UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 5 ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP ( ) Check box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). ( ) Form 3 Holdings Reported ( ) Form 4 Transactions Reported 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person Burns, Jr., John J. Alleghany Corporation 375 Park Avenue New York, NY 10152 USA 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Alleghany Corporation Y 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) 4. Statement for Month/Year December 31, 2000 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) (X) Director ( ) 10% Owner (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below) President 7. Individual or Joint/Group Reporting (Check Applicable Line) (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | |Transaction| or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | |Date |Code| | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | | | Amount | D | Price | End of Year |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common Stock |1/31/0|G |100 |D | | | | | |0 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |3/1/00|G |100 |D | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |3/21/0|A(1)|7,709 |A |$181.28 | | | | |0 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |3/21/0|D(1)|3,854 |D |$181.28 | | | | |0 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |10/23/|G |306 |D | | | | | |00 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |11/2/0|G |504 |D | | | | | |0 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |12/12/|G(2)|1,234 |D | | | | | |00 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |12/14/|G |536 |D | |58,948(3) |D | | |00 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |12/12/|G(2)|734 |A | | | | | |00 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |12/28/|G |234 |D | |1,254(3) |I |by wife | |00 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer |Date |Code| rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise Pr | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |ice of | | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity | | | Amount | |ble | | | |Year |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: (1) Settlement of 7,709 performance shares for 3,855 shares of Common Stock and $698,839.22 in cash. (2) Includes gift to wife sharing the household of the undersigned. (3) Includes shares of Common Stock paid by Alleghany Corporation as a stock dividend in April 2000. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON /s/ John J. Burns, Jr. DATE January 9, 2001