Exhibit 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION
                          PURSUANT TO 17 CFR 240.13a-14
                                PROMULGATED UNDER
                  SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002


I, George R. Trumbull, III, certify that:

1.      I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of NYMAGIC, INC.;

2.      Based on my  knowledge,  this annual  report does not contain any untrue
        statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary
        to make the statements made, in light of the  circumstances  under which
        such  statements  were made, not  misleading  with respect to the period
        covered by this annual report;

3.      Based on my knowledge,  the financial  statements,  and other  financial
        information  included  in this  annual  report,  fairly  present  in all
        material  respects the financial  condition,  results of operations  and
        cash flows of the  registrant  as of, and for, the periods  presented in
        this annual report;

4.      The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer and I are  responsible for
        establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls and  procedures (as
        defined  in  Exchange  Act  Rules   13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  for  the
        registrant and we have:

        (a)    designed such disclosure controls and procedures,  or caused such
               disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to be  designed  under our
               supervision,  to ensure that material information relating to the
               registrant,  including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made
               known to us by others within those entities,  particularly during
               the period in which this annual report is being prepared;

        (b)    evaluated  the  effectiveness  of  the  registrant's   disclosure
               controls and  procedures  and presented in this annual report our
               conclusions  about the  effectiveness of the disclosure  controls
               and  procedures,  as of the  end of the  period  covered  by this
               report based on such evaluation; and

        (c)    disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's  internal
               control  over  financial  reporting  (as defined in Exchange  Act
               Rules   13a-15(f)  and  15d-15(f))   that  occurred   during  the
               registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's  fourth
               fiscal  quarter  in  the  case  of an  annual  report)  that  has
               materially  affected,  or  is  reasonably  likely  to  materially
               affect,   the   registrant's   internal  control  over  financial
               reporting; and

5.      The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on
        our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,
        to the  registrant's  auditors and the audit  committee of  registrant's
        board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

        (a)    all  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in the
               design or operation of internal control over financial  reporting
               which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the registrant's
               ability  to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial
               information; and

        (b)    any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves management or
               other employees who have a significant  role in the  registrant's
               internal control over financial reporting.

Date: March 15, 2004


/s/ George R. Trumbull, III
---------------------------
George R. Trumbull, III
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer