Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)

Registration No. 333-98525

and

333-92466

Subject to completion. Dated May 9, 2005.

Prospectus Supplement to Prospectus dated January 8, 2003.

$                            

The St. Paul Travelers Companies, Inc.

                            % Senior Notes due August 16, 2007

       This is a remarketing of up to $442,750,000 aggregate principal amount of our senior notes due August 16, 2007, originally issued in July 2002 in connection with our issuance of 8,855,000 corporate units, on behalf of corporate unit holders and any holders of senior notes that are not components of corporate units who elect to participate in the remarketing. The senior notes will mature on August 16, 2007, unless a tax event redemption occurs before that date. Interest on the senior notes is payable quarterly on February 16, May 16, August 16 and November 16 of each year, commencing August 16, 2005. The interest rate on the senior notes will be reset to      % per year, effective on and after May 16, 2005.

       We may redeem the senior notes on not less than 30 days’ nor more than 60 days’ prior written notice, in whole but not in part, at any time before August 16, 2007, upon the occurrence and continuation of a tax event under the circumstances and at the redemption price set forth under “Description of the Remarketed Senior Notes — Tax Event Redemption” in this prospectus supplement.

       The senior notes are unsecured and payment of principal of and interest on the senior notes ranks equally with all of our other existing and future unsecured and unsubordinated senior debt. The senior notes will be remarketed in denominations of $50 and integral multiples of $50.

       See “Risk Factors” on page S-10 of this prospectus supplement to read about factors you should consider before investing in the senior notes.

       Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

       The remarketing agents expect to deliver the senior notes to investors on or about May 16, 2005, in book-entry form only through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company.

Remarketing Agents

Prospectus Supplement dated May      , 2005.

       This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this remarketing and other matters relating to us and our financial condition. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, gives more general information about securities we may offer from time to time, some of which may not apply to this remarketing.

       If the description of this remarketing varies between this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement.

       Unless we have indicated otherwise, or the context otherwise requires, the terms “St. Paul Travelers,” the “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” mean The St. Paul Travelers Companies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

       Before purchasing the senior notes, investors should carefully consider the following risk factors together with other information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus supplement or in the accompanying prospectus, in order to evaluate an investment in the senior notes. In particular, you should carefully consider the risk factors described below, as well as the factors listed in “A Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” below.

We may redeem the senior notes upon the occurrence of a tax event.

       We have the option to redeem the senior notes, on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days’ prior written notice, in whole but not in part, at any time before August 16, 2007 if a tax event occurs and continues under the circumstances described in this prospectus supplement under “Description of the Remarketed Senior Notes — Tax Event Redemption” (referred to as a “tax event redemption,” as defined in this prospectus supplement). If we exercise this option, we will redeem the senior notes at the redemption amount (as defined in this prospectus supplement). A tax event redemption will be a taxable event to the holders of the senior notes. See “Certain United States Federal Income and Estate Tax Consequences” in this prospectus supplement.

An active trading market for the senior notes may not develop.

       There is currently no trading market for the senior notes and we do not plan to list the senior notes on any national securities exchange. In addition, the liquidity of any trading market for the senior notes, and the market price quoted for the senior notes, may be adversely affected by changes in the overall market for these senior notes and by changes in our financial performance or prospects or in the prospects of companies in our industry generally. We cannot predict the extent to which investors’ interest will lead to a liquid trading market.

We will treat the senior notes as contingent payment debt instruments.

       We will treat the senior notes as indebtedness that is subject to the regulations governing contingent payment debt instruments. Under such characterization, you will be required to include any original issue discount in income during your ownership of the senior notes, subject to some adjustments. Additionally, you may be required to recognize as ordinary income all or a portion of the gain, if any, realized on a sale, exchange or other disposition of the senior notes at any time starting from the date when no further payments are due during the six month period after the interest rate on the senior notes is reset. No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of the senior notes or instruments similar to the senior notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, we cannot assure you that the Internal Revenue Service or the courts will agree with the tax consequences described herein. See “Certain United States Federal Income and Estate Tax Consequences” in this prospectus supplement.

The senior notes will be effectively subordinated to the debt and preferred stock of our subsidiaries.

       We are a holding company and rely primarily on dividends from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations for payment of interest and principal on outstanding debt obligations, dividends to shareholders and corporate expenses. As a result, our cash flows and consequent ability to service our obligations, including the senior notes, are dependent upon the earnings of our subsidiaries and distributions of those earnings to us and other payments or distributions of funds by our subsidiaries to us.

       The ability of our insurance subsidiaries to pay dividends to us in the future will depend on their statutory surplus, on earnings and on regulatory restrictions. In addition, our subsidiaries have no obligation to pay any amounts due on the senior notes. Furthermore, except to the extent we have a

A SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

       This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein may contain, and management may make, certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Specifically, the company may make forward-looking statements about the company’s results of operations (including, among others, premium volume, income from continuing operations, net and operating income and return on equity), financial condition and liquidity; the sufficiency of the company’s asbestos and other reserves (including, among others, asbestos claim payment patterns); the post-merger integration (including, among others, expense savings); and strategic initiatives (including, among others, the sale of the company’s interest in Nuveen). Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the company’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements.

       Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the following: adverse developments involving asbestos claims and related litigation; the impact of aggregate policy coverage limits for asbestos claims; the impact of bankruptcies of various asbestos producers and related businesses; the willingness of parties including the company to settle asbestos-related litigation; the company’s ability to fully integrate the former St. Paul and Travelers businesses in the manner or in the timeframe currently anticipated; the company’s ability to execute announced and future strategic initiatives as planned; insufficiency of, or changes in, loss and loss adjustment expense reserves; the company’s inability to obtain prices sought due to competition or otherwise; the occurrence of catastrophic events, both natural and man-made, including terrorist acts, with a severity or frequency exceeding the company’s expectations; exposure to, and adverse developments involving, environmental claims and related litigation; exposure to, and adverse developments involving, construction defect claims; the impact of claims related to exposure to potentially harmful products or substances, including, but not limited to, lead paint, silica and other potentially harmful substances; adverse changes in loss cost trends, including inflationary pressures in medical costs and auto and building repair costs; the effects of corporate bankruptcies on surety bond claims; adverse developments in the cost, availability and/or ability to collect reinsurance; the ability of the company’s subsidiaries to pay dividends to St. Paul Travelers; adverse developments in legal proceedings; judicial expansion of policy coverage and the impact of new theories of liability; the impact of legislative and other governmental actions, including, but not limited to, federal and state legislation related to asbestos liability reform and governmental actions regarding the compensation of brokers and agents; the impact of well-publicized governmental investigations of certain industry practices, including with respect to business practices between insurers, including the company, and brokers and the purchase and sale by insurers, including the company, of finite, or non-traditional, insurance products; the performance of the company’s investment portfolios, which could be adversely impacted by adverse developments in U.S. and global and financial markets, interest rates and rates of inflation; weakening U.S. and global economic conditions; larger than expected assessments for guaranty funds and mandatory pooling arrangements; a downgrade in the company’s claims-paying and financial strength ratings; the loss or significant restriction on the company’s ability to use credit scoring in the pricing and underwriting of Personal policies; and changes to the regulatory capital requirements.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

       The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges and our ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred dividend requirements for each of the periods indicated:

       The data included for the year ended December 31, 2004 reflects information for Travelers for the period January 1, 2004 through March 31, 2004, and information for St. Paul Travelers for the period April 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004. Data for the years 2000 through 2003 reflect information for Travelers only.

       The ratio of earnings to fixed charges is computed by dividing income before income taxes (benefit) and minority interest and fixed charges by the fixed charges. For purposes of this ratio, fixed charges consist of that portion of rentals deemed representative of the appropriate interest factor.

USE OF PROCEEDS

       We are remarketing up to $442,750,000 aggregate principal amount of senior notes to investors on behalf of holders of corporate units and holders of senior notes held separately from corporate units, if any, who elect to participate in the remarketing. The exact aggregate principal amount of senior notes to be remarketed will be known at the close of business on May 9, 2005.

       We will not receive any cash proceeds from the remarketing of the senior notes. Instead, the proceeds from the remarketing will be used as follows:

       The “treasury portfolio” consists of:

       As used in this context, “treasury portfolio purchase price” means the lowest aggregate price quoted by a primary U.S. government securities dealer in New York City to the quotation agent on the date of this prospectus supplement for the purchase of the treasury portfolio described above for settlement on May 16, 2005.

       “quotation agent” means Goldman, Sachs & Co.

       “remarketing per note price” means treasury portfolio purchase price divided by the number of remarketed senior notes that are components of corporate units.

       “separate senior notes purchase price” means the amount in cash equal to the product of the remarketing per note price multiplied by the number of separate senior notes remarketed in the remarketing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REMARKETED SENIOR NOTES

       The following description is a summary of the terms of the senior notes being remarketed. It supplements the description of debt securities in the accompanying prospectus and, to the extent it is inconsistent with the prospectus, replaces the description in the prospectus. The senior notes have been issued under an indenture, dated as of March 12, 2002, between us and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as JPMorgan Chase Bank, successor to The Chase Manhattan Bank), as trustee, referred to in this prospectus supplement as the “indenture.” The descriptions in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain a description of the material terms of the senior notes and the indenture, but do not purport to be complete. You should read these descriptions together with the indenture and the senior notes, as well as the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, for a complete understanding of the provisions that may be important to you and for definitions of some terms used in this summary. The indenture and the form of note have been filed with the SEC.

General

       We initially issued the senior notes in July 2002 in connection with our issuance of equity units. The equity units initially consisted of units, referred to as corporate units, each with a stated amount of $50. Each corporate unit is comprised of (1) a purchase contract pursuant to which the holder agrees to purchase from us, for $50, shares of our common stock on August 16, 2005, and (2) a senior note with a principal amount of $50 that is due August 16, 2007.

       The senior notes are unsecured and rank equally with all our other existing and future unsecured and unsubordinated debt. The senior notes were issued in an aggregate principal amount of $442,750,000.

       The senior notes are not subject to a sinking fund provision. Unless a tax event redemption has occurred prior to August 16, 2007, the entire principal amount of the senior notes will mature and become due and payable, together with any accrued and unpaid interest, on August 16, 2007. Except for a tax event redemption, the senior notes will not be redeemable by us. See “— Tax Event Redemption.”

       The full defeasance and covenant defeasance provisions of the indenture described in the accompanying prospectus under “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Defeasance” will apply to the senior notes after the earlier of a successful remarketing or August 16, 2005.

       The indenture does not contain provisions that afford holders of the senior notes protection in the event of a highly leveraged transaction or other similar transaction involving us that may adversely affect the holders.

       The trustee is the paying agent, transfer agent and registrar for the senior notes. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents and paying agents with respect to the senior notes and may remove any transfer agent, paying agent or registrar for the senior notes. The senior notes will be remarketed in denominations of $50 and integral multiples of $50, without coupons, and may be transferred or exchanged, without service charge but upon payment of any taxes or other governmental charges payable in connection with the transfer or exchange, at the offices described below. Payments on senior notes issued as a global security will be made to the depositary, a successor depositary or in the event that no depositary is used, to a paying agent for the senior notes. Principal and interest with respect to certificated senior notes will be payable, the transfer of the senior notes will be registrable and senior notes will be exchangeable for senior notes of denominations a like aggregate principal amount, at the office or agency maintained by us for this purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York. However, at our option, payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the address of the holder entitled to payment or by wire transfer to an account appropriately designated by the holder entitled to payment. We will at all times be required to maintain a paying agent and transfer agent for the senior notes in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York.

       Any monies deposited with the trustee or any paying agent, or held by us in trust, for the payment of principal of or interest on any senior note and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal or interest has become due and payable shall, at our request, be repaid to us or released from trust, as applicable, and the holder of the senior note shall thereafter look, as a general unsecured creditor, only to us for the payment thereof.

       Because of the manner in which the interest rate on the senior notes is reset, the senior notes are classified as contingent payment debt obligations under the Treasury regulations.

Interest and Payment

       The senior notes will bear interest at      % per year on and after May 16, 2005. Interest will be payable quarterly in arrears on February 16, May 16, August 16 and November 16 of each year, each an “interest payment date,” commencing August 16, 2005, to the person in whose name the senior note is registered at the close of business on the first day of the month in which the interest payment date falls.

Tax Event Redemption

       If a tax event occurs and is continuing, we may, at our option, redeem the senior notes in whole, but not in part, at any time at the redemption amount, as defined below. Installments of interest on senior notes which are due and payable on or prior to a redemption date will be payable to the holders of the senior notes registered as such at the close of business on the relevant record dates. If, following the occurrence of a tax event, we exercise our option to redeem the senior notes, the proceeds of the redemption will be payable in cash to the holders of the senior notes.

       “Tax event” means the receipt by us of an opinion of nationally recognized independent tax counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that there is more than an insubstantial risk that interest payable by us or original issue discount on the senior notes would not be deductible, in whole or in part, by us for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of any amendment to, change in, or announced proposed change in, the laws, or any regulations thereunder, of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein affecting taxation, any amendment to or change in an interpretation or application of any such laws or regulations by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory authority or any interpretation or pronouncement that provides for a position with respect to any such laws or regulations that differs from the generally accepted position on July 24, 2002, which amendment, change or proposed change is effective or which interpretation or pronouncement is announced on or after July 24, 2002.

       For the purpose of determining the treasury portfolio purchase price in the case of a tax event redemption date, “treasury portfolio” shall mean a portfolio of zero-coupon U.S. Treasury securities consisting of principal or interest strips of U.S. Treasury securities which mature on or prior to August 15, 2007 in an aggregate amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of the senior notes outstanding on the tax event redemption date and with respect to each scheduled interest payment date on the senior notes that occurs after the tax event redemption date, interest or principal strips of U.S. Treasury securities which mature on or prior to that interest payment date in an aggregate amount equal to the aggregate interest payment that would be due on the aggregate principal amount of the senior notes outstanding on the tax event redemption date.

       “Redemption amount” means, for each note, the product of the principal amount of such note and a fraction whose numerator is the treasury portfolio purchase price and whose denominator is the aggregate principal amount of the senior notes outstanding on the tax event redemption date. Depending on the amount of the treasury portfolio purchase price, the redemption amount could be less than or greater than the principal amount of the notes.

       As used in this context, “treasury portfolio purchase price” means the lowest aggregate price quoted by a primary U.S. government securities dealer in New York City to the quotation agent on the third business day immediately preceding the tax event redemption date for the purchase of the treasury portfolio for settlement on the tax event redemption date.

       Notice of any redemption will be mailed at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each registered holder of senior notes to be redeemed at its registered address. Unless we default in payment of the redemption price, on and after the redemption date interest shall cease to accrue on the senior notes. In the event any senior notes are called for redemption, neither we nor the debt trustee will be required to register the transfer of or exchange the senior notes to be redeemed.

       We have obtained the information in this section concerning The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, and its book-entry system and procedures from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.

       The senior notes initially will be represented by one or more fully registered global securities. Each global security will be deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC or any successor thereto and registered in the name of Cede & Co., DTC’s nominee.

       You may hold your interests in a global security through DTC, either as a participant in such system or indirectly through organizations which are participants in such system. So long as DTC or its nominee is the registered owner of the global securities representing the senior notes, DTC or such nominee will be considered the sole owner and holder of the senior notes for all purposes of the senior notes and the indenture. Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in the senior notes will not be entitled to have the senior notes registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the senior notes in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the senior notes under the indenture, including for purposes of receiving any reports that we or the trustee deliver pursuant to the indenture. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a note must rely on the procedures of DTC or its nominee and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which that person owns its interest, in order to exercise any rights of a holder of senior notes.

       Unless and until we issue the senior notes in fully certificated form under the limited circumstances described below under the heading “— Certificated Senior Notes:”

The Depository Trust Company

       DTC will act as securities depositary for the senior notes. The senior notes will be delivered as fully registered securities registered in the name of Cede & Co. DTC is:

       DTC holds securities that its direct participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among direct participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in direct participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates.

       Direct participants of DTC include securities brokers and dealers (including underwriters), banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other organizations. DTC is owned by a

       If you are not a direct participant or an indirect participant and you wish to purchase, sell or otherwise transfer ownership of, or other interests in, the senior notes, you must do so through a direct participant or an indirect participant.

       DTC agrees with and represents to DTC participants that it will administer its book-entry system in accordance with its rules and by-laws and requirements of law. The SEC has on file a set of the rules applicable to DTC and its direct participants.

       Purchases of the senior notes under DTC’s system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the senior notes on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of each beneficial owner is in turn to be recorded on the records of direct participants and indirect participants. Beneficial owners will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchase, but beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of the transaction, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which the beneficial owners entered into the transaction. Transfers of ownership interests in the senior notes are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of direct and indirect participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive physical delivery of certificates representing their ownership interests in the senior notes, except as provided below in “— Certificated Senior Notes.”

       To facilitate subsequent transfers, all senior notes deposited with DTC are registered in the name of DTC’s nominee, Cede & Co. The deposit of senior notes with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. has no effect on beneficial ownership. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the senior notes. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the senior notes are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants will remain responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

       Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time.

Book-Entry Format

       Under the book-entry format, the trustee will pay interest or principal payments to Cede & Co., as nominee of DTC. DTC will forward the payment to the direct participants, who will then forward the payment to the indirect participants or to the beneficial owners. You may experience some delay in receiving your payments under this system.

       DTC is required to make book-entry transfers on behalf of its direct participants and is required to receive and transmit payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest on the senior notes. Any direct participant or indirect participant with which you have an account is similarly required to make book-entry transfers and to receive and transmit payments with respect to senior notes on your behalf. We and the trustee have no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the senior notes or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests.

       The trustee will not recognize you as a holder of any senior notes under the indenture, and you can only exercise the rights of a holder indirectly through DTC and its direct participants. DTC has advised us that it will only take action regarding a note if one or more of the direct participants to whom the note is credited direct DTC to take the action. DTC can only act on behalf of its direct

Certificated Senior Notes

       Senior notes will be issued in the form of one or more global certificates, which we refer to as global securities, registered in the name of the depositary or its nominee. Except under the limited circumstances described below, senior notes represented by the global securities will not be exchangeable for, and will not otherwise be issuable as, senior notes in certificated form. The global securities described above may not be transferred except by the depositary to a nominee of the depositary or by a nominee of the depositary to the depositary or another nominee of the depositary or to a successor depositary or its nominee.

       The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of the securities in certificated form. These laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a global security.

       Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in such a global security will not be entitled to receive physical delivery of senior notes in certificated form and will not be considered the holders (as defined in the indenture) thereof for any purpose under the indenture, and no global security representing senior notes will be exchangeable, except for another global security of like denomination and tenor to be registered in the name of the depositary or its nominee or a successor depositary or its nominee. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of the depositary or, if such person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which such person owns its interest to exercise any rights of a holder under the indenture.

       If:

       then certificates for the senior notes will be printed and delivered in exchange for beneficial interests in the global security certificates. Any global senior note that is exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for senior note certificates registered in the names directed by the depositary. We expect that these instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global security certificates.

Governing Law

       The indenture and the senior notes will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

       The following is a summary of certain United States federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the senior notes as of the date hereof.

       Except where noted, this summary deals only with senior notes that are held as capital assets by holders that purchase the senior notes in the remarketing, and does not represent a detailed description of the United States federal income tax consequences applicable to you if you are subject to special treatment under the United States federal income tax laws, including if you are:

       If a partnership holds the senior notes, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding the senior notes, you should consult your tax advisors.

       This summary is based upon provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and regulations, rulings and judicial decisions as of the date hereof. Those authorities may be changed, perhaps retroactively, so as to result in United States federal income tax consequences different from those summarized below. This summary does not represent a detailed description of the United States federal income tax consequences to you in light of your particular circumstances.

       No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of the senior notes or instruments similar to the senior notes for United States federal income tax purposes. As a result, no assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or the courts will agree with the tax consequences described herein.

       If you are considering the purchase of the senior notes, you should consult your own tax advisors concerning the particular United States federal income tax consequences to you of the ownership of the senior notes, as well as the consequences to you arising under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.

       The following is a summary of certain United States federal income tax consequences that will apply to you if you are a United States Holder of the senior notes.

       “United States Holder” means a beneficial owner of the senior notes that is for United States federal income tax purposes:

       Certain consequences to “Non-United States Holders” of the senior notes, which are beneficial owners of senior notes (other than partnerships) who are not United States Holders, are described under “— Non-United States Holders” below.

Accrual of Interest

       Because of the manner in which the interest rate on the senior notes is reset, we have treated and will continue to treat the senior notes as contingent payment debt instruments under the Treasury regulations, and the remainder of this discussion assumes that the senior notes will be so treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. All payments on the senior notes including stated interest will be taken into account by us under these Treasury regulations and actual cash payments of interest on the senior notes will not be reported separately as taxable income. As discussed more fully below, the effect of these Treasury regulations will be to require you, regardless of your usual method of tax accounting, to use the accrual method with respect to the senior notes.

       Under the contingent payment debt rules, each year you will be required to include in income original issue discount adjusted in the manner described below, regardless of your usual method of tax accounting. Such original issue discount will be based on the comparable yield of the senior notes. This amount will differ from the interest payments actually received by you.

       Pursuant to the contingent payment debt rules, we were required to determine the comparable yield and, solely for tax purposes, were also required to determine a projected payment schedule with respect to the senior notes. We determined, as of the original issue date of the senior notes, that the comparable yield was an annual rate of 6.00%, compounded quarterly. Based on the comparable yield, the projected payment schedule for the senior notes per $50.00 of principal amount was $0.77 for the initial period ending on November 16, 2002, $0.66 for each subsequent quarter ending on or prior to May 16, 2005, $0.89 for each quarter ending after May 16, 2005 and $50.89 at maturity (which includes the stated principal amount of the senior notes as well as the final projected interest payment). You are generally bound by the comparable yield and projected payment schedule provided by us. If you decide to use your own comparable yield and projected payment schedule, you must explicitly disclose this fact and the reason that you have used your own comparable yield and projected payment schedule. In general, this disclosure must be made on a statement attached to your timely filed United States federal income tax return for the taxable year that includes the date of its acquisition of the senior notes.

       The amount of original issue discount on a note for each accrual period is determined by multiplying the comparable yield of the senior note, adjusted for the length of the accrual period, by the senior note’s adjusted issue price at the beginning of the accrual period, determined in accordance with the rules set forth in the contingent payment debt regulations. The adjusted issue price of each senior note at the beginning of each accrual period generally equals $50.00, increased by original issue discount previously accrued on the senior note and decreased by the projected amount of any payments previously scheduled to be made on the senior note. The amount of original issue discount so determined is then allocated on a ratable basis to each day in the accrual period that a holder held the senior note. As a result of the remarketing, the remaining payments on the senior notes will become fixed for each quarter, and the difference between such fixed amount and the $0.89 projected amount to be paid will constitute an adjustment increasing (a “positive adjustment”) or decreasing (a “negative adjustment”) the amount of original issue discount that will be accrued on the senior notes. The contingent payment debt regulations require you to take these adjustments into account in a reasonable manner over the period to which they relate. We expect to account for any difference between the projected payment and actual payment with respect to a period as an adjustment for that period.

       If you purchase a senior note in the remarketing for an amount that differs from the adjusted issue price of the senior note at the time of such purchase, you will still be required to accrue original issue discount on the senior note in accordance with the comparable yield. However, such difference will result in adjustments to your original issue discount inclusion. If the purchase price of a senior note is less than its adjusted issue price, a positive adjustment will result, and if the purchase price is more than the adjusted issue price of a senior note, a negative adjustment will result. Any difference between your purchase price for the senior note and the adjusted issue price of the senior note should generally be allocated under a reasonable method to daily portions of original issue discount over the remaining term of the senior notes. The amount so allocated to a daily portion of original issue discount should be taken into account by you as a reduction or increase in such original issue discount on the date the daily portion accrues. Any negative or positive adjustment of the kind described in this paragraph made by you will decrease or increase, respectively, your tax basis in the senior note.

       After taking into account the adjustments described above, you will generally recognize net interest income on the senior notes in an amount that should approximate the economic accrual of income on the senior notes after the remarketing date.

       Certain United States Holders will receive IRS Forms 1099-OID reporting interest accruals on their senior note. Those forms will not, however, reflect the effect of any positive or negative adjustments resulting from your purchase of the senior note in the remarketing at a price that differs from its adjusted issue price on the date of purchase. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to whether, and how, any adjustments should be made to the amounts reported on any IRS Form 1099-OID.

Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of the Senior Notes

       Upon the disposition of a senior note, you will generally have gain or loss equal to the difference between your amount realized and your adjusted tax basis in the senior note. Gain and, to some extent, loss recognized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of a senior note that occurs during the six month period following the date the interest rate is reset will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss, unless no further payments are due during the remainder of the six month period. The amount of any loss not exceeding your prior net interest inclusions (reduced by the total

       Special rules apply in determining the tax basis of a senior note. Your tax basis in a senior note is generally increased by original issue discount you previously accrued on the senior note (without regard to adjustments, except as noted above), and reduced by the payments projected to have been made.

Tax Event Redemption of the Senior Notes

       A tax event redemption of your senior notes will be a taxable event for you that will be subject to tax in the manner described above under “— Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of the Senior Notes.”

Non-United States Holders

       The following discussion is a summary of certain United States federal tax consequences that will apply to you if you are a Non-United States Holder of the senior notes. You should consult your own tax advisors to determine the United States federal, state, local and other tax consequences that may be relevant to you.

United States Federal Withholding Tax

       The 30% United States federal withholding tax will not apply to any payment of principal and, under the “portfolio interest rule,” interest on the senior notes (including original issue discount), provided that:

       Special rules apply to Non-United States Holders that are pass-through entities rather than corporations or individuals.

       The 30% United States federal withholding tax generally will not apply to any gain that you realize on the sale, exchange, retirement or other disposition of a senior note.

United States Federal Income Tax

       If you are engaged in a trade or business in the United States and interest on the senior notes (including original issue discount) is effectively connected with the conduct of that trade or business (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment), then you will be subject to United States federal income tax on that interest on a net income basis (although you will be exempt from the 30% United States federal withholding tax, provided the certification requirements discussed above in “United States Federal Withholding Tax” are satisfied) in the same manner as if you were a United States person as defined under the Code. In addition, if you are a foreign corporation, you may be subject to a branch profits tax equal to 30% (or lower applicable income tax treaty rate) of such interest, subject to adjustments.

       Any gain realized on the disposition of a senior note generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax unless:

United States Federal Estate Tax

       Your estate will not be subject to United States federal estate tax on senior notes beneficially owned by you at the time of your death, provided that any interest payment to you on the senior notes would be eligible for exemption from the 30% United States federal withholding tax under the “portfolio interest rule” described above under “United States Federal Withholding Tax” without regard to the certification requirements described in the fifth bullet point of that section.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

       In general, if you are a United States Holder of senior notes, information reporting requirements will apply to all payments we make to you and the proceeds from a sale of a senior note by you (unless you are an exempt recipient such as a corporation). A backup withholding tax may apply to such payments if you fail to provide a taxpayer identification number or a certification of exempt status, or if you fail to report dividend and interest income in full.

       In general, if you are a Non-United States Holder, you will not be subject to backup withholding with respect to payments that we make to you provided that we do not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a United States person and you have given us the statement described above in the fifth bullet point under “United States Federal Withholding Tax.” We must report annually to the IRS and to each Non-United States Holder the amount of interest paid to such holder

       In addition, if you are a Non-United States Holder, payments of the proceeds of a sale of a senior note within the United States or conducted through certain United States-related financial intermediaries are subject to both backup withholding and information reporting unless you certify under penalties of perjury that you are a Non-United States Holder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a United States person) or you otherwise establish an exemption.

       Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against your United States federal income tax liability, provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.

CERTAIN ERISA CONSIDERATIONS

       The following is a summary of certain considerations associated with the purchase of the senior notes by employee benefit plans that are subject to Title I of the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), plans, individual retirement accounts and other arrangements that are subject to Section 4975 of the Code or provisions under any federal, state, local, non-U.S. or other laws or regulations that are similar to such provisions of ERISA or the Code (collectively, “Similar Laws”), and entities whose underlying assets are considered to include “plan assets” of such plans, accounts and arrangements (each, a “Plan”).

General Fiduciary Matters

       ERISA and the Code impose certain duties on persons who are fiduciaries of a Plan subject to Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code (an “ERISA Plan”) and prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of an ERISA Plan and its fiduciaries or other interested parties. Under ERISA and the Code, any person who exercises any discretionary authority or control over the administration of such an ERISA Plan or the management or disposition of the assets of such an ERISA Plan, or who renders investment advice for a fee or other compensation to such an ERISA Plan, is generally considered to be a fiduciary of the ERISA Plan.

       In considering an investment in the senior notes of a portion of the assets of any Plan, a fiduciary should determine whether the investment is in accordance with the documents and instruments governing the Plan and the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code or any Similar Law relating to a fiduciary’s duties to the Plan including, without limitation, the prudence, diversification, delegation of control and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA, the Code and any other applicable Similar Laws.

Prohibited Transaction Issues

       Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code prohibit ERISA Plans from engaging in specified transactions involving plan assets with persons or entities who are “parties in interest,” within the meaning of ERISA, or “disqualified persons,” within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code, unless an exemption is available. A party in interest or disqualified person who engaged in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Code. In addition, the fiduciary of the ERISA Plan that engaged in such a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Code. The acquisition and/or holding of senior notes by an ERISA Plan with respect to which the issuer, the remarketing agents, the current holders of corporate units or holders of senior notes that are not components of corporate units who have elected to participate in the remarketing, is considered a

       Because of the foregoing, the senior notes should not be purchased or held by any person investing “plan assets” of any Plan, unless such purchase and holding will not constitute a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA and the Code or similar violation of any applicable Similar Laws.

Representation

       Accordingly, by acceptance of a senior notes, each purchaser and subsequent transferee of a senior note will be deemed to have represented and warranted that either (i) no portion of the assets used by such purchaser or transferee to acquire or hold the senior notes constitutes assets of any Plan or (ii) the purchase and holding of the senior notes by such purchaser or transferee will not constitute a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code or similar violation under any applicable Similar Laws.

       The foregoing discussion is general in nature and is not intended to be all-inclusive. Due to the complexity of these rules and the penalties that may be imposed upon persons involved in non-exempt prohibited transactions, it is particularly important that fiduciaries, or other persons considering purchasing the senior notes on behalf of, or with the assets of, any Plan, consult with their counsel regarding the potential applicability of ERISA, Section 4975 of the Code and any Similar Laws to such investment and whether an exemption would be applicable to the purchase and holding of the senior notes.

       The remarketing is being made under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in a remarketing agreement, dated as of May 9, 2005, among us, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Banc of America Securities LLC, as the remarketing agents, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as the purchase contract agent and attorney-in-fact for holders of the equity units. The remarketing agreement requires Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Banc of America Securities LLC, as the remarketing agents, to use their reasonable best efforts to remarket the senior notes that are included in the corporate units as well as any senior notes held separately from the corporate units that are participating in the remarketing at a price equal to at least 100.5% of the sum of the treasury portfolio purchase price and the separate senior notes purchase price, if any.

       On May 11, 2005, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Banc of America Securities LLC, as reset agents, will attempt to reset the rate of interest payable on the senior notes at a rate that the senior notes should bear in order for the senior notes included in corporate units to have an approximate aggregate market value on the reset date of 100.5% of the treasury portfolio purchase price. The reset rate will in no event exceed the maximum rate permitted by applicable law.

       The proceeds from the remarketing of the senior notes are estimated to be $          , before deduction of the remarketing agents’ fee. We will not receive any proceeds of the remarketing. Instead, a portion of the proceeds from the remarketing of senior notes that are held as part of corporate units equal to the treasury portfolio purchase price of $          will be applied to purchase, on behalf of the holders of those corporate units, the treasury portfolio, which will be pledged to secure the obligations of holders of corporate units to purchase shares of our common stock under the purchase contracts on August 16, 2005. The proceeds from the remarketing of any separate senior notes that are currently not part of a corporate unit equal to the separate senior notes purchase price, will be paid to the record holders as of the close of business on May 10, 2005. See “Use of Proceeds” in this prospectus supplement.

       Neither Goldman, Sachs & Co. nor Banc of America Securities LLC has any obligation to purchase any of the senior notes.

       The remarketing agents will retain a remarketing fee not exceeding 0.25% of the sum of the treasury portfolio purchase price and the separate senior notes purchase price, if any. Corporate units holders and separate senior note holders whose notes are remarketed will not otherwise be responsible for the payment of any remarketing fees in connection with the remarketing.

       Any proceeds from the remarketing of senior notes remaining after deducting the treasury portfolio purchase price, the separate senior notes purchase price, if any, and the remarketing fee will be remitted to persons who are holders of the remarketed senior notes as of the close of business, 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 10, 2005.

       The remarketing agreement provides that the remarketing is subject to customary conditions precedent, including the delivery of legal opinions.

       The senior notes have no established trading market. The remarketing agents have advised us that they intend to make a market in the senior notes, but they have no obligation to do so and may discontinue market making at any time without providing any notice. We cannot provide you with any assurance as to the liquidity of any trading market for the senior notes.

       In order to facilitate the remarketing of the senior notes, the remarketing agents may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the senior notes. These transactions consist of bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the senior notes. In general, purchases of senior notes for the purpose of stabilization could cause the price of the senior notes to be higher than it might be in the absence of these purchases. We and the remarketing agents make no representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the senior

       Each remarketing agent has represented, warranted and agreed that: (i) it has not offered or sold and, prior to the expiry of a period of six months from the closing date of the remarketing of the senior notes, will not offer or sell any senior notes to persons in the United Kingdom except to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their businesses or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Public Offers of Securities Regulations 1995; (ii) it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (“FSMA”)) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of any senior notes in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to the company; and (iii) it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the senior notes in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

       Each remarketing agent has represented and agreed that it has not, directly or indirectly, offered or sold and will not, directly or indirectly, offer or sell in the Netherlands any senior notes with a denomination of less than EUR50,000 (or its foreign currency equivalent) other than to persons who trade or invest in securities in the conduct of a profession or business (which include banks, stockbrokers, insurance companies, pension funds, other institutional investors and finance companies and treasury departments of large enterprises) unless one of the other exemptions from or exceptions to the prohibition contained in article 3 of the Dutch Securities Transactions Supervision Act 1995 (Wet toezicht effectenverkeer 1995) is applicable and the conditions attached to such exemption or exception are complied with.

       The senior notes may not be offered or sold by means of any document other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent, or in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong, and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the senior notes may be issued, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to senior notes which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong and any rules made thereunder.

       This prospectus supplement has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation or subscription or purchase, of the senior notes may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the senior notes be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than under circumstances in which such offer, sale or invitation does not constitute an offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the senior notes to the public in Singapore.

       The senior notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan (the Securities and Exchange Law) and each remarketing agent has agreed that it will not offer or sell any senior notes, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the

       We have agreed to indemnify the remarketing agents against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, arising out of or in connection with their duties under the remarketing agreement, and to contribute to payments the remarketing agents may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

       Certain of the remarketing agents and their respective affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various financial advisory and investment banking services for the company, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses. An affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co. is a lender under the company’s 364-day revolving credit facility. Furthermore, Bank of America, N.A., an affiliate of Banc of America Securities LLC, is a co-documentation agent and lender under the company’s 364-day revolving credit facility and five-year credit facility.

LEGAL MATTERS

       Certain legal matters in connection with the senior notes will be passed upon for us by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, New York. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the remarketing agents by Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

       The consolidated financial statements and the related financial statement schedules of The St. Paul Travelers Companies, Inc. as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2004, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004 have been incorporated by reference in the registration statement in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

(THE ST. PAUL LOGO)

The St. Paul Companies, Inc.

Senior Debt Securities

Subordinated Debt Securities

Preferred Stock

Depositary Shares

Common Stock

Warrants

Stock Purchase Contracts

and

Units

St. Paul Capital Trust II

Preferred Securities

guaranteed to the extent set forth herein

by The St. Paul Companies, Inc.

       We will provide you with more specific terms of these securities in supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.

       We may offer these securities from time to time in amounts, at prices and on other terms to be determined at the time of offering. The total offering price of the securities offered to the public will be limited to $1,683,135,000.

       The St. Paul Companies, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SPC”.

       Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Prospectus dated January 8, 2003.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

       You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We and the Trust have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different. This prospectus may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. The information provided by or incorporated by reference in this prospectus may only be accurate on the date of the document containing the information.

       Unless the context otherwise indicates, the terms “The St. Paul,” “we,” “us” or “our” means The St. Paul Companies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

THE ST. PAUL COMPANIES, INC.

       The St. Paul Companies, Inc. and its subsidiaries constitute one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States, dating back to 1853. We are a management company principally engaged, through our subsidiaries, in providing commercial property-liability insurance worldwide. We also have a presence in the asset management industry through our 79% majority ownership of The John Nuveen Company. As a management company, we oversee the operations of our subsidiaries and provide them with capital and management and administrative services. At September 30, 2002, our total assets were $39.9 billion and our total shareholders’ equity was $5.5 billion. In 2001, insurance and reinsurance underwriting accounted for approximately 95% of our consolidated revenues from continuing operations, and asset management operations accounted for approximately 4% of consolidated revenues from continuing operations.

       Our principal and registered executive offices are located at 385 Washington Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102, and our telephone number is (651) 310-7911. Unless the context otherwise indicates, the terms “The St. Paul”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean The St. Paul Companies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

ST. PAUL CAPITAL TRUST II

       St. Paul Capital Trust II, or the “Trust”, is a statutory business trust created under Delaware law. The Trust exists for the exclusive purposes of:

       Any senior debt securities, subordinated debt securities and warrants we sell to the Trust will be the sole assets of the Trust, and, accordingly, payments under the senior or subordinated debt securities will be the sole revenues of the Trust and the Trust’s ability to distribute shares of our common stock or other securities upon conversion of the preferred securities, if convertible, will depend solely on our performance under the warrants sold by us to the Trust. We will acquire and own all of the common securities of the Trust, which will have an aggregate liquidation amount equal to at least 3% of the total capital of the Trust. The common securities will rank on a parity with, and payments will be made on the common securities pro rata with, the preferred securities, except that upon an event of default under the amended and restated declaration of trust resulting from an event of default under the senior or subordinated debt securities, our rights as holder of the common securities to distributions and payments upon liquidation or redemption will be subordinated to the rights of the holders of the preferred securities.

       The Trust has a term of 50 years, but may dissolve earlier as provided in its amended and restated declaration of trust. The Trust’s business and affairs are conducted by the trustees. The trustees for the Trust are JPMorgan Chase Bank, as institutional trustee, Chase Manhattan Bank USA, National Association, as the Delaware trustee, and two regular trustees or “administrative

       The duties and obligations of each trustee are governed by the amended and restated declaration of trust. As issuer of the subordinated debt securities to be purchased by the Trust and as sponsor of the Trust, we will pay all fees, expenses, debts and obligations (other than the payment of distributions and other payments on the preferred securities) related to the Trust and any offering of the Trust’s preferred securities and will pay, directly or indirectly, all ongoing costs, expenses and liabilities of the Trust. The principal executive office of the Trust is c/o The St. Paul Companies, Inc., 385 Washington Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102 and its telephone number is (651) 310-7911.

RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES AND EARNINGS TO

COMBINED FIXED CHARGES AND PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS

       The following table sets forth our ratio of consolidated earnings to fixed charges for the years and the period indicated:

       Earnings consist of income from continuing operations before income taxes plus fixed charges, net of capitalized interest. Fixed charges consist of interest expense before reduction for capitalized interest and one-third of rental expense, which is considered to be representative of an interest factor.

USE OF PROCEEDS

       Unless otherwise indicated in an accompanying prospectus supplement, we expect to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, working capital, contributions of capital to our insurance underwriting subsidiaries, capital expenditures, the repurchase of shares of common stock, the repayment of short-term borrowings or acquisitions. Unless otherwise indicated in an accompanying prospectus supplement, St. Paul Capital Trust II will use all proceeds received from the sale of its preferred securities to purchase our subordinated debt securities.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

       This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a shelf registration or continuous process. Under this

       This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement containing specific information about the terms of the securities being offered. A prospectus supplement may include a discussion of any risk factors or other special considerations applicable to those securities or to us. A prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information”.

       The registration statement containing this prospectus, including exhibits to the registration statement, provides additional information about us and the securities offered under this prospectus. The registration statement can be read at the SEC web site or at the SEC offices mentioned under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information”.

       When acquiring any securities discussed in this prospectus, you should rely only on the information provided in this prospectus and in the applicable prospectus supplement, including the information incorporated by reference. Neither we, nor any underwriters or agents, have authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not offering the securities in any state where the offer is prohibited. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, or any document incorporated by reference, is truthful or complete at any date other than the date mentioned on the cover page of these documents.

       We may sell securities to underwriters who will sell the securities to the public on terms fixed at the time of sale. In addition, the securities may be sold by us directly or through dealers or agents designated from time to time. If we, directly or through agents, solicit offers to purchase the securities, we reserve the sole right to accept and, together with any agents, to reject, in whole or in part, any of those offers.

       Any prospectus supplement will contain the names of the underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, together with the terms of offering, the compensation of those underwriters and the net proceeds to us. Any underwriters, dealers or agents participating in the offering may be deemed “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”).

       Unless otherwise stated, currency amounts in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement are stated in United States dollars (“$”).

A SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

DISCLOSURE AND CERTAIN RISKS

       Some of the information presented or incorporated by reference in this prospectus contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical information or statements of current condition. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” or “estimates,” or variations of such words, and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of these forward-looking statements include statements concerning: market and other conditions and their effect on future premiums, revenues, earnings, cash flow and investment income; price increases, improved loss experience and expense savings resulting from the restructuring actions announced in recent years; and statements concerning the anticipated approval of the Western MacArthur asbestos litigation settlement.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

       We may issue senior or subordinated debt securities. Neither the senior debt securities nor the subordinated debt securities will be secured by any of our property or assets. Thus, by owning a debt security, you are one of our unsecured creditors.

       The senior debt securities will constitute part of our senior debt, will be issued under a senior debt indenture described below and will rank equally with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated debt.

       The subordinated debt securities will constitute part of our subordinated debt, will be issued under a subordinated debt indenture described below and will be subordinate in right of payment to all of our “senior indebtedness”, as defined in the subordinated debt indenture. The prospectus supplement for any series of subordinated debt securities will indicate the approximate amount of senior indebtedness outstanding as of the end of the most recent fiscal quarter. Neither indenture limits our ability to incur additional senior indebtedness.

       “Debt securities” in this prospectus refers to both the senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities.

       The senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities are each governed by a document called an indenture — the senior debt indenture, in the case of the senior debt securities, and the subordinated debt indenture, in the case of the subordinated debt securities. Each indenture is a contract between us and JPMorgan Chase Bank, which acts as trustee. The indentures are substantially identical, except for the covenant described below under “— Restrictive Covenants — Limitations on Liens and Other Encumbrances on Voting Stock of Designated Subsidiaries”, which is included only in the senior debt indenture, and the provisions relating to subordination, which are included only in the subordinated debt indenture.

       Reference to the indenture or the trustee with respect to any debt securities means the indenture under which those debt securities are issued and the trustee under that indenture.

       The trustee has two main roles:

       The indentures and their associated documents contain the full legal text of the matters described in this section. The indentures and the debt securities are governed by the laws of the State of New York. A copy of the senior debt indenture, dated as of March 12, 2002, and the form of subordinated debt indenture appear as exhibits to our registration statement. See “Where You Can Find More Information” for information on how to obtain a copy.

       We may issue as many distinct series of debt securities under either indenture as we wish. This section summarizes the material terms of the debt securities that are common to all series, although the prospectus supplement which describes the terms of each series of debt securities may also describe differences with the material terms summarized here.

       Because this section is a summary, it does not describe every aspect of the debt securities. This summary is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to all the provisions of the indentures, including definitions of some of the terms used in the indentures. We describe the

       This summary also is subject to and qualified by reference to the description of the particular terms of your series described in the prospectus supplement. Those terms may vary from the terms described in this prospectus. The prospectus supplement relating to each series of debt securities will be attached to the front of this prospectus. There may also be a further prospectus supplement, known as a pricing supplement, which contains the precise terms of debt securities you are offered.

       We may issue the debt securities as original issue discount securities, which are securities that are offered and sold at a substantial discount to their stated principal amount. The prospectus supplement relating to original issue discount securities will describe federal income tax consequences and other special considerations applicable to them. The debt securities may also be issued as indexed securities or securities denominated in foreign currencies or currency units, as described in more detail in the prospectus supplement relating to any of the particular debt securities. The prospectus supplement relating to specific debt securities will also describe any special considerations and any material additional tax considerations applicable to such debt securities.

       In addition, the specific financial, legal and other terms particular to a series of debt securities are described in the prospectus supplement and the pricing supplement relating to the series. The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities will describe the following terms of the series:

       Those terms may vary from the terms described here. Accordingly, this summary also is subject to and qualified by reference to the description of the terms of the series described in the prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement relating to each series of debt securities will be attached to the front of this prospectus.

Legal Ownership

Street Name and Other Indirect Holders

       Investors who hold debt securities in accounts at banks or brokers will generally not be recognized by us as legal holders of debt securities. This is called holding in “street name”. Instead, we would recognize only the bank or broker, or the financial institution the bank or broker uses to hold its debt securities. These intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions pass along principal, interest and other payments on the debt securities, either because they agree to do so in

Direct Holders

       Our obligations, as well as the obligations of the trustee and those of any third parties employed by us or the trustee, run only to persons or entities who are the direct holders of debt securities (i.e., those who are registered as holders of debt securities). As noted above, we do not have obligations to you if you hold in street name or through other indirect means, either because you choose to hold debt securities in that manner or because the debt securities are issued in the form of global securities as described below. For example, once we make payment to the registered holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment even if that registered holder is legally required to pass the payment along to you as a street name customer but does not do so.

Global Securities

       What Is a Global Security? A global security is a special type of indirectly held security, as described above under “— Street Name and Other Indirect Holders”.

       If we choose to issue debt securities in the form of global securities, the ultimate beneficial owners can only be indirect holders. We do this by requiring that the global security be registered in the name of a financial institution we select and by requiring that the debt securities included in the global security not be transferred to the name of any other direct holder unless the special circumstances described below occur. The financial institution that acts as the sole direct holder of the global security is called the depositary.

       Any person wishing to own a debt security included in the global security must do so indirectly by virtue of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary. The prospectus supplement indicates whether your series of debt securities will be issued only in the form of global securities.

       Special Investor Considerations for Global Securities. As an indirect holder, an investor’s rights relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of the investor’s financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not recognize this type of investor as a registered holder of debt securities and instead deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.

       If you are an investor in debt securities that are issued only in the form of global securities, you should be aware that:

       Special Situations When Global Security Will Be Terminated. In a few special situations described later, the global security will terminate and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing debt securities. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold debt securities directly or in street name will be up to you. You must consult your own bank or broker to find out how to have your interests in debt securities transferred to your own name, so that you will be a direct holder. The rights of street name investors and direct holders in the debt securities have been previously described in the subsections entitled, “— Street Name and Other Indirect Holders” and “— Direct Holders”.

       The special situations for termination of a global security are:

       Defaults are discussed later under “— Default and Related Matters”.

       The prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of debt securities covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary (and not we or the trustee) is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.

       In the remainder of this description “you” means direct holders and not street name or other indirect holders of debt securities. Indirect holders should read the previous subsection entitled “— Street Name and Other Indirect Holders”.

Overview of the Remainder of this Description

       The remainder of this description summarizes:

Additional Mechanics

Form, Exchange and Transfer

       The debt securities will be issued:

       You may have your debt securities broken into more debt securities of smaller denominations or combined into fewer debt securities of larger denominations, as long as the total principal amount is not changed. This is called an exchange.

       You may exchange or transfer debt securities at the office of the trustee. The trustee acts as our agent for registering debt securities in the names of holders and transferring debt securities. We may change this appointment to another entity or perform the service ourselves. The entity performing the role of maintaining the list of registered direct holders is called the security registrar. It will also register transfers of the debt securities.

       You will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer or exchange debt securities, but you may be required to pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the exchange or transfer. The transfer or exchange will only be made if the security registrar is satisfied with your proof of ownership.

       If we designate additional transfer agents, they will be named in the prospectus supplement. We may cancel the designation of any particular transfer agent. We may also approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts.

       If the debt securities are redeemable and we redeem less than all of the debt securities of a particular series, we may block the transfer or exchange of debt securities during the period beginning 15 days before the day we mail the notice of redemption and ending on the day of that mailing, in order to freeze the list of holders to prepare the mailing. We may also refuse to register transfers or exchanges of debt securities selected for redemption, except that we will continue to permit transfers and exchanges of the unredeemed portion of any debt security being partially redeemed.

Payment and Paying Agents

       We will pay interest to you if you are a direct holder listed in the trustee’s records at the close of business on a particular day in advance of each due date for interest, even if you no longer own the debt security on the interest due date. That particular day, usually about two weeks in advance of the interest due date, is called the regular record date and is stated in the prospectus supplement. Holders buying and selling debt securities must work out between them how to compensate for the

       We will pay interest, principal and any other money due on the debt securities at the corporate trust office of the trustee in New York City. That office is currently located at 450 West 33rd Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10001. You must make arrangements to have your payments picked up at or wired from that office. We may also choose to pay interest by mailing checks.

       Street name and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how they will receive payments.

       We may also arrange for additional payment offices, and may cancel or change these offices, including our use of the trustee’s corporate trust office. These offices are called paying agents. We may also choose to act as our own paying agent. We must notify you of changes in the paying agents for any particular series of debt securities.

Notices

       We and the trustee will send notices regarding the debt securities only to direct holders, using their addresses as listed in the trustee’s records.

       Regardless of who acts as paying agent, all money paid by us to a paying agent that remains unclaimed at the end of one year after the amount is due to direct holders will be repaid to us. After that one-year period, you may look only to us for payment and not to the trustee, any other paying agent or anyone else.

Special Situations

Mergers and Similar Events

       We are generally permitted to consolidate or merge with another company or firm. We are also permitted to sell or lease substantially all of our assets to another firm, or to buy or lease substantially all of the assets of another firm. However, we may not take any of these actions unless the following conditions (among others) are met:

Modification and Waiver

       There are four types of changes we can make to either indenture and the debt securities issued under that indenture.

       Changes Requiring Your Approval. First, there are changes that cannot be made to your debt securities without your specific approval. Following is a list of those types of changes:

       Changes Requiring a Majority Vote. The second type of change to a particular indenture and the debt securities is the kind that requires a vote in favor by direct holders of debt securities owning a majority of the principal amount of all series affected thereby, voting together as a single class. Most changes, including waivers, as described below, fall into this category, except for changes noted above as requiring the approval of the holders of each security affected thereby, and, as noted below, changes not requiring approval.

       Each indenture provides that a supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of the applicable indenture which has expressly been included solely for the benefit of one or more particular series of securities, or which modifies the rights of the holders of securities of such series with respect to such covenant or other provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under the applicable indenture of the holders of securities of any other series.

       Changes Not Requiring Approval. The third type of change does not require any vote by holders of debt securities. This type is limited to clarifications and certain other changes that would not adversely affect holders of the debt securities.

       Modification of Subordination Provisions. In addition, we may not modify the subordination provisions of the subordinated debt indenture in a manner that would adversely affect the outstanding subordinated debt securities of any one or more series in any material respect, without the consent of the direct holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of all affected series, voting together as one class.

       Further Details Concerning Voting. When taking a vote, we will use the following rules to decide how much principal amount to attribute to a debt security:

       Debt securities will not be considered outstanding, and therefore will not be eligible to vote, if we have deposited or set aside in trust for you money for their payment or redemption. Debt securities will also not be eligible to vote if they have been fully defeased as described under “Defeasance — Full Defeasance”.

       We will generally be entitled to set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the direct holders of outstanding debt securities that are entitled to vote or take other action under the applicable indenture. In some circumstances, the trustee will be entitled to set a record date for action by direct holders. If we or the trustee set a record date for a vote or other action to be taken by holders of a particular series, that vote or action may be taken only by persons who are direct holders of outstanding securities of that series on the record date and must be taken within 90 days following the record date.

       Street name and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how approval may be granted or denied if we seek to change an indenture or the debt securities or request a waiver.

Subordination Provisions

       Direct holders of subordinated debt securities should recognize that contractual provisions in the subordinated debt indenture may prohibit us from making payments on those securities. Subordinated debt securities are subordinate and junior in right of payment, to the extent and in the manner stated in the subordinated debt indenture, to all of our senior indebtedness, as defined in the subordinated debt indenture, including all debt securities we have issued and will issue under the senior debt indenture.

       The following types of our indebtedness will not rank senior to the subordinated debt securities:

       The subordinated debt indenture provides that, unless all principal of and any premium or interest on the senior indebtedness has been paid in full, no payment or other distribution may be made in respect of any subordinated debt securities in the following circumstances:

       Even if the subordination provisions prevent us from making any payment when due on the subordinated debt securities of any series, we will be in default on our obligations under that series if we do not make the payment when due. This means that the trustee under the subordinated debt indenture and the direct holders of that series can take action against us, but they will not receive any money until the claims of the direct holders of senior indebtedness have been fully satisfied.

Restrictive Covenants

General

       We have made certain promises in each indenture called “covenants” where, among other things, we promise to maintain our corporate existence and all licenses and material permits necessary for our business. In addition, in the senior debt indenture we have made the promise described in the next paragraph. The subordinated debt indenture does not include the promise described in the next paragraph.

Limitation on Liens and Other Encumbrances on Voting Stock of Designated Subsidiaries

       Some of our property may be subject to a mortgage or other legal mechanism that gives our lenders preferential rights in that property over other lenders, including the direct holders of the senior debt securities, or over our general creditors if we fail to pay them back. These preferential rights are called liens. In the senior debt indenture, we promise not to create, issue, assume, incur or guarantee any indebtedness for borrowed money that is secured by a mortgage, pledge, lien, security interest or other encumbrance on any voting stock of a designated subsidiary, unless we also secure all the senior debt securities that are deemed outstanding under the senior debt indenture equally with, or prior to, the indebtedness being secured, together with, at our election, any of our or any designated subsidiary’s other indebtedness. This promise does not restrict our ability to sell or otherwise dispose of our interests in any designated subsidiary.

       As used here:

       The following discussion of full defeasance and covenant defeasance will be applicable to your series of debt securities only if we choose to have them apply to that series. If we do so choose, we will state that in the prospectus supplement.

       Full Defeasance. If there is a change in federal tax law, as described below, we can legally release ourselves from any payment or other obligations on the debt securities, called full defeasance, if we put in place the following arrangements for you to be repaid:

       If we ever did accomplish full defeasance, as described above, you would have to rely solely on the trust deposit for repayment on the debt securities. In addition, in the case of subordinated debt securities, the provisions described above under “— Subordination Provisions” will not apply. You could not look to us for repayment in the unlikely event of any shortfall. Conversely, the trust deposit would most likely be protected from claims of our lenders and other creditors if we ever become bankrupt or insolvent.

       Covenant Defeasance. Under current federal tax law, we can make the same type of deposit described above and be released from some of the restrictive covenants in the debt securities. This is called covenant defeasance. In that event, you would lose the protection of those restrictive

       If we accomplish covenant defeasance, the following provisions, among others, of the indentures and the debt securities would no longer apply:

       In addition, in the case of subordinated debt securities, the provisions described above under “— Subordination Provisions” will not apply if we accomplish covenant defeasance.

       If we accomplish covenant defeasance, you could still look to us for repayment of the debt securities if there were a shortfall in the trust deposit. In fact, if one of the remaining events of default occurs, such as our bankruptcy, and the debt securities become immediately due and payable, there may be a shortfall in the trust deposit. Depending on the event causing the default, you may not be able to obtain payment of the shortfall.

Default and Related Matters

Ranking With Our Other Unsecured Creditors

       The debt securities are not secured by any of our property or assets. Accordingly, your ownership of debt securities means that you are one of our unsecured creditors. The senior debt securities are not subordinated to any of our debt obligations and therefore they rank equally with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. The subordinated debt securities are subordinate and junior in right of payment to all of our senior indebtedness, as defined in the subordinated debt indenture.

Events of Default

       You will have special rights if an event of default occurs and is not cured, as described later in this subsection.

       What Is an Event of Default? The term “event of default” means any of the following:

       Remedies If an Event of Default Occurs. If you are the holder of a subordinated debt security, all remedies available upon the occurrence of an event of default under the subordinated debt indenture will be subject to the restrictions on the subordinated debt securities described above under “— Subordination Provisions”. If an event of default has occurred and has not been cured, the trustee or the direct holders of 25% in principal amount of the debt securities of the affected series may declare the entire principal amount (or, in the case of original issue discount securities, the portion of the principal amount that is specified in the terms of the affected debt security) of all the debt securities of that series to be due and immediately payable. This is called a declaration of acceleration of maturity. However, a declaration of acceleration of maturity may be canceled by the direct holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of the affected series.

       Reference is made to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities which are original issue discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of the maturity of a portion of the principal amount of original issue discount securities upon the occurrence of an event of default and its continuation.

       Except in cases of default, where the trustee has some special duties, the trustee is not required to take any action under the indentures at the request of any holders unless the direct holders offer the trustee reasonable protection from expenses and liability, called an indemnity. If reasonable indemnity is provided, the direct holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the relevant series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any lawsuit or other formal legal action seeking any remedy available to the trustee. These majority direct holders may also direct the trustee in performing any other action under the applicable indenture with respect to the debt securities of that series.

       Before you bypass the trustee and bring your own lawsuit or other formal legal action or take other steps to enforce your rights or protect your interests relating to the debt securities, the following must occur:

       Street name and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how to give notice or direction to or make a request of the trustee and to make or cancel a declaration of acceleration.

       We will furnish to the trustee every year a written statement of certain of our officers certifying that to their knowledge we are in compliance with the applicable indenture and the debt securities issued under it, or else specifying any default.

Our Relationship With the Trustee

       JPMorgan Chase Bank, the trustee under the indentures and the institutional trustee and Delaware trustee to each of the Trust and St. Paul Capital Trust I (a statutory business trust created under Delaware law by us), together with its affiliates, has an aggregate $60 million participation under revolving credit agreements among us and certain banks named therein providing for aggregate borrowing by us of a maximum of $540 million. No borrowings under these facilities were outstanding at December 31, 2002. In addition, JPMorgan Chase Bank has a $25 million participation under a three-year revolving credit agreement among The John Nuveen Company, one of our subsidiaries, and certain banks named in it providing for aggregate borrowing by The John Nuveen Company of a maximum of $125 million. There were no borrowings outstanding under this facility at December 31, 2002. JPMorgan Chase Bank is also the trustee under other indentures pursuant to which we or our subsidiaries have issued debt securities and an affiliate of JPMorgan Chase Bank has provided investment banking services to us from time to time.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK WE MAY OFFER

       We may issue preferred stock in one or more series, as described below. The following briefly summarizes the provisions of our restated articles of incorporation that would be important to holders of our preferred stock. The following description may not be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the terms and provisions of our restated articles of incorporation which is an exhibit to the registration statement which contains this prospectus.

       The description of most of the financial and other specific terms of your series will be in the prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus. Those terms may vary from the terms described here.

       As you read this section, please remember that the specific terms of your series of preferred stock as described in your prospectus supplement will supplement and, if applicable, may modify or replace the general terms described in this section. If there are differences between your prospectus supplement and this prospectus, your prospectus supplement will control. Thus, the statements we make in this section may not apply to your series of preferred stock.

       Reference to a series of preferred stock means all of the shares of preferred stock issued as part of the same series under a certificate of designations filed as part of our restated articles of incorporation. Reference to your prospectus supplement means the prospectus supplement describing the specific terms of the preferred stock you purchase. The terms used in your prospectus supplement will have the meanings described in this prospectus, unless otherwise specified.

       Under our restated articles of incorporation our board of directors is authorized, without further action by our shareholders, to establish from the 5,000,000 undesignated shares authorized by our restated articles of incorporation one or more classes and series, to designate each such class and series, to fix the relative rights and preferences of each such class and series and to issue such shares. Such rights and preferences may be superior to common stock as to dividends, distributions of assets (upon liquidation or otherwise) and voting rights. Undesignated shares may be convertible into shares of any other series or class of stock, including common stock, if our board of directors so determines. Our board of directors will fix the terms of the series of preferred stock it designates by resolution adopted before we issue any shares of the series of preferred stock.

       The prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of preferred stock will contain a description of the specific terms of that series as fixed by our board of directors, including, as applicable:

       When we issue and receive payment for shares of preferred stock, the shares will be fully paid and nonassessable, which means that its holders will have paid their purchase price in full and that we may not ask them to surrender additional funds. Holders of preferred stock will not have any preemptive or subscription rights to acquire more of our stock. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of preferred stock, each series of preferred stock will rank on a parity in all respects with each other series of preferred stock and prior to our common stock as to dividends and any distribution of our assets.

       The rights of holders of the preferred stock offered may be adversely affected by the rights of holders of any shares of preferred stock that may be issued in the future. Our board of directors may cause shares of preferred stock to be issued in public or private transactions for any proper corporate purposes and may include issuances to obtain additional financing in connection with acquisitions, and issuances to officers, directors and employees pursuant to benefit plans. Our board of directors’ ability to issue shares of preferred stock may discourage attempts by others to acquire control of us without negotiation with our board of directors, as it may make it difficult for a person to acquire us without negotiating with our board of directors.

       If so specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, a series of preferred stock may be redeemable at any time, in whole or in part, at our option or the holder’s, and may be mandatorily redeemed.

       Any restriction on the repurchase or redemption by us of our preferred stock while we are in arrears in the payment of dividends will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

       Any partial redemptions of preferred stock will be made in a way that our board of directors decides is equitable.

       Unless we default in the payment of the redemption price, dividends will cease to accrue after the redemption date on shares of preferred stock called for redemption and all rights of holders of these shares will terminate except for the right to receive the redemption price.

Dividends

       Holders of each series of preferred stock will be entitled to receive dividends when, as and if declared by our board of directors from funds legally available for payment of dividends. The rates and dates of payment of dividends will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to each series of preferred stock. Dividends will be payable to holders of record of preferred stock as they appear on our books on the record dates fixed by the board of directors. Dividends on any series of preferred stock may be cumulative or noncumulative, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

       We may not declare, pay or set apart funds for payment of dividends on a particular series of preferred stock unless full dividends on any other series of preferred stock that ranks equally with or senior to the series of preferred stock have been paid or sufficient funds have been set apart for payment for either of the following:

       Partial dividends declared on shares of any series of preferred stock and other series of preferred stock ranking on an equal basis as to dividends will be declared pro rata. A pro rata declaration means that the ratio of dividends declared per share to accrued dividends per share will be the same for each series of preferred stock.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

       The prospectus supplement relating to any series of preferred stock that is convertible, exercisable or exchangeable will state the terms on which shares of that series are convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of common stock, another series of our preferred stock or any other securities registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Liquidation Preference

       In the event of our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, holders of each series of our preferred stock will have the right to receive distributions upon liquidation in the amount described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to each series of preferred stock,

       If the liquidation amounts payable relating to the preferred stock of any series and any other securities ranking on a parity regarding liquidation rights are not paid in full, the holders of the preferred stock of that series and the other securities will have the right to a ratable portion of our available assets, up to the full liquidation preference of each security. Holders of these series of preferred stock or other securities will not be entitled to any other amounts from us after they have received their full liquidation preference.

Voting Rights

       The holders of shares of preferred stock will have no voting rights, except:

Transfer Agent and Registrar

       The transfer agent, registrar and dividend disbursement agent for the preferred stock will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. The registrar for shares of preferred stock will send notices to shareholders of any meetings at which holders of the preferred stock have the right to elect directors or to vote on any other matter.

DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES WE MAY OFFER

       The following briefly summarizes the provisions of the depositary shares and depositary receipts that we may issue from time to time and which would be important to holders of depositary receipts, other than pricing and related terms which will be disclosed in the applicable prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement will also state whether any of the generalized provisions summarized below do not apply to the depositary shares or depositary receipts being offered and provide any additional provisions applicable to the depositary shares or depositary receipts being offered. The following description and any description in a prospectus supplement may not be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to the terms and provisions of the form of deposit agreement filed as an exhibit to the registration statement which contains this prospectus.

Description of Depositary Shares

       We may offer depositary shares evidenced by depositary receipts. Each depositary share represents a fraction or a multiple of a share of the particular series of preferred stock issued and deposited with a depositary. The fraction or the multiple of a share of preferred stock which each depositary share represents will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

       We will deposit the shares of any series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares according to the provisions of a deposit agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company which we will select as our preferred stock depositary. We will name the depositary in the applicable prospectus supplement. Each holder of a depositary share will be entitled to all the rights and preferences of the underlying preferred stock in proportion to the applicable fraction or multiple of a share of preferred stock represented by the depositary share. These rights include

Depositary Receipts

       The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Depositary receipts will be distributed to anyone who is buying the fractional shares of preferred stock in accordance with the terms of the applicable prospectus supplement.

Withdrawal of Preferred Stock

       Unless the related depositary shares have previously been called for redemption, a holder of depositary shares may receive the number of whole shares of the related series of preferred stock and any money or other property represented by the holder’s depositary receipts after surrendering the depositary receipts at the corporate trust office of the depositary, paying any taxes, charges and fees provided for in the deposit agreement and complying with any other requirement of the deposit agreement. Partial shares of preferred stock will not be issued. If the surrendered depositary shares exceed the number of depositary shares that represent the number of whole shares of preferred stock the holder wishes to withdraw, then the depositary will deliver to the holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary shares. Once the holder has withdrawn the preferred stock, the holder will not be entitled to re-deposit that preferred stock under the deposit agreement or to receive depositary shares in exchange for such preferred stock. We do not expect that there will be any public trading market for withdrawn shares of preferred stock.

Dividends and Other Distributions

       The depositary will distribute to record holders of depositary shares any cash dividends or other cash distributions it receives on preferred stock, after deducting its fees and expenses. Each holder will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by the holder. The depositary will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents. The depositary will add any fractional cents not distributed to the next sum received for distribution to record holders of depositary shares.

       In the event of a non-cash distribution, the depositary will distribute property to the record holders of depositary shares, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make such a distribution. If this occurs, the depositary may, with our approval, sell the property and distribute the net proceeds from the sale to the holders.

       The amounts distributed to holders of depositary shares will be reduced by any amounts required to be withheld by the preferred stock depositary or by us on account of taxes or other governmental charges.

Redemption of Depositary Shares

       If the series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares is subject to redemption, then we will give the necessary proceeds to the depositary. The depositary will then redeem the depositary shares using the funds they received from us for the preferred stock. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the redemption price payable per share for the applicable series of the preferred stock and any other amounts per share payable with respect to the preferred stock multiplied by the fraction of a share of preferred stock represented by one depositary share. Whenever we redeem shares of preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem the depositary shares representing the shares of preferred stock on the same day provided we have

       After the date fixed for redemption, the depositary shares called for redemption will no longer be considered outstanding. Therefore, all rights of holders of the depositary shares will cease, except that the holders will still be entitled to receive any cash payable upon the redemption and any money or other property to which the holder was entitled at the time of redemption. To receive this amount or other property, the holders must surrender the depositary receipts evidencing their depositary shares to the preferred stock depositary. Any funds that we deposit with the preferred stock depositary for any depositary shares that the holders fail to redeem will be returned to us after a period of one year from the date we deposit the funds.

Voting the Preferred Stock

       Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of preferred stock are entitled to vote, the depositary will notify holders of depositary shares of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting materials to the holders. The record date for determining holders of depositary shares that are entitled to vote will be the same as the record date for the preferred stock. The materials the holders will receive will (1) describe the matters to be voted on and (2) explain how the holders, on a certain date, may instruct the depositary to vote the shares of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares. For instructions to be valid, the depositary must receive them on or before the date specified. To the extent possible, the depositary will vote the shares as instructed by the holder. We agree to take all reasonable actions that the depositary determines are necessary to enable it to vote as a holder has instructed. If the depositary does not receive specific instructions from the holders of any depositary shares, it will vote all shares of that series held by it proportionately with instructions received.

Conversion or Exchange

       The depositary, with our approval or at our instruction, will convert or exchange all depositary shares if the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares is converted or exchanged. In order for the depositary to do so, we will need to deposit the other preferred stock, common stock or other securities into which the preferred stock is to be converted or for which it will be exchanged.

       The exchange or conversion rate per depositary share will be equal to:

       The depositary shares, as such, cannot be converted or exchanged into other preferred stock, common stock, securities of another issuer or any other of our securities or property. Nevertheless, if so specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, a holder of depositary shares may be able to surrender the depositary receipts to the depositary with written instructions asking the depositary to instruct us to convert or exchange the preferred stock represented by the depositary shares into other shares of our preferred stock or common stock or to exchange the preferred stock for any other securities registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. If the depositary shares carry this right, we would agree that, upon the payment of any applicable fees, we will cause the conversion or exchange of the preferred stock using the same

Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement

       We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the form of depositary receipt without consent of the holder at any time. However, if the amendment adds or increases fees or charges (other than any change in the fees of any depositary, registrar or transfer agent) or prejudices an important right of holders, it will only become effective with the approval of holders of at least a majority of the affected depositary shares then outstanding. We will make no amendment that impairs the right of any holder of depositary shares, as described above under “— Withdrawal of Preferred Stock”, to receive shares of preferred stock and any money or other property represented by those depositary shares, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law. If an amendment becomes effective, holders are deemed to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the amended deposit agreement if they continue to hold their depositary receipts.

       The deposit agreement automatically terminates if:

       We may also terminate the deposit agreement at any time we wish. If we do so, the depositary will give notice of termination to the record holders not less than 30 days before the termination date. Once depositary receipts are surrendered to the depositary, it will send to each holder the number of whole or fractional shares of the series of preferred stock underlying that holder’s depositary receipts.

Charges of Depositary and Expenses

       We will pay the fees, charges and expenses of the depositary provided in the deposit agreement to be payable by us. Holders of depositary receipts will pay any taxes and governmental charges and any charges provided in the deposit agreement to be payable by them. If the depositary incurs fees, charges or expenses for which it is not otherwise liable at the election of a holder of a depositary receipt or other person, that holder or other person will be liable for those fees, charges and expenses.

Limitations on Our Obligations and Liability to Holders of Depositary Receipts

       The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary as follows:

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

       The depositary may resign at any time by notifying us of its election to do so. In addition, we may remove the depositary at any time. Within 60 days after the delivery of the notice of resignation or removal of the depositary, we will appoint a successor depositary.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR COMMON STOCK

       The following briefly summarizes the provisions of our restated articles of incorporation and bylaws that would be important to holders of common stock. The following description may not be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the terms and provisions of our restated articles of incorporation and bylaws which are exhibits to the registration statement which contains this prospectus.

Our Common Stock

       Our authorized capital stock includes 480,000,000 shares of common stock. As of January 3, 2003, there were 226,798,999 shares of common stock outstanding, which were held by 16,914 shareholders of record.

       Each share of common stock is entitled to participate pro rata in distributions upon liquidation, subject to the rights of holders of preferred shares, and to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, including the election of directors. A vote of two-thirds of the voting power of all outstanding voting shares is required in order to approve certain business combinations or to amend the provisions in our restated articles of incorporation applicable to such business combinations. Holders of common stock have no preemptive or similar equity preservation rights, and cumulative voting of shares in the election of directors is prohibited.

       The holders of common stock may receive cash dividends as declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to the rights of any holders of preferred shares. We are a holding company, and our primary source for the payment of dividends is dividends from our subsidiaries. Various state laws and regulations limit the amount of dividends that may be paid to us by our insurance subsidiaries.

       The outstanding shares of common stock are, and the shares of common stock offered by the registration statement when issued will be, fully paid and nonassessable.

       Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SPC”.

Transfer Agent

       The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, N.A.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters

       We are subject to Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 302A. Minnesota Statutes, Section 302A.521, provides that a corporation shall indemnify any person made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding by reason of the former or present official capacity (as defined) of that person against judgments, penalties, fines (including, without limitation, excise taxes assessed against such person with respect to an employee benefit plan), settlements and reasonable expenses (including attorneys’

       Our bylaws provide that, subject to the limitations of the next sentence, we will indemnify and make permitted advances to a person made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding by reason of his former or present official capacity against judgments, penalties, fines (including, without limitation, excise taxes assessed against the person with respect to an employee benefit plan), settlements and reasonable expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by that person in connection with the proceeding in the manner and to the fullest extent permitted or required by Section 302A.521. However, we will neither indemnify nor make advances under Section 302A.521 to any person who at the time of the occurrence or omission, which is claimed to have given rise to the matter which is the subject of the proceeding, only had an agency relationship to us and was not at that time our officer, director or employee unless such person and we were at that time parties to a written contract for indemnification or advances with respect to such matter or unless our board of directors specifically authorizes such indemnification or advances.

       We have directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies, with coverage of up to $250 million, subject to various deductibles and exclusions from coverage.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS WE MAY OFFER

General

       We may issue warrants to purchase senior debt securities, subordinated debt securities, preferred stock, common stock or any combination of these securities and these warrants may be issued by us independently or together with any underlying securities and may be attached or separate from the underlying securities. We will issue each series of warrants under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants of such series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency for or with holders or beneficial owners of warrants.

       The following outlines some of the general terms and provisions of the warrants. Further terms of the warrants and the applicable warrant agreement will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. The following description and any description of the warrants in a prospectus supplement may not be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the terms and provisions of the warrant agreement, a form of which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement which contains this prospectus.

       Warrant certificates may be exchanged for new warrant certificates of different denominations, and warrants may be exercised at the warrant agent’s corporate trust office or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Prior to the exercise of their warrants, holders of warrants exercisable for debt securities will not have any of the rights of holders of the debt securities purchasable upon such exercise and will not be entitled to payments of principal (or premium, if any) or interest, if any, on the debt securities purchasable upon such exercise. Prior to the exercise of their warrants, holders of warrants exercisable for shares of preferred stock or common stock will not have any rights of holders of the preferred stock or common stock purchasable upon such exercise and will not be entitled to dividend payments, if any, or voting rights of the preferred stock or common stock purchasable upon such exercise.

Exercise of Warrants

       A warrant will entitle the holder to purchase for cash an amount of securities at an exercise price that will be stated in, or that will be determinable as described in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Warrants may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration

       Warrants may be exercised as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Upon receipt of payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If less than all of the warrants represented by such warrant certificate are exercised, a new warrant certificate will be issued for the remaining warrants.

Enforceability of Rights; Governing Law

       The holders of warrants, without the consent of the warrant agent, may, on their own behalf and for their own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against us to enforce their rights to exercise and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of their warrants. Unless otherwise stated in the prospectus supplement, each issue of warrants and the applicable warrant agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of New York.

DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS WE MAY OFFER

       We may issue stock purchase contracts, representing contracts obligating holders to purchase from or sell to us, and obligating us to purchase from or sell to the holders, a specified number of shares of our common stock or preferred stock, as applicable, at a future date or dates. The price per share of common stock or preferred stock, as applicable, may be fixed at the time the stock purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula contained in the stock purchase contracts. We may issue stock purchase contracts in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish.

       The applicable prospectus supplement may contain, where applicable, the following information about the stock purchase contracts issued under it:

       The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any stock purchase contracts. The preceding description and any description of stock purchase contracts in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the stock purchase contract agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depository arrangements relating to such stock purchase contracts.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS WE MAY OFFER

       We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

       The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:

       The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any units. The preceding description and any description of units in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the unit agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such units.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED SECURITIES THAT THE TRUST MAY OFFER

       The following summary outlines the material terms and provisions of the preferred securities that the Trust may offer. The particular terms of any preferred securities the Trust offers and the extent if any to which these general terms and provisions may or may not apply to the preferred securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

       The Trust will issue the preferred securities under an amended and restated declaration of trust, which we will enter into at the time of any offering of preferred securities by the Trust. The amended and restated declaration of trust for the Trust is subject to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and Chase Manhattan Bank USA, National Association will act as Delaware trustee and JPMorgan Chase Bank will act as institutional trustee under the amended and restated declaration of trust for the purposes of compliance with the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act. The terms of the preferred securities will be those contained in the applicable amended and restated declaration of trust and those made part of the amended and restated declaration of trust by the Trust Indenture Act and the Delaware Business Trust Act. The following summary may not be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the form of amended and restated declaration of trust, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement which contains this prospectus, the Trust Indenture Act and the Delaware Business Trust Act.

Terms

       The amended and restated declaration of trust will provide that the Trust may issue, from time to time, only one series of preferred securities and one series of common securities. The preferred securities will be offered to investors and the common securities will be held by us. The terms of the preferred securities, as a general matter, will mirror the terms of the senior or the subordinated debt securities that we will issue to the Trust in exchange for the proceeds of the sales of the preferred and common securities, and any conversion feature applicable to the preferred securities will mirror the terms of the convertible debt securities or warrants, if any, that we will have issued to the Trust.

       You should refer to the applicable prospectus supplement relating to the preferred securities for specific terms of the preferred securities, including, but not limited to:

       We will guarantee the preferred securities to the extent described below under “Description of Trust Guarantee”. Our guarantee, when taken together with our obligations under the related debt securities and the related indenture and any warrants and related warrant agreement, and our obligations under the amended and restated declaration of trust, would provide a full, irrevocable and unconditional guarantee of amounts due on any preferred securities and the distribution of any securities to which the holders would be entitled upon conversion of the preferred securities, if the preferred securities are convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock or other securities. Certain United States federal income tax considerations applicable to any offering of preferred securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution

       Unless otherwise specified in an applicable prospectus supplement, the amended and restated declaration of trust states that the Trust will be dissolved:

       Unless otherwise specified in an applicable prospectus supplement, in the event of a dissolution as described above other than in connection with redemption, after the Trust satisfies all liabilities to its creditors as provided by applicable law, each holder of the preferred or common securities issued by the Trust will be entitled to receive:

       If the Trust cannot pay the full amount due on its preferred and common securities because it has insufficient assets available for payment, then the amounts payable by the Trust on its preferred and common securities will be paid on a pro rata basis. However, if an event of default under the indenture has occurred and is continuing with respect to any series of related debt securities, the total amounts due on the preferred securities will be paid before any distribution on the common securities.

       The following will be events of default under the amended and restated declaration of trust:

       If an event of default with respect to a related series of debt securities occurs and is continuing under the related indenture, and the related indenture trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the related debt securities outstanding fail to declare the principal amount of all of such debt securities to be immediately due and payable, the holders of at least 25% in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding preferred securities of the trust holding the debt securities will have the right to declare such principal amount immediately due and payable by providing written notice to us, the institutional trustee and the indenture trustee under the related indenture.

       At any time after a declaration of acceleration has been made with respect to a related series of debt securities and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained, the holders of a majority in liquidation amount of the affected preferred securities may rescind any declaration of acceleration with respect to the related debt securities and its consequences:

       The holders of a majority in liquidation amount of the affected preferred securities may waive any past default under the indenture with respect to related debt securities, other than a default in the payment of principal of, or any premium or interest on, any related debt security or a default with respect to a covenant or provision that cannot be amended or modified without the consent of the holder of each affected outstanding related debt security. In addition, the holders of at least a majority in liquidation amount of the affected preferred securities may waive any past default under the amended and restated declaration of trust.

       The holders of a majority in liquidation amount of the affected preferred securities shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceedings for any remedy available to the institutional trustee or to direct the exercise of any trust or power conferred on the institutional trustee under the amended and restated declaration of trust.

       A holder of preferred securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against us, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the institutional trustee or anyone else, for enforcement of payment to the holder of principal and any premium or interest on the related series of debt securities having a principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the preferred securities of the holder, if we fail to pay principal and any premium or interest on the related series of debt securities when payable.

       We are required to furnish annually, to the institutional trustee for the Trust, officers’ certificates to the effect that, to the best knowledge of the individuals providing the certificates, we and the Trust are not in default under the applicable amended and restated declaration of trust or, if there has been a default, specifying the default and its status.

       The Trust may not consolidate or merge with or into, or be replaced by, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any entity, except as described below or as described in “— Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution”. The Trust may, with the consent of the administrative trustees but without the consent of the holders of the outstanding preferred securities or the other trustees of the Trust, consolidate or merge with or into, or be replaced by, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, a trust organized under the laws of any State if:

       In addition, unless all of the holders of the preferred securities approve otherwise, the Trust may not consolidate, amalgamate or merge with or into, or be replaced by, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any other entity, or permit any other entity to consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into or replace it if the transaction would cause the

Voting Rights

       Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holders of the preferred securities will have no voting rights except as discussed below and under “— Amendment to the Trust Agreement” and “Description of Trust Guarantee — Modification of the Trust Guarantee; Assignment” and as otherwise required by law.

       If any proposed amendment to the amended and restated declaration of trust provides for, or the trustee of the Trust otherwise proposes to effect:

then the holders of the affected preferred securities as a class will be entitled to vote on the amendment or proposal. In that case, the amendment or proposal will be effective only if approved by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the affected preferred securities.

       The holders of a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the preferred securities issued by the Trust have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the institutional trustee, or direct the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the institutional trustee under the amended and restated declaration of trust, including the right to direct the institutional trustee, as holder of the debt securities and, if applicable, the warrants, to:

       In addition, before taking any of the foregoing actions, we will provide to the institutional trustee an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of such actions, the trust will not be taxable as a corporation or classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.

       The institutional trustee will notify all preferred securities holders of the Trust of any notice of default received from the indenture trustee with respect to the debt securities held by the Trust.

       Any required approval of the holders of preferred securities may be given at a meeting of the holders of the preferred securities convened for the purpose or pursuant to written consent. The

       No vote or consent of the holders of the preferred securities will be required for the Trust to redeem and cancel its preferred securities in accordance with its amended and restated declaration of trust.

       Notwithstanding that holders of the preferred securities are entitled to vote or consent under any of the circumstances described above, any of the preferred securities that are owned by us, or any affiliate of ours will, for purposes of any vote or consent, be treated as if they were not outstanding.

Amendment to the Trust Agreement

       The amended and restated declaration of trust may be amended from time to time by us and the institutional trustee and the administrative trustees of the Trust, without the consent of the holders of the preferred securities, to:

provided, however, that, in each case, the amendment would not adversely affect in any material respect the interests of the holders of the preferred securities.

       Other amendments to the amended and restated declaration of trust may be made by us and the trustees of the Trust upon approval of the holders of a majority in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding preferred securities of the Trust and receipt by the trustees of an opinion of counsel to the effect that the amendment will not cause the Trust to be taxable as a corporation or classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes, affect the treatment of the subordinated debt securities held by the Trust as indebtedness for United States federal income tax purposes or affect the Trust’s exemption from the Investment Company Act of 1940.

       Notwithstanding the foregoing, without the consent of each affected holder of common or preferred securities of the Trust, an amended and restated declaration of trust may not be amended to:

       Unless an event of default exists under the debt securities or, if the preferred securities are convertible and there is a separate warrant agreement, the warrant agreement, we may remove the institutional trustee and the Delaware trustee at any time. If an event of default exists, the institutional trustee and the Delaware trustee may be removed only by the holders of a majority in liquidation amount of the outstanding preferred securities. In no event will the holders of the preferred securities have the right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the administrative trustees, because these voting rights are vested exclusively in us as the holder of all the Trust’s common securities. No resignation or removal of the institutional trustee or the Delaware trustee and no appointment of a successor trustee shall be effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee in accordance with the amended and restated declaration of trust.

Merger or Consolidation of Trustees

       Any entity into which the institutional trustee or the Delaware trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the trustee shall be a party, or any entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the trustee, shall be the successor of the trustee under the applicable amended and restated declaration of trust; provided, however, that the entity shall be otherwise qualified and eligible.

Information Concerning the Institutional Trustee

       For matters relating to compliance with the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the institutional trustee for the Trust will have all of the duties and responsibilities of an indenture trustee under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. Except if an event of default exists under the amended and restated declaration of trust, the institutional trustee will undertake to perform only the duties specifically set forth in the amended and restated declaration of trust. While such an event of default exists, the institutional trustee must exercise the same degree of care and skill as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the institutional trustee is not obligated to exercise any of the powers vested in it by the amended and restated declaration of trust at the request of any holder of preferred securities, unless it is offered reasonable indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur. But the holders of preferred securities will not be required to offer indemnity if the holders, by exercising their voting rights, direct the institutional trustee to take any action following a declaration event of default.

       JPMorgan Chase Bank, which is the institutional trustee for the Trust and St. Paul Capital Trust I (a statutory business trust created under Delaware law by us), also serves as the senior debt indenture trustee, the subordinated debt indenture trustee and the guarantee trustee under the trust guarantee described below. We and certain of our affiliates maintain banking relationships with JPMorgan Chase Bank, which are described above under “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Our Relationship With the Trustee”.

Miscellaneous

       The administrative trustees of the Trust are authorized and directed to conduct the affairs of and to operate the Trust in such a way that:

       We and the trustees are authorized to take any action, so long as it is consistent with applicable law, the certificate of trust or the amended and restated declaration of trust, that we and the trustees determine to be necessary or desirable for the above purposes, as long as it does not materially and adversely affect the holders of the preferred securities.

       Registered holders of the preferred securities have no preemptive or similar rights.

       The Trust may not, among other things, incur indebtedness or place a lien on any of its assets.

Governing Law

       The amended and restated declaration of trust and the preferred securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflict of laws provisions thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF TRUST GUARANTEE

       The following describes certain general terms and provisions of the trust guarantee which we will execute and deliver for the benefit of the holders from time to time of preferred securities. The trust guarantee will be separately qualified as an indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, and JPMorgan Chase Bank will act as indenture trustee under the trust guarantee for the purposes of compliance with the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. The terms of the trust guarantee will be those contained in the trust guarantee and those made part of the trust guarantee by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. The following summary may not be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the form of trust guarantee, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement which contains this prospectus, and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. The trust guarantee will be held by the guarantee trustee of the Trust for the benefit of the holders of the preferred securities.

General

       We will irrevocably and unconditionally agree to pay or make the following payments or distributions with respect to preferred securities, in full, to the holders of the preferred securities, as and when they become due regardless of any defense, right of set-off or counterclaim that the Trust may have except for the defense of payment:

       Our obligation to make a payment under the trust guarantee may be satisfied by our direct payment of the required amounts to the holders of preferred securities to which the trust guarantee relates or by causing the Trust to pay the amounts to the holders.

Modification of the Trust Guarantee; Assignment

       Except with respect to any changes which do not adversely affect the rights of holders of preferred securities in any material respect (in which case no vote will be required), the trust guarantee may be amended only with the prior approval of the holders of not less than a majority in

Termination

       The trust guarantee will terminate when any of the following has occurred:

       The trust guarantee will continue to be effective or will be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any holder of preferred securities to which the trust guarantee relates must restore payment of any amounts paid on the preferred securities or under the trust guarantee.

Events of Default

       There will be an event of default under the trust guarantee if we fail to perform any of our payment or other obligations under the trust guarantee. However, other than with respect to a default in payment of any guarantee payment, we must have received notice of default and not have cured the default within 90 days after receipt of the notice. We, as guarantor, will be required to file annually with the guarantee trustee a certificate regarding our compliance with the applicable conditions and covenants under our trust guarantee.

       The trust guarantee will constitute a guarantee of payment and not of collection. The holders of a majority in liquidation amount of the preferred securities to which the trust guarantee relates have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the guarantee trustee in respect of the trust guarantee or to direct the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the guarantee trustee under the trust guarantee. If the guarantee trustee fails to enforce the trust guarantee, any holder of preferred securities to which the trust guarantee relates may institute a legal proceeding directly against us to enforce the holder’s rights under the trust guarantee, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the trust, the guarantee trustee or any one else. If we do not make a guarantee payment, a holder of preferred securities may directly institute a proceeding against us for enforcement of the trust guarantee for such payment.

Status of the Trust Guarantee

       The applicable prospectus supplement relating to the preferred securities will indicate whether the trust guarantee is our senior or subordinated obligation. If the trust guarantee is our senior obligation it will be our general unsecured obligation and will rank equal to our other senior and unsecured obligations.

       If the trust guarantee is our subordinated obligation, it will be our general unsecured obligation and will rank as follows:

       The terms of the preferred securities provide that each holder of preferred securities by acceptance of the preferred securities agrees to any subordination provisions and other terms of the trust guarantee relating to applicable subordination.

Information Concerning the Guarantee Trustee

       The guarantee trustee, except if we default under the trust guarantee, will undertake to perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in the trust guarantee and, in case a default with respect to the trust guarantee has occurred, must exercise the same degree of care and skill as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the guarantee trustee will not be obligated to exercise any of the powers vested in it by the trust guarantee at the request of any holder of the preferred securities unless it is offered reasonable indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it may incur.

Governing Law

       The trust guarantee will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Effect of Obligations Under the Subordinated Debt Securities and the Trust Guarantee

       As long as we may make payments of interest and any other payments when they are due on the subordinated debt securities held by the Trust, those payments will be sufficient to cover distributions and any other payments due on the preferred securities issued by the Trust because of the following factors:

       We will irrevocably guarantee payments of distributions and other amounts due on the preferred securities to the extent the Trust has funds available to pay such amounts as and to the extent set forth under “Description of Trust Guarantee”. Taken together, our obligations under the subordinated debt securities, the subordinated debt indenture, the amended and restated declaration of trust and the trust guarantee will provide a full, irrevocable and unconditional guarantee of the Trust’s payments of distributions and other amounts due on the preferred securities. No single document standing alone or operating in conjunction with fewer than all of the other documents constitutes this

       If and to the extent that we do not make the required payments on the subordinated debt securities, the Trust will not have sufficient funds to make its related payments, including distributions on the preferred securities. Our trust guarantee will not cover any payments when the Trust does not have sufficient funds available to make those payments. Your remedy, as a holder of preferred securities, is to institute a direct action against us. Our obligations under the trust guarantee will be subordinate to all of our senior indebtedness.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

       We and the Trust may offer and sell the securities from time to time as follows:

       Any underwriter or agent involved in the offer and sale of the securities will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement.

       Because the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (“NASD”) views securities such as the preferred securities as interest in a direct participation program, any offering of preferred securities by the Trust will be made in compliance with Rule 2810 of the NASD’s Conduct Rules.

       In some cases, we and the Trust may also repurchase the securities and reoffer them to the public by one or more of the methods described above. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

       The securities we and the Trust distribute by any of these methods may be sold to the public, in one or more transactions, either:

       We and the Trust may solicit offers to purchase securities directly from the public from time to time. We and the Trust may also designate agents from time to time to solicit offers to purchase securities from the public on our or the Trust’s behalf. The prospectus supplement relating to any particular offering of securities will name any agents designated to solicit offers, and will include information about any commissions we or the Trust may pay the agents, in that offering. Agents may be deemed to be “underwriters” as that term is defined in the Securities Act.

       In connection with the sale of securities, underwriters may receive compensation from us or the Trust or from purchasers of the securities, for whom they may act as agents, in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents.

       Unless otherwise specified in the related prospectus supplement, each series of the securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than the common stock. Any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance. We and the Trust may elect to list any of the other securities on an exchange, but are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in a series of the securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. Therefore, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the securities.

       If dealers are utilized in the sale of the securities, we and the Trust will sell the securities to the dealers as principals. The dealers may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealers at the time of resale. The names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

       We and the Trust may enter into agreements with underwriters, dealers and agents who participate in the distribution of the securities which may entitle these persons to indemnification by us and the Trust against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments which such underwriters, dealers or agents may be required to make in respect thereof. Any agreement in which we agree to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

       In connection with an offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell securities in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of securities than they are required to purchase in an offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of certain bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities while an offering is in progress.

       The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the underwriters have repurchased securities sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short-covering transactions.

       These activities by the underwriters may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the securities. As a result, the price of the securities may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be discontinued by the underwriters at any time. These transactions may be effected on an exchange or automated quotation system, if the securities are listed on that exchange or admitted for trading on that automated quotation system, or in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

       We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to give any information or represent anything not contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information. This prospectus does not offer to sell or buy any securities in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful.

       Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with or perform services for us or the Trust, or be customers of ours or the Trust, in the ordinary course of business.

VALIDITY OF SECURITIES

       Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, certain matters of Delaware law relating to the Trust and its preferred securities will be passed upon for the Trust and us by Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A., Wilmington, Delaware. Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities will be passed upon for us by Bruce A. Backberg, Esq., our Senior Vice President, and for the underwriters, if any, by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York, New York. Mr. Backberg may rely as to matters of New York law upon the opinion of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP may rely as to matters of Minnesota law upon the opinion of Mr. Backberg. As of January 6, 2003, Mr. Backberg owned, directly and indirectly, 20,289 shares of our common stock, 458 shares of our Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and currently exercisable options to purchase 85,135 additional shares of our common stock. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP regularly provides legal services to us.

EXPERTS

       Our consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedules I through V as of December 31, 2001 and 2000, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2001, which are included in or incorporated by reference in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 and which have been incorporated by reference in this registration statement, have been audited by KPMG LLP, independent accountants, as set forth in their reports thereon incorporated by reference herein. The consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedules referred to above are included in reliance upon such reports of KPMG LLP, given upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The audit reports covering the December 31, 2001 consolidated financial statements and schedules refer to changes in the Company’s methods of accounting for derivative instruments and hedging activities and insurance-related assessments.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

       We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference rooms in Washington, D.C., New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference rooms. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SPC”. You may inspect the reports, proxy statements and other information concerning us at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange, 11 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005.

       The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. Information furnished under Item 9 of our current reports on Form 8-K is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus and registration statement. We furnished information under Item 9 of our current reports on Form 8-K filed June 3 and August 14, 2002. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and filings that we make after the date of filing the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of that registration statement, and any future filings made by us with the SEC under

       You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

       Corporate Secretary, The St. Paul Companies, Inc., 385 Washington Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102. (651) 310-7911.

       We have not included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus any separate financial statements of the Trust. We do not believe that these financial statements would provide holders of preferred securities with any important information for the following reasons:

       Although the Trust would normally be required to file information with the SEC on an ongoing basis, we expect the SEC to exempt the Trust from filing this information for as long as we continue to file our information with the SEC.

      You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We have not, and the remarketing agents have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and the remarketing agents are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus supplement.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement

Prospectus

$                                          

The St. Paul Travelers

Companies, Inc.

Senior Notes due August 16, 2007

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Banc of America Securities LLC