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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OLDWICK, N.J. - NOVEMBER 21, 2007 12:00 AM (EST)
A.M. Best Co. has launched Best's Structured Finance Center, a web Portal where visitors can view the rating agency's activities in the insurance-linked securities market and other transactions/methodologies related to the convergence of capital markets and insurance.
In addition to its insurance company ratings, A.M. Best rates and evaluates insurance-linked capital markets transactions such as: catastrophe bonds, CDOs of catastrophe risks, sidecars (and their debt), contingent capital solutions, Trups collateralized debt obligations (Trups CDOs), disability reserve securitizations, closed block transactions, life settlements securitizations, reinsurance recoverable hedging transactions, protected cell structures, and other insurance-linked transactions.
The Structured Finance Group also provides valuable input to the financial strength rating process, since nearly all the insurance-linked transactions are designed to be reinsurance substitutes. For example, the group evaluates the basis risk and tail risk associated with certain transactions and passes the information on to insurance-company rating analysts.
Best's Structured Finance Center aggregates information including structured-finance-related ratings, press releases, news stories and documents that detail the methodologies employed by the company's analysts.
Access to the center is at no charge. Visit http://www3.ambest.com/sfc/ or e-mail inquiries to StructuredFinance@ambest.com.
Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Company is a global full-service credit rating organization dedicated to serving the financial and health care service industries, including insurance companies, banks, hospitals and health care system providers./B>