Latest AM Best Headlines

All the headlines from our AM Best Topic Page, ordered by recency.

A.M. Best Withdraws West Virginia National Auto, Downgrades Ratings

Jan 8 2018 // A.M. Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B- (Fair) from B (Fair) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bb-” from “bb” of West Virginia National Auto Insurance Co. (Morgantown, WV)....

A.M. Best Upgrades Pennsylvania’s Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance

Jan 8 2018 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating of Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Marble, Penn., to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a” from...

A.M. Best Withdraws West Virginia National Auto, Downgrades Ratings

Dec 28 2017 // A.M. Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B- (Fair) from B (Fair) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bb-” from “bb” of West Virginia National Auto Insurance Co. (Morgantown, WV)....

A.M. Best Affirms Allied World’s Ratings

Dec 22 2017 // Ratings agency A.M. Best has removed Allied World Assurance Co. Ltd. and its divisions from their status as “under review with negative implications” and affirmed Allied World’s financial strength rating...

Reinsurance Price Hikes May Be Short-Lived as Capacity Is Abundant

Dec 22 2017 // While overall market conditions may improve over the near term as a result of catastrophe events in the third quarter of 2017, A.M. Best continues to hold a negative outlook for the global reinsurance sector in 2018. In a...

A.M. Best Downgrades Credit Ratings of California Capital and Subsidiaries

Dec 20 2017 // A.M. Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a-” from “a” of California Capital Insurance Co. and its wholly...

A.M. Best Removes Michigan’s Conifer Holdings, Subsidiaries from Under Review

Dec 20 2017 // A.M. Best has removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “bbb” of Birmingham,...

A.M. Best Upgrades Pennsylvania’s Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance

Dec 20 2017 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating of Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Marble, Penn., to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a” from...

A.M. Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Crusader Insurance in California

Dec 14 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” of Crusader Insurance Co. Additionally,...

A.M. Best Upgrades Outlooks for Petroleum Marketers Management Insurance

Dec 13 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating “a-” of Des Moines, Iowa-based Petroleum Marketers...

Tower Group Companies Top List of U.S. P/C Impairments in 2016: A.M. Best

Dec 13 2017 // Of the 14 property/casualty impairments identified for 2016, 11 were members of the Tower Group, with the remaining three composed of two medical professional liability risk retention groups and a commercial lines...

A.M. Best Downgrades GuideOne Insurance Companies’ Credit Ratings

Dec 7 2017 // A.M. Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) to “a-” from “a” of GuideOne Mutual...

A.M. Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for California Mutual Insurance Co.

Dec 7 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” of California Mutual Insurance Co. The...

Insurers’ Asbestos Payments in 2016 Topped $3 Billion

Nov 30 2017 // While U.S. asbestos-related incurred losses dropped in 2016, property/casualty insurers’ payments for asbestos claims grew 9 percent and hit $3.2 billion for the year, a new A.M. Best report concludes. The $3.2...

Reinsurance Sector’s Share of Hurricane, Quake Losses Is $20B-$25B: A.M. Best

Nov 20 2017 // Cumulative net catastrophe losses for reinsurance companies from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, along with the Mexico earthquakes, are between $20 billion-$25 billion out of an overall industry loss of $90 billion,...

Credit Ratings of Michigan’s Great Lakes Casualty Insurance Co. Withdrawn

Nov 16 2017 // A.M. Best has withdrawn the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a+”, each with a stable outlook, of Great Lakes Casualty Insurance Co. (Great Lakes) in Grand...

Carriers, Reinsurers Under Review as A.M. Best Changes Credit Rating Methodology

Oct 17 2017 // Insurance rating agency A.M. Best announced the publication of the updated Best’s Credit Rating Methodology (BCRM) on Friday, and also announced the names of several insurance and reinsurance groups that the rating...

A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Positive for Insurance Company of the West

Oct 6 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” of Insurance Company of the West and its...

Florida’s Tower Hill Prime Gets Revised Outlooks to Negative From A.M. Best

Oct 4 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and Long Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” of Tower Hill Prime Insurance Co.,...

A.M. Best Upgrades Credit Rating of Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Group in Iowa

Oct 3 2017 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a+” from “a” and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of “A” of Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Co. and...