NEW YORK, March 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFSI) (the “Company” or “AmTrust”) today announced that it has closed its previously announced underwritten public offering of 5,000,000 of its depositary shares (the “Depositary Shares”), each representing a 1/40^thinterest in a share of its newly-designated 7.75% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series E, at a public offering price of $25.00 per Depositary Share, for gross proceeds of $125 million.The Company has granted the underwriters a 30-day option, expiring on April 7, 2016, to purchase up to an additional 750,000 Depositary Shares from the Company on the same terms and conditions. 

Total net proceeds of the offering (assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option) will be approximately $120.9 million, after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company.The Company expects to use the net proceeds of the offering for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditures and/or strategic acquisitions.

The Company has filed an application to list the Depositary Shares for trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “AFSI PR E”.Trading of the Depositary Shares on the NYSE is expected to commence within the 30-day period from the closing of the offering.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor will there be any offer or sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.The offering of the Depositary Shares was made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus. You may obtain a copy of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.  Alternatively, the underwriters may arrange to send you these documents if you request them by contacting Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, or by email at [email protected]; from UBS Securities LLC, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, Attention: Prospectus Specialist, (888) 827-7275 or from Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 608 2nd Avenue South, Suite 1000, Minneapolis, MN 55402, Attention: WFS Customer Service, calling toll-free (800) 645-3751 or by email at [email protected].