To ensure that our 100,000 clients’ policies are safe with us and that we will always be there when they need us, ColinaImperial follows rigorous Canadian standards for maintaining solvency and holding reserves (cash and cash equivalents) that guarantee our liquidity.

Our investment portfolio, which is used to back policy claims, is well diversified with a significant percentage invested in Bahamas Government registered stock. No other investment is more secure. In fact, our investments in Bahamas Government registered stock as a portion of our total invested assets are higher than those of all other local insurance companies combined.

Internationally, the standard of a company’s financial strength is its Minimum Continuing Capital and Surplus Requirements (MCCSR) ratio. At the end of 2007, ColinaImperial’s MCCSR ratio was 178.9% — well above regulatory requirements.

Another financial strength indicator by which the Company is measured is its perception by internationally recognized ratings agencies such AM Best, which has reaffirmed the Company’s A- (Excellent) rating. The A.M. Best report is additional confirmation that policyholder and shareholder value are well protected.

THE TRUTH: On the contrary, ColinaImperial is very much in the black.

Our balance sheet is very strong and reveals assets of over $465 million. This shows the financial strength of the Company – strength that allows us to honour our commitments to our clients when they need us most.

Further, consolidated net income for the six months ended June 30, 2008 was up at $2.63 million. As a publicly held Company, our financials are disclosed on a quarterly basis. View the most recently released and historical financial information at www.colinaimperial.com.

Despite some reports comparing us to a notorious US pension bankruptcy scandal, we do not manage pension portfolios but have a legal contractual agreement with leading investment and financial analysis firm, CFAL. Like other investment companies, CFAL counsels clients in private banking, investment management, and pension administration. CFAL segregates clients’ assets from its own so that there is no intermingling of funds. Visit www.cfal.com

The story of ColinaImperial’s success is unprecedented and unparalleled in the history of the insurance industry in The Bahamas. In ten years, strategic acquisitions transformed four modest insurance branches, totally dependent on foreign parent companies for technical expertise and direction, into the largest Company of its kind in The Bahamas. The resultant ColinaImperial is financially strong and fully self-sufficient.

Our size works in your favour. With more than $465 million in total assets and over $80 million in total equity, ColinaImperial offers a rock solid foundation to afford our clients rock solid financial footing.

Moreover, because we have been able to localize our operations, we have helped to develop expertise in Bahamian professionals in a number of fields previously outsourced by the entire industry. While we retain independent auditors and actuaries in accordance with the law, and work closely with international technology solutions providers, we are developing Bahamians in the fields of Information Technology, Actuarial Science and executive management.

Colinaimperial Insurance Ltd. has 140 years of cumulative experience in the insurance industry in The Bahamas and has been making good on all of its promises in that time. We are obligated to settle all valid claims submitted in accordance with the terms of the policy contract. We have always honoured our commitments and will continue to do so.

However, a policyholder should always educate him/herself about the circumstances that can nullify a claim, such as self-inflicted death (suicide), positive toxicology reports (drunk driving that results in death), and fraud (falsifying information on an application form or a claim form). In these instances, we are obligated, according to industry standards and the law of the land, to refuse such a claim in order to discourage abuse of the system and unfair burdens on our other policyholders. There are legitimate needs out there and we want to devote our resources to meeting these needs and safeguarding the financial future of the individuals who depend on us at the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

We have made no loans to any such individual, real or imagined. In fact, the Company reports under International Financial Reporting Standards which would require disclosure of loans that would be unsecured such as the above. We are an insurance Company, not a bank or a “money tree”. And the idea that any financial institution would make a transaction on these terms is unthinkable.

The principals of ColinaImperial are major shareholders in The Nassau Guardian; however, journalistic integrity prescribes that private entities do not dictate the reporting or non-reporting of news in the national interest. We can’t “stop the press” because it doesn’t suit us. Our code of ethics and our professional staff would never allow it.

Although affiliated, The Nassau Guardian is a separate and distinct entity from Colina Holdings Bahamas Ltd. with completely independent management and operations. The extent of The Nassau Guardian’s affiliation with The Tribune is a Joint Operating Agreement that allows the companies to pool resources and build purchasing power in order to realize certain savings. Both papers need paper and ink so they put their heads together to secure the best price. This keeps operation costs down and keeps the newspaper purchase price down. The editorial departments of these two media houses are separate and distinct.

While a person’s length of employment or salary might have some bearing on a bank’s decision to approve or deny a loan application, we have not received any feedback from the banking industry or our employees to suggest that their employment at ColinaImperial is rated against them.

Through its legacy companies, ColinaImperial has over 140 years of cumulative experience in The Bahamas insurance industry and strong ties to the Bahamian community.   ColinaImperial continues to nurture key community initiatives that we have held near and dear over the years. In addition to supporting spontaneous requests from many local charities in various efforts, ColinaImperial has decided to focus our main community-building initiatives in three key areas: health, the environment, and education.

In 2008 we mark 15 years as the founding sponsor of the Red Ribbon Ball in support of HIV/AIDS awareness. In 2005, ColinaImperial received regional recognition from the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC) as an example of the positive impact the corporate sector can have when partnering with the efforts of Non-Governmental Organizations such as the AIDS Foundation of The Bahamas.

ColinaImperial has also teamed up with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) to provide a five-year grant which will assist the BNT in launching a key environment education programme for Bahamian school children.

We have also embarked on an ambitious and groundbreaking science and mathematics education initiative aimed at students from junior high and high schools. The signature project is the InnoWorks Science and Mathematics summer camp, for which ColinaImperial is the title sponsor.

Consistent with our strategic plan for organic growth, ColinaImperial began a management and administrative restructuring exercise to enhance our competitiveness in this fast-changing industry. This is a normal exercise for companies in this phase of their growth cycle and, although it yielded some savings benefits, was not merely a “numbers” decision. Other factors, such as our Company’s business strategy, product focus, and external economic conditions were the major factors in the decision to restructure the Company.

Like other forward thinking companies, we are positioning ourselves for global competition, and focusing on our strengths. In the long run, we will look to continuous improvement, efficiency and reinvestment in order to maintain our leading position and maximize value for our internal and external stakeholders.   Our strategy at ColinaImperial includes an intense focus on results, making the most of changing market trends, delivering innovative financial planning products that engender customer loyalty, and listening to our customers in order to anticipate their needs and exceed their expectations.