PEMBROKE, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 2008--RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:RNR) today announced the successful completion of the first Northeast Hurricane Mitigation Leadership Forum held July 10-11, 2008 in Newport, Rhode Island. The Forum was co-sponsored by RenaissanceRe's affiliate, WeatherPredict Consulting Inc., non-profit organization Federal Alliance for Safe Homes - FLASH(R), and the University of Rhode Island.

The Forum was organized to support the northeast region's readiness for hurricanes and windstorms. The event coincided with the 70th anniversary of the catastrophic Great New England Hurricane of 1938, a Category 3 storm which killed over 600 people. Presentations and panel discussions were led by scientists, emergency responders, disaster management administrators, academics, insurance industry leaders and policy makers, and addressed the multitude of threats associated with a major hurricane and ways to mitigate the considerable human, economic, and environmental impacts of major storms.

Organizations represented by Forum delegates and speakers included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, the National Wildlife Federation, the University of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center, the Institute for Business and Home Safety, the Insurance Information Institute, and the Wharton School of Business.

While much of the recent national focus regarding hurricanes has been on Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, emergency management experts have long been concerned about the devastating impact of a major hurricane on the Northeast, especially considering the region has not experienced a severe windstorm since Hurricane Donna in 1960. Forum attendees focused on information and ideas to better prepare the Northeast region for the inevitable next severe storm.

The Governor of Rhode Island, Donald L. Carcieri, who gave the opening address at the Forum, said: "I was very pleased to welcome the Northeast Hurricane Mitigation Leadership Forum to Rhode Island. The important issues the forum delegates tackled in terms of hurricane research and awareness are crucial to our goal of making our citizens as prepared as possible for the next severe storm. Rhode Island and our neighboring states take hurricane planning very seriously. I know that my administration's emergency management leadership gained added insight into how a major hurricane could impact our state and region thanks to the presentations made at the Forum."

This is the second Hurricane Mitigation Leadership Forum event organized by RenaissanceRe. Neill Currie, President and Chief Executive Officer of RenaissanceRe said: "We were very pleased by the success of the Northeast Forum, and by the enthusiastic reaction we have received from participants and attendees. Working together, we can help residents of storm-exposed communities to safeguard themselves from hurricane risks and to reduce the economic hazards faced by coastal families and businesses over time. RenaissanceRe is proud to support mitigation initiatives such as the Forum and research programs such as the RenaissanceRe Wall of Wind, which inform and enhance the products and services we have provided our customers and partners since 1993."

To learn more about the forum, visit: www.hurricanemitigation.com

More about the Sponsors of the Northeast Hurricane Mitigation Leadership Forum

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. - FLASH(R)

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. - FLASH(R) was founded in 1998 and dedicated to promoting disaster safety and property loss mitigation. FLASH is the nation's fastest-growing disaster preparedness organization with more than 100 partners from academic, government, leadership, nonprofit, private and public sector organizations. FLASH's award-winning consumer and professional programs include disaster topics from hail to hurricanes and more. To learn more about FLASH and access free homeowner and homebuilder resources, visit www.flash.org or call 850-385-7233.

University of Rhode Island

URI offers 203 degree programs, including Baccalaureate, Master's and Doctorate's, in over 100 majors through 7 degree-granting colleges. With over 15,000 students and a complement of 700 faculty, URI researchers are engaged in projects that have local, national and international implications in programs as diverse as oceanography, family violence and behavior change, environmental cleanup, education reform, the "greening" of industry, botanical pharmaceuticals, international business and more. To learn more, please visit: www.uri.edu

RenaissanceRe

RenaissanceRe is a leading global provider of catastrophe reinsurance and insurance. Established in Bermuda in 1993, the Company is recognized for excellence in the industry through disciplined underwriting, capital management expertise, sophisticated risk modeling and responsive client service. RenaissanceRe is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol 'RNR'. For more information, visit www.renre.com.

RenaissanceRe has been investigating the damage patterns and economic impact of catastrophic storms for many years. Its U.S. affiliate, WeatherPredict Consulting Inc., is leading the company's hurricane risk mitigation efforts, which have become an increasingly important component of RenaissanceRe's business strategy. The Company will sponsor a windstorm attraction entitled "StormStruck: The Tale of Two Homes", at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort along with partners FLASH, State Farm and Simpson Strong-Tie. In 2007, the ground-breaking "RenaissanceRe Wall of Wind" testing facility was launched, in partnership with the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International University. This full-scale testing technology is capable of generating hurricane-force winds and rain to test buildings and provide valuable scientific data.

WeatherPredict Consulting Inc.

WeatherPredict Consulting Inc. is a U.S. affiliate of RenaissanceRe that models atmospheric hazards and their impact on property exposures to create superior risk analytics for businesses. WeatherPredict's team of advanced scientists draws upon expertise in oceanography, meteorology, wind engineering, aerodynamics and computer simulation. For more information, visit www.weatherpredict.com.

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    CONTACT: RenaissanceRe
             Keil Gunther, 441-295-4513

    SOURCE: RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.