AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Canopius US Insurance, Inc. and Canopius Reinsurance Limited
- December 16, 2021 09:06 AM (EST)
London //BestWire// - AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” (Excellent) of Canopius US Insurance, Inc. (Canopius US) (Wilmington, DE) and Canopius Reinsurance Limited (Canopius Re) (Bermuda). Both entities are wholly owned subsidiaries of Canopius Group Limited (Canopius) (Jersey), the non-operating holding company of the Canopius group of companies. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.
The ratings reflect Canopius’ balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
The ratings of Canopius US and Canopius Re reflect their strategic importance to and integration within the Canopius group.
Canopius’ balance sheet strength is underpinned by its very strong risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Significant capital contributions from new and existing shareholders in 2020 and early 2021 offset the impact of material COVID-19-related (re)insurance claims and natural catastrophe losses. Moderate internal capital generation is expected to support risk-adjusted capitalisation at the very strong level prospectively.
Canopius has incurred underwriting losses in recent years, largely owing to the impact of natural catastrophe claims. Results in 2020 also were significantly affected by COVID-19-related losses, driven by business interruption and event cancellation business lines. However, overall performance is expected to show moderate improvement prospectively, as Canopius continues to decrease its exposure to natural catastrophe events. The group is expected to generate a profit in 2021.
Canopius has a well-established business profile as a (re)insurer in the Lloyd’s market, where it ranked seventh in terms of gross written premium in 2020. In addition, the group’s partnership with Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd., announced in 2019, is expected to support its expansion in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific markets in coming years.
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 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.