AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of TDC Insurance Company Limited

Business Wire

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of TDC Insurance Company Limited (TDCIC) (St. Kitts and Nevis). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect TDCIC’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

TDCIC maintains the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), to support its balance sheet strength assessment. While total capital and surplus is relatively modest, the organization has generated capital and surplus growth annually over the last five years, driven by favorable net earnings. TDCIC’s capital and surplus growth has come despite occasional dividend payments to its parent entity, TDC Group Limited (TDC Group). Due to the company’s exposure to catastrophe risk as a Caribbean property and casualty insurer, TDCIC has elevated reinsurance dependence in order to manage the volatility of its earnings and protect its surplus. However, this dependence is partially mitigated by TDCIC s conservative reinsurance structure with high-quality reinsurance counterparties, no history of reinsurance disputes and its affiliation with East Caribbean Reinsurance Company Limited (ECRC), which helps to reduce the cost of access to its reinsurance markets. The organization also maintains a conservative investment portfolio, comprised primarily of cash and short-term investments, to maintain ongoing liquidity.

TDCIC’s operating performance is strong, reflecting its historically favorable loss experience brought on by strict underwriting and prudent risk management. The company has reported consistent operating gains, with investment income supplementing underwriting performance.

The organization’s business profile is assessed as limited. This is primarily due to elevated concentration risk, as its business is exclusively derived from St. Kitts and Nevis and predominantly comprised of property and motor premiums. TDCIC employs an ERM program to appropriately monitor and manage its organizational risks, such as concentration risk.

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 www.ambest.com.