Best’s News & Research Service - June 03, 2025 03:59 PM (EDT)
AM Best Comments on Credit Ratings of Southern Vanguard Insurance Company and Members of Stonetrust Insurance Group Following Wintaai America Inc.’s Announced Acquisition
- June 03, 2025 03:59 PM (EDT)
//BestWire// - AM Best has commented that the Credit Ratings (ratings) of Southern Vanguard Insurance Company (Southern Vanguard) (Austin, TX) and the members of Stonetrust Insurance Group (Stonetrust) (Baton Rouge, LA) remain unchanged following the May 27, 2025, announcement that Wintaai America Inc. (Wintaai), Stonetrust’s holding company, will be acquiring Southern Vanguard, subject to regulatory approval.
The members of Stonetrust have a Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “a-” (Excellent) with positive outlooks. Southern Vanguard has an FSR of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term ICR of “a-” (Excellent) with stable outlooks.
Wintaai owns 99.94% of Stonetrust and the remaining is owned by various employees. Wintaai will own 100% of Southern Vanguard following conclusion of the transaction, which is pending regulatory approval and expected to close by July 2025. Aside from the transaction cost, Wintaai will also add capital to Southern Vanguard as a post-close contribution.
AM Best does not expect the transaction to have any material change to either the rating unit’s rating fundamentals or business operations. AM Best will continue to evaluate each of these organizations independently while monitoring the progress and the effects of this transaction over time. Mike Dileo will remain president and chief executive officer of Stonetrust and Cory Moulton will remain president and chief executive officer of Southern Vanguard. Prospectively, the companies will continue to operate independently under common ownership. Stonetrust will maintain its headquarters in Baton Rouge, LA, and Southern Vanguard will maintain its headquarters in Austin, TX.
The members of Stonetrust are Stonetrust Commercial Insurance Company and Stonetrust Premier Casualty Insurance Company. Southern Vanguard is a single entity.
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.