Hong Kong, February 2, 2005 – American International Assurance Company (Bermuda) Limited (AIA) today launched the Companion Express Whole Life, insurance plan which allows policyholders to pay up their policy in just 3 years.

The new product provides lifetime protection for anyone from newborns to 75 year-olds. Policyholders may choose to pay up the premium in 3, 5, 10 or 15 years. The premium will remain level throughout the whole premium payment period. In addition to a guaranteed cash value, policyholders will be entitled to non-guaranteed annual dividends. Non-guaranteed maturity dividends are also payable upon surrender or death after the policy has been in force for 30 years or the insured reaches age 85, whichever is earlier.

In the unfortunate event that the insured become totally and permanently disabled before the age of 60 and during the premium payment period, the premium will be waived while the policy will continue to be in force. The insured can still enjoy all the benefits of Companion Express Whole Life during the recovery period. To cater for the individual needs of customers, a full range of riders can be attached.

Mr. Jacky Chan, Vice President & Assistant General Manager at AIA, said “Companion Express Whole Life provides the option of paying up the premium in 3 years, representing the shortest regular payment period currently available in the market. The recent tsunamis in South Asia have heightened people’s awareness on whether they have adequate life insurance protection. The new product will bring policyholders peace of mind as they can complete their premium payment period in a pre-defined period. AIA will continue to launch new products to closely meet the market needs and provide customers with total protection.”

AIA is Southeast Asia’s largest life insurer, with branch offices and affiliated companies located in countries and jurisdictions including China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Guam, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The Company has been assigned ‘AAA’ insurer financial strength rating by global credit rating service Standard & Poor’s. In Hong Kong, AIA has also been assigned ‘Aaa’ the highest rating, by premier financial rating agency Moody’s. AIA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), the world’s leading international insurance and financial services organization.

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