AM Best Revises Issuer Credit Rating Outlook to Negative for United Equitable Insurance Company and American Heartland Insurance Company

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of C++ (Marginal) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “b” for United Equitable Insurance Company (United Equitable). Concurrently, AM Best has revised the outlook to negative from stable for the Long-Term ICR and affirmed the FSR of C- (Weak) and the Long-Term ICR of “ccc-” of American Heartland Insurance Company (American Heartland). The outlook for the FSR is stable. Both companies are headquartered in Morton Grove, IL.

The Credit Ratings (ratings) of United Equitable reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as weak, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and marginal enterprise risk management (ERM).

The ratings of American Heartland reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as very weak, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and marginal ERM.

The revised outlooks to negative from stable for United Equitable and the revised Long-Term ICR outlook for American Heartland are based on continued pressure on their balance sheet strength assessments through third-quarter 2020, driven by significant recent growth and equity market volatility. Risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), has declined to the lower end of the weak range for both companies. The stable FSR outlook for American Heartland is based on AM Best’s expectation that the company's operating performance will remain adequate over the intermediate term, supported by its prudent underwriting practices.

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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