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ACE Limited Board Declares Quarterly Dividend; Stock Repurchase Program for Incentive Plan Dilution Refreshed

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^{Published in Business and Finance on Thursday, August 11th 2011 at 8:05 GMT by Market Wire}  

ZURICH--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--The Board of Directors of ACE Limited (NYSE: ACE) today declared a quarterly dividend equal to $0.35 payable on October 21, 2011, to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 30, 2011. Dividend payments will be made in United States dollars (USD) by the companya™s transfer agent. This will be the second installment as approved by the companya™s shareholders on May 18, 2011.

The company also announced its Board of Directors refreshed its previously-announced stock repurchase program, setting the authorized amount at an aggregate $500 million of ACEa™s common shares through December 31, 2012. The company has repurchased approximately $400 million of shares to-date under its $600 million stock repurchase program announced in November 2010, and this action is intended to add $300 million to the authorization. The purpose of the repurchase program is to offset, in whole or in part, potential dilution from the exercise of stock options and granting of restricted stock under ACEa™s equity-based incentive plans. Subject to market conditions and a variety of timing considerations, the company believes it is appropriate to repurchase shares from time to time to offset shareholder dilution attributable to equity grants. This repurchase authorization may be implemented in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, block trades, accelerated repurchases and/or through option or other forward transactions.

The ACE Group is a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a diverse group of clients. Headed by ACE Limited (NYSE: ACE), a component of the S&P 500 stock index, the ACE Group conducts its business on a worldwide basis with operating subsidiaries in more than 50 countries. Additional information can be found at: [ www.acegroup.com ].

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Forward-looking statements made in this press release, such as statements regarding dividend payments and record date, and potential repurchases of shares, reflect the companya™s current views with respect to future events 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, the companya™s forward-looking statements about its dividend payments could be affected by extraordinary currency fluctuations leading to reduction in the USD value of the dividend pursuant to the dividend cap approved by the companya™s shareholders and described in the companya™s proxy statement dated April 4, 2011.Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they are made.The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.