Latest AM Best Headlines
All the headlines from our AM Best Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Europe’s Top Cedents Saw Cessions Jump by Double Digits in 2015: A.M. Best
Sep 8 2016 // Europe’s top cedents reported a double-digit hike in cessions for 2015 compared to the previous year. The trend stems from their taking advantage of cheap and bountiful reinsurance capacity, A.M. Best said in a new...
Negative Reinsurance Sector Outlook Not Changing Anytime Soon: A.M. Best
Sep 7 2016 // A.M. Best said its outlook for the reinsurance sector remains negative due to a multitude of factors, and it will likely stay that way for quite some time. “Our rating outlook remains longer-term than our typical...
A.M. Best Downgrades Ratings of Florida-Based American Capital Assurance
Aug 30 2016 // A.M. Best has downgraded the financial strength rating to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating to “a-” from “a+” for American Capital Assurance Corp (ACAC) of St....
Outlooks for Wisconsin Mutual Insurance Revised to Positive: A.M. Best
Aug 26 2016 // A.M. Besthas revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a-” of Wisconsin Mutual Insurance Co. (WMIC) in Madison,...
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Positive for Texas-Based State National Group
Aug 25 2016 // A.M. Best revised the issuer credit rating (ICR) outlook to positive from stable, and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the ICRs of “a” of State National Insurance Co. Inc. and...
Low Prices Ultimately Could Bite London Market Insurers: A.M. Best, PwC Reports
Aug 24 2016 // The business outlook for the London insurance market is a familiar one across other global markets: underwriting profits are under pressure as ongoing soft market prices begin to take a toll. In separate reports on the...
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Negative for New York-Based Lancer Insurance
Aug 22 2016 // A.M. Best has revised its outlook from stable to negative for New York-based Lancer Insurance Co. and Lancer Indemnity Co. The move comes as Lancer Insurance’s underwriting performance declined in the past several...
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Negative for New York-Based Lancer Insurance
Aug 11 2016 // A.M. Best has revised its outlook from stable to negative for New York-based Lancer Insurance Co. and Lancer Indemnity Co.. The move comes as Lancer Insurance’s underwriting performance declined in the past several...
A.M. Best Assigns ‘A’ Rating to Starr International (Europe) Ltd.
Aug 8 2016 // A.M. Best has assigned a financial strength rating of “A” (Excellent) and an issuer credit rating of “a” to UK-based Starr International (Europe) Ltd. (SIEL). The outlook assigned to each rating is...
Captive Insurers in Strong Position: A.M. Best
Aug 3 2016 // Captive insurance companies rated by A.M. Best ended 2015 in strong form, recording pretax operating income of $1.4 billion, a 13.5 percent increase over 2014, according to a new A.M. Best special report. The Best Special...
A.M. Best Withdraws Ratings of Century Casualty Company in Georgia
Jul 28 2016 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of B (Fair) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bb+” of Century Casualty Company in Alpharetta, Ga. The outlook for the FSR remains stable, while...
Ironshore Files for IPO in U.S. After A.M. Best Review of Parent Firm Fosun
Jul 25 2016 // Ironshore Inc., the insurer purchased by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd. last year, filed for an initial public offering in the U.S. after a ratings firm cited concerns about the parent firm’s financial...
Best Revises Lloyd’s Outlook to Stable from Positive on Difficult Business Conditions
Jul 22 2016 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to stable from positive of Lloyd’s and Lloyd’s Insurance Co. (China) Ltd., while at the same time affirming their financial strength rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and issuer...
A.M. Best’s ‘A-‘ Rating Not as Good as It Seems: Fitch
Jul 14 2016 // Fitch Ratings this week warned that users of insurance ratings from four large credit rating agencies (CRAs) fail to understand differences in the rating scales – differences that separate A.M. Best from the rest of that...
A.M. Best Upgrades North Carolina’s Atlantic Casualty Ratings
Jul 11 2016 // A.M. Best removed from under review with positive implications and upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a” from...
P/C Insurance Results for Q1 Hurt by High Catastrophe Losses, Low Investment Income
Jul 8 2016 // Driven by the highest level of first-quarter catastrophe losses since 2011, the underwriting results of the U.S. property/casualty (P/C) industry in the first quarter of 2016 deteriorated from the prior year. The industry...
A.M. Best: Outlook Stable for Southern Pioneer Property and Casualty Insurance
Jul 7 2016 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating of B++ (Good) and the issuer credit rating of “bbb” of Southern Pioneer Property and Casualty Insurance Co....
AXIS Capital’s New Bermuda Operation, Harrington Re, Raises $600M
Jul 6 2016 // Harrington Re, a fledgling Bermuda operation sponsored by AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd., has raised $600 million in capital designed to beef up underwriting and investment plans put forth by its sponsor. Blackstone Group will...
A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Markel Int’l & Lloyd’s Syndicate 3000
Jul 5 2016 // A.M. Besthas affirmed the financial strength ratings of A (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings of “a+” of UK-based Markel International Insurance Co. Ltd.(MIICL) and Lloyd’s Syndicate 3000. The...
A.M. Best Removes Ironshore from ‘Under Review’ Status
Jun 27 2016 // A.M. Best has changed its mind about Ironshore, removing the Bermuda-based specialty insurer from its status as “under review with negative implications.” A year after initially taking action, the ratings...
