Best’s News & Research Service - December 15, 2022 03:32 PM (EST)
AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Pacífico Compañía de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A.
- December 15, 2022 03:32 PM (EST)
Mexico City //BestWire// - AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of Pacífico Compañía de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A. (PCS) (Lima, Perú). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.
The ratings reflect PCS’ balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).
The ratings of PCS also reflect the company’s strong market share in Perú’s insurance industry, as well as its comprehensive and well-diversified reinsurance program. Limiting the ratings is the adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Perú, specifically in the life insurance market, which PCS leads as the largest participant.
PCS is Perú’s largest insurer overall with a market share of 32% (net premiums written), as of October 2022. Life insurance composes half of the company’s business portfolio, with non-life insurance making up the remaining half. The company’s ultimate parent is Perú’s largest financial holding company, Credicorp Ltd. [NYSE: BAP], which had USD 61 billion in assets as of December 2021.
In 2021, PCS maintained its risk-adjusted capitalization at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR); however, bottom line results, in conjunction with higher-than usual dividend payouts, have pressured its capital base. AM Best will continue to monitor the development of the company’s capital base as the economic cycle unfolds. PCS continues to benefit from risk mitigation achieved through diversification and a robust and comprehensive reinsurance program with highly rated reinsurers.
PCS has maintained adequate operating performance, despite the ongoing stress on results derived from the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2021, the company made underwriting adjustments in its sensitive business lines such as life, health and insurance related to pension funds to counter the stress on its bottom line results. These adjustments have materialized in visible improvements, which translated into profitable results as of October 2022.
The stable outlooks reflect the improvement in Pacifico’s operating performance, resulting from price adjustments, which translates to stabilization of the company’s capital base.
Negative rating actions could occur if the company experiences an unfavorable trend in underwriting performance that results in a constant reporting of net losses. Negative rating actions may also occur if the company’s risk-adjusted capitalization decreases due to capital outflows or net losses.
The methodology used in determining these ratings is Best’s Credit Rating Methodology (Version Nov. 13, 2020), which provides a comprehensive explanation of AM 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:
- Evaluating Country Risk (Version Oct. 13, 2017)
- Understanding Global BCAR (Version June 30, 2022)
- Catastrophe Analysis in AM Best Ratings (Version Oct. 13, 2017)
- Available Capital & Holding Company Analysis (Version Oct. 13, 2017)
- Scoring and Assessing Innovation (March 5, 2020)
View a general description of the policies and procedures used to determine credit ratings. For information on the meaning of ratings, structure, voting and the committee process for determining the ratings and monitoring activities, please refer to Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings.
- Previous Rating Date: Dec. 15, 2021
- Date Range of Financial Data Used: Dec. 31, 2016-Oct. 31, 2022
This press release relates to rating(s) that have been published on AM Best’s website. For additional 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.
AM Best does not validate or certify the information provided by the client in order to issue a credit rating.
While the information obtained from the material source(s) is believed to be reliable, its accuracy is not guaranteed. AM Best does not audit the company’s financial records or statements, or otherwise independently verify the accuracy and reliability of the information; therefore, AM Best cannot attest as to the accuracy of the information provided.
AM Best’s credit ratings are independent and objective opinions, not statements of fact. AM Best is not an Investment Advisor, does not offer investment advice of any kind, nor does the company or its Ratings Analysts offer any form of structuring or financial advice. AM Best’s credit opinions are not recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities, or to make any other investment decisions. View our entire notice for complete details.
AM Best receives compensation for interactive rating services provided to organizations that it rates. AM Best may also receive compensation from rated entities for non-rating related services or products offered by AM Best. AM Best does not offer consulting or advisory services. For more information regarding AM Best’s rating process, including handling of confidential (non-public) information, independence, and avoidance of conflicts of interest, please read the AM Best Code of Conduct. 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.