Fitch Affirms HCC Ratings With Stable Outlook

HOUSTON, Sept. 26, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc.
(NYSE:HCC) today announced that Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Insurer Financial
Strength (IFS) ratings of "AA" for its insurance company subsidiaries and the
Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of "A+" for HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., including
the debt rating of "A" on the holding company's $300 million 6.300% Senior Notes
due 2019. All ratings were affirmed with a Stable Outlook.

Fitch, in its September 16, 2011 press release affirming the ratings, commented,
"Fitch's ratings reflect HCC's solid niche in the specialty insurance markets,
strong capitalization, disciplined underwriting, and low financial leverage.
The ratings also reflect the company's conservative investment profile and
reserving practices."

"We are pleased Fitch has affirmed HCC's ratings and believe these affirmations
reflect the Company's financial strength and consistent profitability throughout
market cycles due to our underwriting discipline and non-correlated lines of
business," said John N. Molbeck, Jr., HCC's Chief Executive Officer.

The IFS ratings apply to the following insurance company subsidiaries:

-- Houston Casualty Company
-- Avemco Insurance Company
-- U.S. Specialty Insurance Company
-- HCC Specialty Insurance Company
-- HCC Life Insurance Company
-- Perico Life Insurance Company
-- American Contractors Indemnity Company
-- United States Surety Company

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. is a leading
international specialty insurance group with offices across the United States
and in the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland. As of June 30, 2011, HCC had
assets of $9.5 billion and shareholders' equity of $3.3 billion. HCC's major
domestic and international insurance companies have financial strength ratings
of "AA (Very Strong)" from Standard & Poor's Corporation, "A+ (Superior)" from
A.M. Best Company, Inc., "AA (Very Strong)" from Fitch Ratings, and "A1 (Good
Security)" from Moody's Investors Service, Inc.

For more information about HCC, please visit http://www.hcc.com.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made under "safe
harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and
involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The types of risks and
uncertainties which may affect the Company are set forth in its periodic reports
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT: Doug Busker, Director of Investor Relations
HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc.
Telephone: (713) 996-1192