8-A12B/A

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


                         ------------------------------

                                   FORM 8-A/A

                      AMENDMENT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                   ON FORM 8-A

                        Pursuant to Section 12(b) or (g)
                     of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                                  EXEL LIMITED
              ---------------------------------------------------
               (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)



        CAYMAN ISLANDS                  1-10804                  98-0058718
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(State or Other Jurisdiction          (Commission              (IRS Employer
      of Incorporation)               File Number)           Identification No.)



CUMBERLAND HOUSE, 1 VICTORIA STREET, HAMILTON, BERMUDA            HM 11
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        (Address of Principal Executive Offices)               (Zip Code)




                                 (441) 292-8515
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              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)




                 INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 1. Amendment to Description of Registrant's Securities to be Registered:

          On December 1, 1995, EXEL Limited, a limited liability company
organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands ("EXEL"), entered into a Rights
Agreement (the "Rights Agreement"), by and between EXEL and Mellon
SecuritiesTrust Company, as rights agent (the "Rights Agent"). EXEL and
ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C., as successor Rights Agent, entered
into the first amendment to the Rights Agreement (the "Amendment") as of March
16, 1998. The Amendment provides that the execution and delivery by (i) EXEL,
Exel Merger Company Ltd., a limited liability company organized under the laws
of the Cayman Islands ("New EXEL Limited"), and Mid Ocean Limited, a limited
liability company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands ("Mid Ocean"),
of the Agreement and Scheme of Arrangements, dated as of March 16, 1998 (the
"Arrangements Agreement"), and by (ii) EXEL and JP Morgan Capital Corporation
("JP Morgan") of the Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 1998, and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated by such agreements, will not cause
either (i) New EXEL Limited, Mid Ocean, or JP Morgan to be deemed an Acquiring
Person (as defined in the Rights Agreement), or (ii) a Distribution Date (as
defined in the Rights Agreement) to occur pursuant to the Rights Agreement. The
Amendment also provides that the amended Rights Agreement will expire
immediately prior to the consummation of the schemes of arrangement contemplated
by the Arrangements Agreement, if not earlier.

          On December 6, 1995, EXEL filed a copy of the Rights Agreement with
the Securities and Exchange Commission registering the preferred stock purchase
rights issued pursuant to the Rights Agreement under Section 12(b) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. A copy of the Amendment is filed
herewith. A copy of the Rights Agreement and the Amendment is available free of
charge from the Company. This summary description of the Amendment does not
purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the
Amendment.




Item 2. Exhibits.

Exhibit     Description

2.1         Amendment, dated as of March 16, 1998, to Rights Agreement,
            dated as of December 1, 1995, by and between EXEL and
            ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C., as successor Rights
            Agent.





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                                   SIGNATURES

          Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized.

                                               EXEL LIMITED


Dated April 27, 1998                           By:/s/ Paul S. Giordano
                                                 Name: Paul S. Giordano
                                                 Title: Senior Vice President,
                                                        General Counsel and 
                                                        Secretary






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                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit     Description

2.1         Amendment, dated as of March 16, 1998, to Rights Agreement,
            dated as of December 1, 1995, by and between EXEL and
            ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C., as successor Rights
            Agent.

EX-2

                          AMENDMENT TO RIGHTS AGREEMENT

          AMENDMENT (the "Amendment"), dated as of March 16, 1998, to the Rights
Agreement, dated as of December 1, 1995 (the "Rights Agreement"), between EXEL
Limited, a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the
"Company"), and ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C., as successor Rights
Agent (the "Rights Agent").

                                    Recitals

          I. The Company and the Rights Agent have heretofore executed and
entered into the Rights Agreement.

          II. The Company, New EXEL Limited, a limited liability company
organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands ("New Parent"), and Mid Ocean
Limited, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the Cayman
Islands ("Mid Ocean"), contemplate entering into an Agreement and Scheme of
Arrangements (the "Arrangements Agreement") pursuant to which, among other
things, each of the Company and Mid Ocean will become subsidiaries of New Parent
(the "Schemes"). The Board of Directors of the Company has approved the
Arrangements Agreement.

          III. In connection with the Arrangements Agreement, the Company and JP
Morgan Capital Corporation contemplate entering into a support agreement (the
"Support Agreement") pursuant to which such shareholder of Mid Ocean has agreed
to vote the shares of common stock of Mid Ocean then owned by such shareholder
of Mid Ocean in favor of the Arrangements Agreement. The Board of Directors of
the Company has approved the Support Agreement.

          IV. Pursuant to Section 27 of the Rights Agreement, the Company and
the Rights Agent may from time to time supplement and amend the Rights
Agreement.

          V. The Board of Directors of the Company has determined that an
amendment to the Rights Agreement as set forth herein is necessary and desirable
in connection with the foregoing and the Company and the Rights Agent desire to
evidence such amendment in writing.

          VI. All acts and things necessary to make this Amendment a
valid agreement, enforceable according to its terms, have been done and
performed, and the execution and delivery of this Amendment by the Company and
the Rights Agent have been in all respects duly authorized by the Company and
the Rights Agent.

          Accordingly, the parties agree as follows:

          A. Amendment of Section 1. Section 1 of the Rights Agreement is
supplemented to add the following definitions in the appropriate locations:




          "'Arrangements Agreement' shall mean the Agreement and Scheme of
     Arrangements, dated as of March 16, 1998, by and among EXEL Limited, New
     EXEL Ltd., and Mid Ocean Limited, as it may be amended from time to time."

          "'Schemes' shall have the meaning set forth in the Arrangements
     Agreement."

          "'Support Agreement' shall mean the agreement, dated as of March 16,
     1998, by and between EXEL Limited and JP Morgan Capital Corporation, as it
     may be amended from time to time."

          B. Amendment of the definition of "Acquiring Person". The definition
of "Acquiring Person" in Section 1(a) of the Rights Agreement is amended by
adding the following sentence at the end thereof:

          "Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, New EXEL
     Limited, Mid Ocean Limited, and JP Morgan Capital Corporation and their
     Affiliates and Associates shall not, individually or collectively, be
     deemed to be an Acquiring Person solely by virtue of (i) the execution of
     the Arrangements Agreement or the Support Agreement, as applicable, (ii)
     the consummation of the Schemes, or (iii) the consummation of the other
     transactions contemplated in the Arrangements Agreement or the Support
     Agreement."

          C. Amendment of the definition of "Distribution Date". The definition
of "Distribution Date" in Section 1(m) of the Rights Agreement is amended by
adding the following sentence at the end thereof:

          "Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, a
     Distribution Date shall not be deemed to have occurred solely as the result
     of (i) the execution of the Arrangements Agreement or the Support
     Agreement, (ii) the consummation of the Schemes, or (iii) the consummation
     of the other transactions contemplated in the Arrangements Agreement and
     the Support Agreement."

          D. Amendment of Expiration Date of Rights. Section 7(a) of the Rights
Agreement is amended and restated to read in its entirety as follows:

          "Subject to Section 7(e) hereof, the registered holder of any Right
     Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise
     provided herein including, without limitation, the restrictions on
     exercisability set forth in Sections 9(c), 11(a)(iii), 23(a), and 24(b)
     hereof) in whole or in part at any time after the Distribution Date upon
     surrender of the Right Certificate, with the form of election to purchase
     on the reverse side thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the
     designated office of the Rights Agent, together with payment of the
     aggregate Purchase Price for the total number of Ordinary Shares (or other
     securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) as to which the
     Rights are then exercisable, at or prior to the earlier of (i) the close of
     business on August 31, 2005 (the "Final Expiration Date"), (ii) the time at
     which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof, (iii) the
     time at which all exercisable Rights 

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     are exchanged as provided in Section 24 hereof, or (iv) the consummation of
     the Arrangements (such earliest date being herein referred to as the
     "Expiration Date")."

          E. Amendment of Section 29. Section 29 of the Rights Agreement is
amended to add the following sentence at the end thereof:

          "Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give any holder of
     Rights or any other Person any legal or equitable rights, remedies or
     claims under this Agreement by virtue of the execution of the Arrangements
     Agreement or the Support Agreement or by virtue of any of the transactions
     contemplated by the Arrangements Agreement or the Support Agreement."

          F. Effectiveness. This Amendment shall be deemed effective as of the
date first written above, as if executed on such date. Except as amended hereby,
the Rights Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall be
otherwise unaffected hereby.

          G. Miscellaneous. This Amendment shall be deemed to be a contract made
under the laws of the Cayman Islands and for all purposes shall be governed by
and construed in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands applicable to
contracts to be made and performed entirely therein, except that the rights,
duties and obligations of the Rights Agent shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A. This Amendment may be
executed in any number of counterparts, each of such counterparts shall for all
purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together
constitute but one and the same instrument. If any provision, covenant or
restriction of this Amendment is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or
other authority to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the remainder of the
terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Amendment shall remain in
full force and effect and shall in no way be effected, impaired or invalidated.








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          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to
be duly executed and attested, all as of the date and year first above written.


Attest:                              EXEL LIMITED


/s/Sarah Fox                         /s/Paul S. Giordano
Name: Sarah Fox                      Name: Paul S. Girodano
Title: Executive Assistant           Title: Senior Vice President, 
                                            General Counsel and Secretary


Attest:                              CHASEMELLON SHAREHOLDER
                                            SERVICES, L.L.C.

/s/Robert M. Carvey, Sr.             /s/Robert M. Carvey, Sr.
Name: Robert M. Carvey, Sr.          Name: Robert M. Carvey, Sr.
Title:Group Vice President           Title: Group Vice President




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