokers that specialize in Directors' & Officers' liability insurance. Bill Harrison Jr., President of NIP states, "With the challenging economic environment we are in, independent directors find themselves more vulnerable than ever. X-PROTECT(TM) will give these directors the certainty that their personal assets are protected while fulfilling their obligations." "Protection fears have escalated on corporate boards today--and for good reason," adds Bill Pollock, Chairman and Founder of NIP. "Every director of a public (and private) company should be asking the question 'Could what happened to the Enron, WorldCom and Just for Feet directors [having to get out their personal checkbooks] happen to me?'" Many directors think it could not happen to them or their company. But as a former SEC commissioner said, "My wife is a biochemist trying to find a cure for cancer, and I'm a lawyer trying to end securities fraud. She's going to succeed before I do...it is human nature at some point in commercial dealings to go too far, to try to take advantage." Even in the recent Satyam Computer Services fraud case in India [India's Enron], could the "truly" independent directors have prevented the inflated earnings reported by the ex-chairman of Satyam? Mr. Roger King, Professor of Finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said at a Business Conference at Indian School of Business, "there is just no way for an independent director to know if the board is being misled. That's why I am pressing for more liability insurance!" Pollock adds, "This policy is the result of my efforts to protect independent directors. Our Director Protection Plan is a first--it is designed to help afford protection to independent directors and emphasizes the need for directors becoming more involved in the process including embracing corporate governance reform." "NACD commends National Insurance Partners for including the NACD Key Agreed Principles of Corporate Governance as part of its new individual director liability protection program," states Ken Daly, President and CEO of National Association for Corporate Directors [NACD]. "Directors taking the lead to strengthen corporate governance and oversight will go a long way in mending the torn fabric of investor and public confidence today." NIP has researched, analyzed and surveyed the potential for independent directors to be held personally liable and compared the existing coverage available for independent directors and have concluded that they need a "state-of-the-art" D&O policy. "X-PROTECT(TM) is a separate policy -- a unique policy -- created exclusively to provide independent directors with state-of-the-art insurance protection. It is a very broad form of coverage on the market for independent directors providing a combination of primary, excess and difference-in-conditions coverage," explains Dave Siesko, Principal of Siesko Partners and former Chief Claims Officer for Zurich Financial Services Global Corporate. "Traditional D&O policies often contain exclusions in coverage leaving independent directors vulnerable to personal liability." "This is no time to cut back on D&O coverage for independent directors," states Pollock -- "if we want talented people to serve as directors, the strategists and visionaries for corporations, we need to protect them by providing them with 'state-of-the-art' D&O insurance." To obtain more information on X-PROTECT(TM) contact Bill Harrison Jr. at 210.798.4917 or e-mail . About National Insurance Partners, Inc. NIP is a Texas-based risk management, corporate governance and financial solutions firm with offices in Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. The firm specializes in board of director/trustee protection, directors' and officers' liability insurance, property and casualty insurance, risk management, executive compensation consulting and executive and employee benefits. With a focus on providing a pragmatic and business-oriented approach to complex insurance and risk management issues, NIP offers innovative solutions for directors/trustees, executives, organizations and corporations both large and small. About Great American Insurance Group Great American Insurance Group's roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of annuities and supplemental products. The insurers of the Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), also based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and Nasdaq under the symbol ("AFG"). DATASOURCE: National Insurance Partners, Inc. CONTACT: Betty Spining, Publicist of Spining Productions, Inc., +1-214-632-3355, , for National Insurance Partners, Inc. Web Site: http://www.nationalinsurancepartners.com/

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