AM Best News

U.S. P/C Industry Records $26.5 Billion Underwriting Loss in 2022

The U.S. property/casualty (P/C) industry recorded a $26.5 billion net underwriting loss in 2022, $21.5 billion more than the $5 billion underwriting loss reported in 2021, according to a report published by AM Best. The underwriting loss came despite an …

Cannasure Quickly Moving New and Renewal Business from Topa in California

It appears one of the nation’s better known cannabis insurance specialists is having to do some scrambling after AM Best announced it was downgrading the credit ratings of Topa Insurance Co. in Calabasas, California, and its subsidiary, Dorchester Insurance Company …

AM Best Downgrades Credit Ratings of Topa in California

AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings to “bbb+ (Good) from “a-” (Excellent) of Topa Insurance Co. in Calabasas, California, and its subsidiary, Dorchester Insurance Company Ltd. …

Government’s SVB Intervention Saved Insurers From Significant D&O Claims

Had the federal government not stepped in to make Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) depositors whole, providers of directors and officers insurance for startups and venture capitalists – as well as financial institutions supporting these entities – would have been staring …

2022 In Review: It Was Bad

The year 2022 is in the books for most U.S. property/casualty insurers as the days tick down to statutory filing deadlines. Putting the numbers together, AM Best revealed just how bad the aggregate results looked overall. The rating agency’s recent …

SoCal Storms, Back-to-Back Hurricanes in South Central Part of New Normal?

A new AM Best commentary on the latest winter storm to hit Southern California drives home the growing risk and the financial volatility that weather-related losses pose for the insurance industry. According to the commentary, titled “Changing Weather Patterns, Climate …

No Class of 2023: Why Capital Is Sitting on the Reinsurance Sidelines

Until investors can be convinced that property-catastrophe reinsurance pricing has caught up with recurring event losses, they’ll continue to sit on the market sidelines, a market executive said recently. During an AM Best Reinsurance Briefing, Aditya Dutt, president of Aeolus …

Jan. 1 Renewals: ‘They Got Done’; Carrier Overreliance on Reinsurers Corrected

When an AM Best analyst said, “Apparently, things didn’t go that bad” to describe 1/1 reinsurance renewals, he wasn’t actually saying anything unique. Carlos Wong-Fupuy, a senior director for AM Best, who spoke during an online briefing on Monday, referred …

AM Best Downgrades California Earthquake Authority Credit Ratings

AM Best downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “bbb+” (Good) from “a-” (Excellent) of California Earthquake Authority. The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has been …

AM Best: Historic California Flooding Highlights Need for Robust Private Flood Market

Private flood insurance accounts for over 40% of California’s entire flood market—a significantly larger share than in the other leading states, according to AM Best. A new AM Best commentary notes the ongoing flooding issues in the state will present …