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Business Wire
30 minutes ago
- Business
- Business Wire
AM Best Removes From Under Review With Developing Implications and Affirms Credit Ratings of Ozark National Life Insurance Company
BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has removed from under review with developing implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of 'a-' (Excellent) of Ozark National Life Insurance Company (Ozark) (Kansas City, MO). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Ozark's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The ratings also reflect implicit support from Ozark's new parent company. On May 30, 2025, Ozark became a wholly owned subsidiary of Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company (AFL) (Dallas, Texas), which in turn, is wholly owned by Americo Life, Inc. (Americo) (Kansas City, MO). AFL acquired Ozark to continue its strategic growth objectives in the U.S. life insurance market, where it has focused traditionally on closing mortality protection gaps through technology-driven application and underwriting processes. Ozark's risk-adjusted capitalization is assessed currently at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR); however, the company's statutory capital and surplus was relatively modest at approximately $137 million as of the acquisition date. Ozark reported approximately $27 million and $79 million of statutory earnings and net premiums in 2024 respectively, which primarily relates to its core individual whole life insurance product. This line of business is marketed alongside mutual funds offered by N.I.S. Financial Services Inc. This entity also was acquired by AFL. Currently, Ozark has nominal market share in competitive markets, which lends more exposure to execution risk related to achieving operating scale and integrating with Americo's underwriting, investment, and ERM capabilities. AM Best will monitor Ozark's future capitalization against its growth initiatives, and its strategic importance and overall earnings contribution to Americo. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Cavello Bay Reinsurance Limited
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of 'a+' (Excellent) of Cavello Bay Reinsurance Limited (Cavello Bay) (Bermuda), a subsidiary of Enstar Group Limited (Enstar) (Bermuda). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Cavello Bay's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The affirmation reflects a continuation of Enstar's robust capitalization through its acquisition by Sixth Street Partners, LLC (Sixth Street). In recent years, Enstar has established itself as a market leader in the non-life runoff space and continues to introduce new products to service short-tailed and insurance-linked securities solutions as well. AM Best anticipates that the business model will remain generally consistent under the ownership of Sixth Street. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit Copyright © 2025 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
2 days ago
- Automotive
JR East to Resume E8 Shinkansen Train Operations
News from Japan Society Guide to Japan Jul 22, 2025 21:13 (JST) Tokyo, July 22 (Jiji Press)--East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, said Tuesday that it will gradually resume individual operations of E8 series Shinkansen trains on the Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train line from Aug. 1, as the cause of the malfunctions affecting them has been identified. JR East found that a higher-than-expected current flowed due to an improper combination of parts in the system that supplies power to the trains' electrical devices. In addition to the high current, the heat also affected the parts that shut off the current, causing them to malfunction. The trouble occurred on June 17, when an out-of-service E8 train became unable to accelerate while running between Utsunomiya and Nasushiobara stations in Tochigi Prefecture. As a result, Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services between Tokyo Station and Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture were suspended for about five and a half hours. As other E8 trains also malfunctioned on the same day, JR East suspended individual operations of the E8 series, while partly halting Yamagata Shinkansen services. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
AM Best Assigns Credit Ratings to Generali Seguros y Reaseguros, S.A.U.
AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of 'aa-' (Superior) to Generali Seguros y Reaseguros, S.A.U. (Generali Seguros) (Spain). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Generali Seguros' inclusion as a member of the lead rating unit of Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (Generali), which has a balance sheet strength that AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as strong operating performance, very favourable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. Generali Seguros is strategically important to Generali as it currently sources a material share of the group's business in Spain, which is an important market for Generali. The entity will become Generali's sole entity in Spain, following a reverse merger with Generali España, Sociedad Anonima de Seguros y Reaseguros, which is expected to take place in October 2025. Additionally, Generali Seguros is necessary for licensing as it has a licensed branch in Ireland. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit Copyright © 2025 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Business Wire
17-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
AM Best Downgrades Credit Ratings of Utica First Insurance Company
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to 'a-' (Excellent) from 'a' (Excellent) of Utica First Insurance Company (Utica First) (Oriskany, NY). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) has been revised to stable from negative. The ratings reflect Utica First's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its marginal operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The rating downgrades reflect deterioration in Utica First's operating performance as recent results have been challenged by various market and social inflation conditions, as well as weather-related events. As a result, the company had underwriting losses in each of the past five years and pre-tax operating losses in three of the past five years, which has driven total return metrics to be negative. In addition, other operating performance metrics are aligned with marginally rated companies within the commercial casualty composite. The revised outlooks to stable from negative reflect Utica First's balance sheet assessment of very strong, supported by risk-adjusted capitalization at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), prudent investment portfolio and strong liquidity measures. In addition, the company has implemented numerous underwriting actions and rate actions to combat the decline in results. As a result, it is expected that operating metrics will stabilize and remain in line with the marginal assessment. AM Best assesses Utica First's business profile as neutral due to its strong position in its target market that includes business owners, specifically small restaurants, and the artisan line of business. AM Best assesses Utica First's ERM as appropriate supported by a developed risk framework and formalized risk appetite and tolerance statements. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments.
