AM Best Assigns Credit Ratings to Premier Land Title Insurance Company

Business Wire

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) to Premier Land Title Insurance Company (Premier) (Coppell, TX). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect Premier’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.

Premier’s balance sheet strength assessment is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalization, which is at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), across all return periods in standard and stressed scenarios. Premier’s risk-adjusted capitalization is expected to remain at the strongest level, supported by increased retention of earnings. Premier has a conservative investment portfolio with conservative loss reserving strategies.

Premier’s strong operating performance assessment is based on its long history of favorable reported combined ratios that has outperformed the industry composite on a five- and 10-year basis. This above-average performance reflects loss and loss adjustment expense and underwriting expense ratios that outshine the industry's comparable metrics.

The company’s limited business profile is reflective of its position as a mono-line writer of title insurance, operating in 20 states and Washington D.C., with the majority of its business written in Florida and Texas. Premier writes title insurance for residential builders, whose business is generated by its ultimate parent, PulteGroup, Inc.

The stable outlooks reflect AM Best’s expectation that Premier will continue to maintain its very strong balance sheet strength and strong operating performance, despite high interest rates, the slowdown in the housing sector and the effects from a slowing economy.

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.