A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of The Travelers Companies, Inc. and Its Subsidiaries
Concurrently,
The rating affirmations reflect Travelers’ solid risk-adjusted capitalization, trend of favorable operating and underwriting results, excellent market profile in commercial and personal lines (largely distributed through independent agents) and effective management team. The ratings also acknowledge Travelers’ proactive and comprehensive risk management, underwriting and financial discipline, relatively conservative investment portfolio, geographic and product diversification, and enhanced technology and internal information systems, which have improved its underwriting effectiveness and ability to service agents and customers in both commercial and personal lines. In addition, Travelers’ superior product breadth, industry leading data and analytics and leading position within its distribution network have enabled it to report a trend of strong earnings that have outperformed the majority of its peers over time.
Travelers’ ratings also consider the financial flexibility and liquidity provided by TRV. Despite significant share repurchases since 2006, TRV maintained
Offsetting these positive rating factors are the ongoing competitive environment within the property/casualty markets, Travelers’ relatively significant exposure to natural and man-made catastrophes and challenges in its personal auto business. Travelers has comprehensive reinsurance and risk management programs in place to manage its spread of risk and limit its overall exposure. Despite reporting an increased level of catastrophe losses in 2011 and 2012, Travelers reported solid returns in those years while maintaining strong liquidity and risk-adjusted capitalization, demonstrating the group’s conservative operating philosophy, strong business profile and comprehensive risk management program. More recently, the group produced strong results in the first quarter of 2016, even as catastrophe losses increased substantially from the prior year. Expense reductions and the implementation of the Quantum 2.0 underwriting system have driven recent growth in personal auto.
The ratings of TCSA and its 100% reinsured affiliate, TCSCE, primarily recognize the companies’ strong consolidated risk-adjusted capitalization, specialized underwriting expertise, highly favorable underwriting and operating performance and leadership position in the surety, fidelity and management liability segments. These strengths are partially offset by TCSA’s limited product diversification, as well as the negative impact that continued competitive property/casualty markets and challenging macroeconomic conditions may have on premium and profitability levels.
The ratings of
The ratings of Dominion reflect its solid risk-adjusted capitalization; excellent brand recognition; established nationwide Canadian market presence, with a focus in
The ratings of Premier acknowledge its strong risk-adjusted capitalization, historically favorable operating profitability and the additional operational support and financial flexibility afforded by Travelers and TRV. These positive rating factors are partly offset by Premier’s underwriting losses earlier in most recent five-year period and the concentration of its business in a single state and line of business, specifically,
The ratings of First Floridian recognize its strong risk-adjusted capitalization, trend of highly profitable operating results in recent years, operating efficiencies and local market focus, which enables it to respond effectively to issues associated with Florida’s personal lines market, and the additional operational support and financial flexibility afforded by TRV. Partially offsetting these strengths are First Floridian’s continued, albeit declining, exposure to catastrophe losses and single state geographic concentration in
Positive rating movement is unlikely in the near term. Factors that could lead to negative rating actions include deterioration in underwriting and operating performance to a level below similarly-rated peers, an erosion of surplus that causes a decline in risk-adjusted capital to a level that is no longer supportive of the current ratings or a deterioration in TRV’s overall financial strength or credit quality.
For a complete listing of
This press release relates to rating(s) that have been published on A.M. 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 A.M. Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page.
Copyright © 2016 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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