UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): August 14, 2007

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Bermuda

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

     
34-0-26512
(Commission File Number)
  98-014-1974
(IRS Employer Identification No.)
     
Renaissance House 8-20 East Broadway, Pembroke Bermuda
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
  HM 19
(Zip Code)

(441) 295-4513
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o   Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 
o   Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 
o   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
 
o   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
 
 

 

 


Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

(d) On August 14, 2007, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (the “Company”) appointed Ralph B. Levy as a Class III director. The appointment of Mr. Levy fills the vacancy created by the retirement from the Board of William I. Riker at the end of his term on May 31, 2007. Mr. Levy’s term as a director runs through the Company’s 2010 Annual Meeting of shareholders. Mr. Levy has been appointed by the Board to its Investment and Risk Management Committee.

Mr. Levy, age 61, is a partner in the law firm of King & Spalding LLP, where he has been employed since 1974. In connection with his appointment, Mr. Levy entered into a director retention agreement with the Company pursuant to the Form of Director Retention Agreement, which was previously filed as Exhibit 10.38 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, dated March 31, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. The director retention agreement requires the Company to indemnify Mr. Levy to the fullest extent permitted by Bermuda law, except in certain limited circumstances.

On August 14, 2007, the Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board determined that Mr. Levy, in accordance with the Company’s previously disclosed compensation program for non-employee directors, will receive:

(i) a 2007 annual retainer of $60,000 cash, awarded on a prorated basis (such that Mr. Levy’s total cash retainer for 2007 is $30,000);

(ii) a 2007 per meeting fee of $3,000 cash; and

(iii) a grant of shares of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. restricted stock having, at the time of grant, an aggregate fair market value of $100,000, vesting ratably over a three-year period on the anniversary date of Mr. Levy's appointment to the Board.

The restricted stock grant to Mr. Levy will be made pursuant to the Amended and Restated RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. Non-Employee Director Stock Plan, and the form of restricted stock grant agreement which was previously filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated February 27, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference. In accordance with the Company's policies, the restricted stock grant to Mr. Levy will be made on the third business day following the release date of the Company's financial results for the third fiscal quarter of 2007.

The Company’s press release, issued August 14, 2007, announcing the appointment of Mr. Levy is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 8.01. Other Events.

 

 


On August 15, 2007, the Company issued a press release (the “Press Release”) announcing that the Board had approved an increase in the Company’s stock repurchase program, bringing the total current authorization to $500 million. The Press Release is attached as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c) Exhibits.

The following exhibits are filed as part of this report:

 

Exhibit #

 

Description

99.1

 

Copy of the Company’s press release, issued August 14, 2007.

99.2

 

Copy of the Company’s press release, issued August 15, 2007.

 

 


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

RENAISSANCERE HOLDINGS LTD.


Date: August 17, 2007

 

By: 


/s/ Stephen H. Weinstein

 

 

 

Name: Stephen H. Weinstein

 

 

 

Title: SVP, General Counsel, & Corporate Secretary

 

 


INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit #

 

Description

99.1

 

Copy of the Company’s press release, issued August 14, 2007.

99.2

 

Copy of the Company’s press release, issued August 15, 2007.

 

 



Ralph B. Levy Named to RenaissanceRe Board of Directors

Pembroke, Bermuda, August 14, 2007 — RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: RNR) announced today that its Board of Directors has named Ralph B. Levy, 61, as a member of its Board of Directors.

Mr. Levy is a Senior Partner in the Atlanta headquarters office of King & Spalding LLP, a leading global law firm, where he served as Managing Partner from 1993 to 1999. Since 2000 he has served on the Board of Directors of Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society, Ltd. (ALAS), a Bermuda-based mutual insurance company which reinsures professional liability and management liability coverages of large law firms written by its U.S. subsidiary, Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society, Inc., on whose Board of Directors Mr. Levy also serves. He served as Chairman of ALAS from 2004 through 2006 and has held leadership roles on several of its board committees.

W. James MacGinnitie, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said, “I am very pleased to welcome Ralph Levy to RenaissanceRe. Ralph has had a distinguished career as a counselor to many financial services companies and we look forward to his contributions as a member of the RenaissanceRe Board of Directors.”

Neill A. Currie, Chief Executive Officer, said, “Ralph’s experience, including substantial experience with the insurance and reinsurance industries, makes him an ideal candidate for our Board. His knowledge and judgment will be invaluable as we continue our focus on RenaissanceRe’s growth and development.”

Mr. Levy received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and his B.S., cum laude, from Lehigh University. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1971-1974, receiving the Navy Commendation Medal, before joining King & Spalding in 1974.

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. is a global provider of reinsurance and insurance. Our business consists of two segments: (1) Reinsurance, which includes catastrophe reinsurance, specialty reinsurance and certain joint ventures and other investments managed by our subsidiary RenaissanceRe Ventures Ltd., and (2) Individual Risk, which includes primary insurance and quota share reinsurance.

Cautionary Statement under “Safe Harbor” Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements made in this news release contain information about the Company’s future business prospects. These statements may be considered “forward-looking.” These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. For further information regarding cautionary statements and factors affecting future results, please refer to RenaissanceRe

 


Holdings Ltd.’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending June 30, 2007.

# # #

 

INVESTOR CONTACT:

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Fred R. Donner

 

David Lilly or Dawn Dover

Executive Vice President or

 

Kekst and Company

Todd R. Fonner

 

(212) 521-4800

Senior Vice President

 

 

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.

 

 

(441) 295-4513

 

 

 

 







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RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. Announces Quarterly Dividend


Board of Directors Expands Share Repurchase Program up to $500 million


Pembroke, Bermuda, August 15, 2007  -- The Board of Directors of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: RNR) announced today a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per common share on its common stock.

The dividend is payable on September 28, 2007 to shareholders of record on September 15, 2007.


In addition, the Board of Directors approved an  increase in RenaissanceRe’s stock repurchase program, bringing the total current authorization to $500 million. This authorization includes the remainder amounts available under prior authorizations. Under this program, RenaissanceRe may repurchase shares of its common stock in the open market based on, among other things, its ongoing capital requirements and expected cash flows, the market price of its common shares and its capital requirements. The repurchase program does not have an established expiration date.   

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. is a global provider of reinsurance and insurance. Our business consists of two segments: (1) Reinsurance, which includes catastrophe reinsurance, specialty reinsurance and certain joint ventures and other investments managed by our subsidiary RenaissanceRe Ventures Ltd., and (2) Individual Risk business, which includes primary insurance and quota share reinsurance.


# # #


   

INVESTOR CONTACT:

MEDIA CONTACT:

Fred R. Donner

David Lilly or Dawn Dover

Executive Vice President or

Kekst and Company

Todd R. Fonner

(212) 521-4800

Senior Vice President

 

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.

 

(441) 295-4513