Exhibit 10(v)

              Amendment to Employment Agreement of Alan R. Gruber              
              ---------------------------------------------------
  
          THIS AMENDMENT ("Amendment"), dated as of January 1, 1997, amends the
Employment Agreement, dated as of March 19, 1993 (the "Agreement"), between 
Orion Capital Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and Alan R.
Gruber ("Executive");

                               W I T N E S S E T H:


          The Agreement is amended as set forth below.

          1.  The penultimate sentence 1(b) of the Agreement is amended in its
entirety to read as follows:

                     "Until December 31, 1998, Executive shall be an employee 
                      of the Company and during that period the Company shall 
                      make available to Executive appropriate quarters and  
                      secretarial assistance at an office location of the   
                      Company reasonably satisfactory to Executive."

          2.  Paragraph 7(a) of the Agreement is renumbered to 7(a)(i) and a
new paragraph 7(a)(ii) is added to the Agreement to read, in its entirety, as
follows:

                     "In addition to the compensation to be paid to Executive 
                      pursuant to 7(a)(i) above, during the period from     
                      January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1997, the Company shall 
                      pay to Executive an 
























                         amount of $100,000, payable in semi-monthly        
                         installments, as a fee for his special services as 
                         Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Company's 
                         Board of Directors."

          3.  Except as expressly amended hereby, the Agreement shall continue
in full force and effect.

               IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Amendment as
of the date hereinabove set forth.


                                                                               
                                               ORION CAPITAL CORPORATION
                                                                               
                                               By:/s/ Michael Pl Maloney 
                                               --------------------------
                                                   Michael P.Maloney
                                                   Senior Vice President

                                                                               
                                               EXECUTIVE

                                               /s/ Alan R. Gruber              
                                               -------------------------
                                                   Alan R. Gruber


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