Contact:
Lisa Lee, Vice President, Marketing
Clark Consulting
Phone: 509-465-0589
lisa.lee@clarkconsulting.com

According to Clark Consulting Survey: COLI Funding for Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPs) and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) Plans Are Rising in the Energy and Utility Sectors

Dallas, June 20, 2008 - For fifteen years, Clark Consulting's Executive Benefits - A Survey of Current Trends has been tracking how Fortune 1000 companies shape their executive benefit programs. For the first time since the survey’s inception, Clark is offering a specific cut of the survey that focuses on the energy and utilities industries.

Among the highlights about funding executive benefit liabilities within the energy and utilities
industries:

• 88% of energy respondents reported having Nonqualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) Plans
• 100% of responding companies in the utility industry reported having NQDC Plans
• Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPs) remain high with 87% of energy respondents and 100% of utility respondents reporting SERPs
• Informal funding for executive benefits in the energy industry is on the rise.
  • 100% of energy respondents fund their NQDC plans, up from 69% in 2005
  • 71% of energy respondents fund their SERPs, up from 54% in 2005
• Of those utility companies that do informally fund plans, 100% fund NQDC plans using Corporate-Owned Life Insurance (COLI), and 80% fund SERPs with COLI.

To receive a full report of Clark Consulting's Executive Benefits – A Survey of Current Trends: 2007 Energy Industry Results and/or 2007 Utility Industry Results, register online at
www.clarkconsulting.com/energyandutility.

About Clark Consulting, Inc.
Clark Consulting is an authoritative source of risk management and strategic financing solutions for inefficiently funded and unfunded liabilities that result from executive and employee benefit programs. Since 1967, Clark experts have designed thousands of benefit plans and administered billions in assets for leading American corporations and banks in their pursuit of financial goals.

Pragmatic and customized products and services offer multiple client solutions across a single platform that include placement of corporate- bank- and trust-owned life insurance (COLI/BOLI/TOLI), non-qualified deferred compensation plans, investment research and advisory services, and asset administrative services. For more information, visit www.clarkconsulting.com or www.409A.net or call (800) 999.3125.

Clark Consulting is a wholly owned subsidiary of AEGON USA, one of the world's largest life insurance and pension groups, and provider of investment products.

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Contact:
Shawn-Laree de St. Aubin
Dobbins Communications
847-332-2626 ext. 22
sl@dobbcomm.com