AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Alleghany Corporation, Transatlantic Reinsurance Company and Members of RSUI Group and CapSpecialty Insurance Group

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “aa-” of Transatlantic Reinsurance Company (New York, NY) and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as TransRe). In addition, AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term ICRs and the Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings (Long-Term IRs) of “a-”of Alleghany Corporation (Alleghany) [NYSE: Y] and Transatlantic Holdings, Inc. Alleghany and Transatlantic Holdings, Inc. are headquartered in New York, NY.

Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of “aa-” of RSUI Indemnity Company and its reinsured subsidiaries, collectively referred to as RSUI Group (RSUI) (headquartered in Atlanta, GA).

AM Best also has affirmed the FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICRs of “a” of Capitol Indemnity Corporation and its two subsidiaries, which operate under a pooling agreement, collectively referred to as CapSpecialty Insurance Group (CapSpecialty) (headquartered in Middleton, WI).

The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. (Please see below for a detailed listing of the companies and ratings.)

The ratings of TransRe reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, very favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

TransRe continues to maintain a robust business profile with a highly diversified book of business in terms of geography and product offerings. TransRe also maintains the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization even under stressed scenarios, and AM Best considers the quality of capital to be a positive factor for the company’s ratings. TransRe consistently has delivered solid results over the reinsurance cycle, and although it remains exposed to catastrophe events worldwide, AM Best expects it to produce favorable earnings driven by underwriting income and complemented by investment income.

The ratings of RSUI reflect the group’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate ERM.

RSUI continues to maintain an exceptional track record of strong operating performance driven by solid underwriting results that have outperformed the industry consistently. The group has been able to remain successfully relevant in a highly competitive environment, and AM Best expects that RSUI will continue to maintain a strong position in the market and will continue to deliver strong results and maintain the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization.

The ratings of CapSpecialty reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its marginal operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM.

AM Best assesses CapSpecialty’s operating performance as marginal, which is reflective largely of its overall return metrics and an expense ratio that has underperformed the industry. However, CapSpecialty maintains a loss ratio that is well-below its peers, and it continues to reposition its book of business to a more prudent risk selection. Going forward, AM Best expects CapSpecialty to continue working toward improving its expense ratio and deliver operating results that are more in line with the industry.

Currently, all companies have indicated that they reserved for net claims and claim expenses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which primarily represent incurred but not reported provisions related to potential claims in certain classes of business. Currently, AM Best considers these losses manageable based on the analysis performed by each management team.

Alleghany’s ratings are based on the organization’s historical earnings results, its low levels of financial leverage and favorable financial flexibility, as well as its consistent track record of supporting its insurance operations.

The FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of “aa-” have been affirmed with stable outlooks for Transatlantic Reinsurance Company and its following subsidiaries:

• TransRe Europe S.A.
• TransRe London Limited
• Fair American Insurance and Reinsurance Company
• Fair American Select Insurance Company
• Calpe Insurance Company Limited

The FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of “aa-” have been affirmed with stable outlooks for the following members of RSUI Group:

• RSUI Indemnity Company
• Landmark American Insurance Company
• Covington Specialty Insurance Company

The FSR of A (Excellent) and Long-Term ICRs of “a” have been affirmed with stable outlooks for the following members of CapSpecialty Insurance Group:

• Capitol Indemnity Corporation
• Platte River Insurance Company
• Capitol Specialty Insurance Corporation

The following Long-Term IRs have been affirmed with stable outlooks:

Alleghany Corporation—
-- “a-” on $400 million floating rate senior unsecured notes, due 2022
-- “a-” on $300 million 4.9% senior unsecured notes, due 2044

Transatlantic Holdings Inc.—
-- “a-” on $350 million 8% senior unsecured notes, due 2039

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 media use of Best’s Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best’s Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases.

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 New York, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

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