UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Alterra Capital Holdings Limited
__________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[x]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[  ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On January 14, 2013, Peter A. Minton, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Alterra Capital Holdings Limited ("Alterra"), notified Alterra that he would resign his employment effective as of April 1, 2013. The notice was given pursuant to the terms of a Stay Agreement between Mr. Minton and Alterra, dated as of October 18, 2010 and amended as of November 14, 2012 (the "Stay Agreement").

Pursuant to the terms of the Stay Agreement, upon such resignation, Mr. Minton will become entitled to receive severance in an amount equal to two times the sum of his annual base salary plus target bonus, which will be paid in twenty-four equal monthly installments in accordance with Alterra’s normal payroll practices, subject to any required delay under Section 409A of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Based on Mr. Minton’s current annual base salary of $740,000 and current target bonus of $1,850,000, the severance payment is estimated to be equal to $5,180,000. In addition, the Stay Agreement provides that upon his resignation certain unvested restricted shares held by Mr. Minton will continue to vest provided that Mr. Minton adheres to the terms of the Stay Agreement and the continued vesting provisions of the underlying award agreements.

As set forth in the Employment Agreement, dated as of July 27, 2007, by and between Mr. Minton and Alterra, Mr. Minton will be subject to non-compete and non-solicit restrictions for a period of twelve months following his resignation.

Item 8.01 Other Events.

The information set forth in Item 5.02 above is incorporated herein by reference.

INFORMATION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This filing includes statements about future economic performance, finances, expectations, plans and prospects of Alterra and Markel, both individually and on a combined basis, that are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by such statements. For further information regarding factors affecting future results of Alterra and Markel, please refer to their Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed by Alterra and Markel since March 1, 2012 with the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These documents are also available free of charge, in the case of Alterra, by directing a request to Alterra through Joe Roberts, Chief Financial Officer, or Susan Spivak Bernstein, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, at 441-295-8800 and, in the case of Markel, by directing a request to Bruce Kay, Investor Relations, at 804-747-0136. Neither Alterra nor Markel undertakes any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

This filing contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Alterra’s and Markel’s beliefs, plans or expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on Alterra’s or Markel’s current plans, estimates and expectations. Some forward-looking statements may be identified by use of terms such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “will,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar words, terms or statements of a future or forward-looking nature. In light of the inherent risks and uncertainties in all forward-looking statements, the inclusion of such statements in this filing should not be considered as a representation by Alterra, Markel or any other person that Alterra’s or Markel’s objectives or plans, both individually and on a combined basis, will be achieved. A non-exclusive list of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements includes the following: (a) the occurrence of natural or man-made catastrophic events with a frequency or severity exceeding expectations; (b) the adequacy of loss reserves and the need to adjust such reserves as claims develop over time; (c) the failure of any of the loss limitation methods the parties employ; (d) any adverse change in financial ratings of either company or their subsidiaries; (e) the effect of competition on market trends and pricing; (f) cyclical trends, including with respect to demand and pricing in the insurance and reinsurance markets; (g) changes in general economic conditions, including changes in interest rates and/or equity values in the United States of America and elsewhere; and (h) other factors set forth in Alterra’s and Markel’s recent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other documents filed with the SEC by Alterra and Markel.

* * * * *
Risks and uncertainties relating to the proposed transaction include the risks that: (1) the parties will not obtain the requisite shareholder or regulatory approvals for the transaction; (2) the anticipated benefits of the transaction will not be realized or the parties may experience difficulties in successfully integrating the two companies; (3) the parties may not be able to retain key personnel; (4) the conditions to the closing of the proposed merger may not be satisfied or waived; (5) the outcome of any legal proceedings to the extent initiated against Alterra or Markel or its respective directors and officers following the announcement of the proposed merger is uncertain; (6) the acquisition may involve unexpected costs; and (7) the businesses may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the acquisition. These risks, as well as other risks of the combined company and its subsidiaries may be different from what the companies expect, or have previously experienced, and each party’s management may respond differently to any of the aforementioned factors. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the merger, will be more fully discussed in the joint proxy statement/prospectus that will be included in the Registration Statement on Form S-4 to be filed by Alterra and Markel with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED MERGER AND WHERE TO FIND IT:
This filing relates to a proposed transaction between Alterra and Markel that will become the subject of a registration statement, which will include a joint proxy statement/prospectus, to be filed by Alterra and Markel with the SEC. This material is not a substitute for the joint proxy statement/prospectus that Alterra and Markel will file with the SEC or any other document that Alterra or Markel may file with the SEC or Alterra or Markel may send to its shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC OR SENT TO SHAREHOLDERS, INCLUDING THE DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS THAT WILL BE PART OF THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4, AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED MERGER. All documents, when filed, will be available free of charge at the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov) or, in the case of Alterra, by directing a request to Joe Roberts, Chief Financial Officer, or Susan Spivak Bernstein, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, at 441-295-8800 and, in the case of Markel, by directing a request to Bruce Kay, Investor Relations, at 804-747-0136.

Alterra and Markel and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in any solicitation of proxies from both Alterra’s and Markel’s shareholders in favor of the proposed transaction. Information about Alterra’s directors and executive officers and their ownership in Alterra common stock is available in the proxy statement dated March 26, 2012 for Alterra’s 2012 annual general meeting of shareholders. Information about Markel’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of Markel common stock is available in the proxy statement dated March 16, 2012 for Markel’s 2012 annual general meeting of shareholders.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.