The Bermuda Government and local insurers spent tens of thousands of dollars this year alone lobbying the US Government on insurance regulation and tax issues including the thorny corporate inversion issue, US Government records show.

A search of disclosure records - with the US Congress and Department of Justice - revealed that the Bermuda Government and a handful of local insurers paid lobbyists in an effort to have their point of view put across to Capitol Hill legislators.

Long-time Government lobbyist Kenneth Levine was shown to have been paid $33,208 for the six-month period through April 29, 2002. For that sum, Mr. Levine, who has been lobbying for Bermuda over the past decade, "monitored Congress and Executive in the areas of investment and tax policy" and "contacted Congressional representatives on tax activity" on behalf of Government.

In the private sector, a search of records showed that for the most part it was Bermuda's insurance sector that was paying lobbyists to keep an eye out for its interests in Washington.

ACE Ltd. paid out, by rounded estimate, $60,000 to Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw for the six-month period through June 30, 2002. The money was said to have been paid for the firm's "monitor of tax legislation."

Fees were also paid out to lobbying firm Williams & Jensen by ACE INA Holdings for lobbying in regards to "tax legislation, insurance legislation and terrorism insurance".

Another Bermuda insurer, Everest Re, paid out $20,000 by rounded figure, during the same six-month period.

The money went to the law office of Brenda R. Viehe-Naess for lobbying on "various bills dealing with corporate inversions".

And XL Capital paid out in excess of $100,000 to several firms - including Cahill Gordon & Reindel, and Vinson & Elkins - for monitoring such things as "legislation that could affect alien insurance companies" and "provisions relating to reinsurance with foreign persons and treatment under US income tax laws."

The American International Group (AIG), which is not headquartered in Bermuda but does have a large office on the Island, also paid considerable money for lobbying including a payment of $80,000 to Kenneth Levine, who is also a lobbyist for the Bermuda Government. The money paid to Mr. Levine by AIG was said to be in regards to "international tax and trade issues" and "terrorism insurance" with Mr. Levine contacting both members of the US Senate and House of Representatives on behalf of the company. AIG's Michael Murphy told The Royal Gazette however that the monies it paid out for lobbying had been on behalf of its interests as a US company and "did not relate to Bermuda".