Oakville's Community Builder Of The Year - Genworth Canada receives Oakville's First Community Builder of the Year Award

OAKVILLE, ON, March 9, 2012 /CNW/ - Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company Canada ("Genworth Canada") is proud to have been named Oakville's Community Builder of the Year at the 17^th Oakville Awards for Business Excellence (OABE) gala dinner and awards ceremony held March 7, 2012.

Organized by the Oakville Chamber of Commerce in partnership with The Rotary Club of Oakville West, the OABE are dedicated to recognizing exemplary models of excellence and community service by Oakville's businesses.

"Oakville is not just a place where we work, but is also home to many of our employees so it just makes sense that we give back to the Oakville community," says Winsor Macdonell, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel at Genworth Canada. "As a company focused on helping Canadians achieve the dream of homeownership we believe it is important to build strong communities across the country."

Genworth Canada has a culture that encourages and rewards its employees for contributing to society. Over the last two years, employees volunteered almost 7000 hours supporting a variety of good causes in communities across Canada. In addition, the company also made several donations to the causes it believes in, and in Oakville these included:

• a commitment of $250,000 to the new Oakville Hospital for its fracture clinic;
• a $100,000 Platinum Sponsorship of Habitat for Humanity of Halton's first builds for Oakville families;
• ongoing financial support for the Town of Oakville's Public Library Teen's Corner, the Family Day Events and the Spirit Awards.

"Genworth Canada's generosity and commitment towards our community is commendable and we hope it inspires other local businesses to help make the Town of Oakville one of the best places in Canada to live and work," says Wendy Rinella, Chair, Oakville Chamber of Commerce.

As part of its ongoing commitment to the Oakville Community, Genworth Canada also recently committed $150,000 to the Wellspring Halton-Peel Centre to help fund the expansion of its Oakville facility, which will include a new "Genworth Money Matters" resource centre. Since 2000, the Wellspring Halton-Peel centre has served as a place of haven and support for men, women and children coping with cancer in Oakville, Mississauga and surrounding communities.

To find out more about Wellspring and their current expansion in Oakville, visit www.wellspring.ca.

About Genworth Canada:

Genworth Canada is the brand name of Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company Canada, a subsidiary of Genworth MI Canada Inc. (TSX:MIC), and has been the leading Canadian private residential mortgage insurer since 1995. Known as "The Homeownership Company," it provides default mortgage insurance to Canadian residential mortgage lenders that enables low down payment borrowers to own a home more affordably and stay in their homes during difficult financial times. Genworth Canada combines technological and service excellence with risk management expertise to deliver innovation to the mortgage marketplace. As of December 31, 2011, Genworth Canada had $5.4 billion in total assets and $2.7 billion in shareholders' equity. Based in Oakville, Ontario, the Company employs approximately 265 people across Canada. Additional information about Genworth Canada is available at www.genworth.ca.

For additional information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Lisa Azzuolo
Genworth Canada
Director, Communications
905.287.5520 or [email protected]