AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Wawanesa General Insurance Company and Wawanesa Life Insurance Company

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a-” (Excellent) of Wawanesa General Insurance Company (Wawanesa General) (San Diego, CA). Additionally, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of “a” (Excellent) of Wawanesa Life Insurance Company (Wawanesa Life). Concurrently, AM Best has downgraded the Long-Term ICR to “a” (Excellent) from “a+” (Excellent) and affirmed the FSR of A (Excellent) of The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company (Wawanesa Mutual). All companies are headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, unless otherwise specified. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings of Wawanesa General reflect its 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 consider the implicit and explicit support received from its ultimate parent, Wawanesa Mutual, given Wawanesa Mutual’s role as the lead rating unit within the organization. The ratings also reflect Wawanesa General’s improved operating performance in recent years as evidenced by underwriting profitability since 2018. The improved performance also has permitted Wawanesa General to grow policyholder surplus organically through earnings without the dependence or support from its parent to infuse additional capital.

The ratings of Wawanesa Life reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM. Wawanesa Life’s strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), supports the company’s business and insurance risks. In addition, the company maintains robust Life Insurance Capital Adequacy Test (LICAT) ratios. Wawanesa Life has reported solid growth in equity over the most recent five-year period, driven by pre-tax operating income reflective of net investment income that has generally offset underwriting losses as they have occurred.

The ratings of Wawanesa Mutual reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM. While Wawanesa Mutual maintains the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by BCAR, the Long-Term ICR downgrade reflects the impact of ongoing adverse reserve development occurring on recent accident years on the balance sheet strength assessment. Management has indicated that these reserve-strengthening actions are intended to restore a level of conservatism to the carried reserve position going forward.

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 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.

Copyright © 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Gordon McLean
Senior Financial Analyst

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5304

gordon.mclean@ambest.com

Raymond Thomson CPCU, ARe, ARM

Associate Director

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5621

raymond.thomson@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Communications

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

james.peavy@ambest.com

Source: AM Best