earnings News

A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Michigan Insurance Co.

A.M. Best Co. has removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a” of Michigan Insurance Co. based in Grand Rapids, Mich. The outlook assigned to both …

S&P Affirms ING’s Ratings; Removed from CreditWatch; Outlook Negative

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on various operating insurance subsidiaries of ING Groep N.V. (ING) and its ‘A-/A-2’ counterparty credit ratings on Netherlands-based insurance holding company ING Verzekeringen N.V. …

Donegal Group Inc. Acquires Michigan Insurance Co.

Donegal Group Inc. announced that it had completed the acquisition of Michigan Insurance Co., which was formerly a majority-owned subsidiary of West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. The final purchase price will be calculated based on the GAAP book value of …

Insurance Industry Outlook Improving, Slightly

The insurance industry is recovering from the economic crisis, but profits are nowhere near where they were prior to the crisis, and it will take California longer than other states to rebound, according to an industry economist. The property/casualty insurance …

Business Moves

NSM, Ideal Philadelphia-based program administrator NSM Insurance Group has acquired IDEAL Marine Insurance, a Chicago-based is a program specialist focused on non-construction, ocean and inland marine risks. Geof McKernan, CEO of NSM, said the company is “aggressively seeking specialty underwriting …

Employers With Foreign Labor Face Increased Liability

Insurance Considerations for Agents Insuring Agricultural Employer Every state has been impacted by Arizona’s immigration law, as there is now a cry for immigration reform. Employers who hire a questionable workforce due to the “dirty” or menial nature of certain …

Buy Sell Agreement Basics

Why Every Business Should Develop a Comprehensive Buy-Sell Agreement It can be anti-intuitive for some people, but when getting into a business, one needs to plan how to get out of the business. There can be many options and situations …

Ratings: Cherokee/Oakland, Wayne Mutual, Executive, United Fire, Mercer

A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A’ (Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a” from “a-” of Cherokee Insurance Company. In addition Best has upgraded the ICR to “bbb” from “bbb-” of …

Best Affirms Aviva USA, Subsidiaries Ratings; Outlook Revised to Positive

A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of Iowa-based Aviva Life and Annuity Company (ALAC) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Aviva Life and Annuity Company of New …

Ratings Roundup: China Taiping (NZ), BEST RE (Malaysia)

A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit rating of “bbb” of China Taiping Insurance (New Zealand) Company Limited (CTPNZ), both with stable outlooks. The ratings reflect CTPNZ’s “adequate risk-adjusted capitalization, notable improvement …