AM Best Revises Outlooks to Stable for California Mutual Insurance Company

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has revised the outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of California Mutual Insurance Company (California Mutual) (Hollister, CA).

The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect California Mutual’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

AM Best placed negative outlooks on the ratings in 2017 following material volatility in California Mutual’s underwriting performance that did not align well with the operating performance assessment of adequate. Since that time, California Mutual has reported only one year with a combined ratio above 100, with continued stabilization through 2021. Furthermore, the company has increased surplus by nearly 15% since the outlook was revised in 2017 through the first nine months of 2021. The surplus gain largely reflects net investment income and capital gains, partially offset by underwriting losses. Management strategically harvests gains on the equity portfolio on an annual basis, which has contributed to after-tax income being reported in nine of the last 10 years. AM Best expects underwriting results to remain within an adequate range through ongoing rate and risk portfolio refinement, which will enable California Mutual to more effectively absorb large losses.

The very strong overall balance sheet strength continues to reflect the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), and underwriting leverage metrics comparable with the commercial property composite, somewhat offset by modestly elevated common stock leverage. The business profile remains focused on commercial business in California. The ERM program, which is reviewed by management and the board, remains appropriate for the risk profile.

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 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. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

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