Latest AM Best Headlines

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

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 agency...

French & German Floods to Hit Insurers’ Earnings but Not Ratings: A.M. Best

Jun 27 2016 // The earnings of French and German insurers during the first half of 2016 will be dampened by flood claims following storms Elvira and Friederike, which pounded the countries in quick succession between late May and early...

Ratings Downgrades for Members of California-based CSAA: A.M. Best

Jun 20 2016 // A.M. Best has downgraded the financial strength rating to A (Excellent) from A+ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings to “a+” from “aa-” of the members of Walnut Creek, Calif.-based CSAA...

Persistent Soft Market Begins to Hit Reinsurer Stock Prices: A.M. Best

Jun 15 2016 // While global reinsurers are continuing to withstand challenging market conditions, their stock prices, on average, are starting to take a hit as a result of the persistent soft market and its negative effect on top line...

A.M. Best Removes Atlantic Casualty from Under Review, Upgrades Ratings

Jun 13 2016 // A.M. Best has 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...

Outlooks Revised to Stable for Hallmark Financial Services, Subsidiaries

Jun 9 2016 // Ratings agency, A.M. Best, has revised the outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of the members of...

Ratings Downgrades for Members of California-based CSAA: A.M. Best

Jun 8 2016 // A.M. Best has downgraded the financial strength rating to A (Excellent) from A+ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings to “a+” from “aa-” of the members of Walnut Creek, Calif.-based CSAA...

Agency E&O and Carrier Insolvency: Things Stay the Same

Jun 6 2016 // Insurance company insolvency has been a thorny issue spanning many decades. The only consistency is that there is no one solution and that an agent can be held liable for placing coverage with a company that becomes...

A.M. Best Upgrades Ratings of Republic Underwriters Insurance, Affiliates

May 17 2016 // A.M. Besthas 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...

Medical Professional Liability Insurers’ Profits Decline But Outlook Stable: A.M. Best

May 11 2016 // The specialty medical professional liability (MPL) insurance industry remained profitable in 2015, however its net income fell nearly 36.6 percent to almost $1.1 billion in 2015.In a special report, A.M. Best said the MPL...

Costly Alberta Wildfires to Hit Q2 Results; Insurers Are Resilient: Ratings Reports

May 9 2016 // While the wildfires raging through northern Alberta and the city of Fort McMurray could bring one of the largest catastrophe losses in Canadian history, property insurers are resilient, according to A.M. Best and...

A.M. Best: Texas Hail Storm Damage Poised to Exceed 9-Year U.S. Average

Apr 26 2016 // A.M. Best says year-to-date 2016 results in Texas alone appear to have already met the nine-year average for hail storm damage in the United States.According to Best’s Briefing, titled, “Texas Hail Storm Damage...

Safety Specialty Insurance Co. Assigned A+ Rating by A.M. Best

Apr 22 2016 // A.M. Best has assigned a financial strength rating of A+ (Superior) and an issuer credit rating of “aa-” to Safety Specialty Insurance Co., based in St. Louis, Mo. The outlook assigned to each rating is...

A.M. Best: Ratings of National Unity Insurance Downgraded, Withdrawn

Apr 22 2016 // A.M. Best reported it has both downgraded and withdrawn the ratings for National Unity Insurance Company (National Unity) in San Antonio, Texas.National Unity specializes domestic non-standard auto business, as well as in...