Holding(s) in Company

RNS Number : 1519H
Benfield Group Limited
31 October 2008

TR-1: Notifications of Major Interests in Shares

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of Benfield Group Ltd
existing shares to which voting rights are attached:

2. Reason for notification (yes/no)
Yes
An acquisition or disposal of voting rights

An acquisition or disposal of financial instruments which may result in
the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are
attached

An event changing the breakdown of voting rights

Other (please specify):______________

3. Full name of person(s) Artisan Partners
subject to notification Limited Partnership,
obligation: Artisan Investment
Corporation, ZFIC,
Inc., Andrew A.
Ziegler, Carlene M.
Ziegler
State Street Bank,
4. Full name of shareholder(s) Bank of New York,
(if different from 3): Mellon Trust, Brown
Brothers Harriman,
Northern Trust
24 October 2008
5. Date of transaction (and
date on which the threshold is
crossed or reached if
different):
29 October 2008
6. Date on which issuer
notified:
Below 10%
7. Threshold(s) that is/are
crossed or reached:

8: Notified Details
A: Voting rights attached to shares

Class/type of shares Situation previous to the triggering Resulting situation after the triggering transaction
If possible use ISIN code transaction
Number of shares Number of voting Number of shares Number of voting rights Percentage of voting
rights rights

Direct Indirect Direct Indirect
BMG0985D1039 21,351,548 21,351,548 20,651,847 20,651,847 9.79%

B: Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial instrument Expiration date Exercise/ conversion No. of voting rights Percentage of voting
period/date that may be acquired rights
(if the instrument
exercised/converted)

Total (A+B)

Number of voting rights Percentage of voting rights
20,651,847 9.79%

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and /or
the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable:
Artisan Partners Limited Partnership ("APLP"), a U.S. registered investment
adviser, is a limited partnership organized under the laws of the State of
Delaware on December 8, 1994. Control of APLP is vested in its general
partner, Artisan Investment Corporation, a corporation organized under the
laws of the State of Wisconsin on December 7, 1994. All of the outstanding
stock of Artisan Investment Corporation is owned by ZFIC, Inc., a corporation
organized under the laws of the State of Wisconsin. Andrew A. Ziegler and
Carlene M. Ziegler each own 50% of the voting stock of ZFIC, Inc, APLP,
pursuant to advisory contracts, has the power to purchase and sell securities
on behalf of its clients and the power to vote for most clients. Persons
other than APLP are entitled to receive all dividends from, and proceeds from
the sale of, all of the securities reported hereunder.

Artisan International Value Fund ("ARTIV"), is a series of Artisan Funds
Inc., a U.S. registered investment company. Certain officers and a

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of proxy holder: N/A

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold: N/A

12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights: N/A

13. Additional information:

14 Contact name: Luke Thomas, Head of Secretariat

020 7522 4044

For notes on how to complete form TR-1 please see the FSA website.

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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