AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Motors Insurance Company Limited

AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of Motors Insurance Company Limited (MICL) (United Kingdom). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. MICL is a wholly owned subsidiary of AmTrust International Insurance, Ltd., which is a member of the AmTrust Group.

The ratings reflect MICL’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.

MICL’s balance sheet strength is underpinned by risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), and is supported by prudent reserving practices and a low-risk investment portfolio. Buffers in the company’s risk-adjusted capitalisation in excess of the strongest threshold reduced moderately at year-end 2023 and are expected to reduce further in 2024, as the company is expected to continue to upstream excess capital to the group through a series of large dividend pay-outs. Prospectively, AM Best expects MICL’s risk-adjusted capitalisation to remain at the strongest level, benefitting from internal capital generation and a prudent capital management policy. The company’s moderate dependence on reinsurance and concentration to one reinsurance counterparty is partially mitigated by that counterparty’s excellent credit quality.

MICL has a track record of strong operating performance, with a five-year (2019-2023) weighted average return-on-equity ratio of 11.3%. The company’s earnings are underpinned by solid and stable underwriting results, demonstrated by a combined ratio that has ranged between 88.5% and 92.6% over the past five years, as calculated by AM Best, driven by prudent pricing and profit-sharing arrangements. In addition, the company’s overall earnings are supported by modest investment returns from its conservative asset allocation.

MICL provides auto warranty and auto add-on policies, primarily distributed by retail intermediaries. The company has a well-established competitive position in the auto warranty market in the United Kingdom, which generates the majority of its revenue. AM Best expects the company’s book of business to remain relatively stable.

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 specialising 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.

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