AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Employers Holdings, Inc. and Its Subsidiaries

Business Wire

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “a-” of Employers Preferred Insurance Company and its pooled affiliates, collectively referred to as Employers Insurance Group (Employers). (See below for a detailed list of companies). Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term ICR of “bbb-” of Employers Holdings, Inc. (EHI) [NYSE:EIG], the publicly traded ultimate parent of Employers. All companies are headquartered in Reno, NV. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) remains positive.

The ratings reflect Employers’ balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The ratings are supported by Employers’ risk-adjusted capitalization, considered to be at the strongest level, improving operating earnings and significant market expertise operating as a workers’ compensation writer. The ratings also reflect the financial flexibility afforded by its publicly traded parent, EHI. Improved underwriting margins in recent years reflect the pricing flexibility afforded to Employers through its use of multiple writing companies, combined with ongoing underwriting initiatives focused on underperforming classes of business.

Employers maintains business concentration risk operating as a mono-line workers’ compensation insurer with relatively high concentration of premium volume in a select number of states. While this concentration subjects the group to heightened degrees of economic, regulatory and judicial risks, this concern is mitigated by management’s market expertise.

Continuation of the positive outlook reflects Employers’ improving levels of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), and continued improvement in underwriting and operating performance, partially offset by a limited business profile. Further positive rating action could occur should underwriting and operating results continue to improve and be sustained at a level that performs in line with higher rated peers.

The FSR of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of “a-” have been affirmed with a positive outlook for the following pooled subsidiaries of Employers Holdings, Inc.:

Employers Preferred Insurance Company
Employers Compensation Insurance Company
Employers Insurance Company of Nevada
Employers Assurance Company
Cerity Insurance Company

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 media use of Best’s Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best’s Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data provider specializing in the insurance industry. The company does business in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in Oldwick, NJ, AM Best has offices in cities around the world, including London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.