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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEXICO CITY - OCTOBER 05, 2017 12:41 PM (EDT)
A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent), the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a” and the Mexico National Scale Rating of “aaa.MX” of Reaseguradora Patria, S.A. (Patria Re) (Mexico). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.
A.M. Best also has affirmed the Long-Term ICR of “bbb” of Patria Re’s ultimate parent, Peña Verde, S.A.B. (Peña Verde) (Mexico). The outlook of this rating is stable. Per A.M. Best’s methodology on insurance holding companies, Peña Verde’s rating reflects a standard notching from Patria Re’s Long-Term ICR and is in line with companies of the same rating level.
The ratings reflect Patria Re’s excellent risk-adjusted capitalization, low underwriting leverage, comprehensive enterprise risk management infrastructure and expansive knowledge of its core markets in Latin America, as well as the company’s strong liquidity metrics and stable overseas operation outside its niche market, which has reflected no signs of emerging risks in terms of underwriting and implementation of its expansion strategy.
Offsetting these strengths is Patria Re’s relatively important participation of equities in its investment portfolio and the catastrophic nature of some of its lines of business, which could add volatility to the company’s operating performance.
Patria Re has established a solid niche position in Mexico and Latin America, which allows it to accept profitable business selectively, while maintaining a diversified product portfolio tailored to specific markets. This strategy has resulted in consistently favorable underwriting results over the years and has contributed to Patria Re’s enhanced risk-adjusted capitalization. The company maintains excellent risk-adjusted capitalization levels, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), reinforced by a well-balanced reinsurance program placed among counterparties with a strong security level to support its operations. Furthermore, the company’s underwriting leverage has remained at conservative levels for the past five years.
At year-end 2016, the company registered a diminished return on equity and return on assets of 0.87% and 0.5% respectively, mainly driven by claims from catastrophe events, such as the earthquake in Ecuador and Hurricane Earl, as well as negative effects from non-recurring adjustments derived from the implementation of Solvency II-type regulation, which have pressured the company’s operating performance as reflected in higher combined ratios. A.M. Best expects these metrics to improve in 2017 supported by a strong track record in underwriting practices, which will enable the company to overcome further pressure derived from recent catastrophe events.
While Patria Re holds a larger percentage of its investment portfolio in equities in comparison with other peers, which could lead to higher volatility in its financial income, Patria Re historically has maintained such positions and keeps a long-term investment horizon for these assets. Given its prudent reserve practices and strong capital position, the company has not been required to materialize any unrealized losses from any of these investments to cover unusual deviations in claims arising from the catastrophic nature of its portfolio.
Since 2015, Patria Re’s risk profile shifted as a result of its assumption of exposures outside of its core markets through Patria Corporate Member Ltd (Lloyd’s syndicate) and Patria Re Marketing Services Ltd in the U.K., and Patria Re Servicios, S.A. in Chile. While expanding into highly competitive and mature markets, the latter has enabled the company to afford a planned geographic diversification.
A.M. Best considers Patria Re to be well-positioned at its current rating level. Factors that could lead to positive rating actions include continued strong underwriting and overall results in conjunction with the maintenance of excellent risk-adjusted capitalization and improvements in the performance of its investment portfolio, as well as continued and successful operation of its overseas expansion. Factors that may lead to negative rating actions include a sustained decline in underwriting profitability, significant deterioration in risk-adjusted capitalization and unsuccessful operations of the company’s overseas expansion plans.
The methodology used in determining these ratings is Best’s Credit Rating Methodology, which provides a comprehensive explanation of A.M. Best’s rating process and contains the different rating criteria employed in the rating process. Best’s Credit Rating Methodology can be found at www.ambest.com/ratings/methodology.
Key insurance criteria reports utilized:
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