Best's Review Examines Shell Companies, Innovation

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The January issue of Best’s Review covers the increased interest in shell companies as startups seek to expand into the carrier sector, as well as AM Best’s perspectives on innovation:

• “A Shell of Their Future Selves: How Insurer Acquisitions Spur Faster Growth” investigates how insurers and potential insurers are purchasing shell companies to expedite the process of expanding their businesses and becoming full-stack insurers, rather than starting from the ground up in each state.
• “AM Best’s Innovation Criteria” highlights AM Best’s published perspectives on innovation and how its criteria procedure, “Scoring and Assessing Innovation,” along with the update to Best’s Credit Rating Methodology, outlines how AM Best explicitly considers an insurance company’s innovation efforts in its rating process.

Also included in the January issue:

• “Best’s Rankings: Florida Leads Nation in Homeowners Premium” examines how the Sunshine State’s storm-prone location and litigation troubles are compelling carriers to re-evaluate their approach to the market, or retreat from it entirely.
• “New Year Brings New Look to Industry Leadership” presents coverage of industry executives who retired in 2022, and “In Memoriam: Insurance Industry Leaders of 2022” remembers those who passed away over the last year.
• “Lincoln Financial Sees Lapse Rates Plummet for Over-75s” examines how, after years of venturing into areas that put some of their products in direct competition with investment vehicles, insurers are hard-pressed to predict policyholder lapses and surrenders, thanks to interest rate hikes and a looming recession.
• Beginning this month, Best's Review's online magazine has moved to a new, interactive format.

Best’s Review is AM Best’s monthly insurance magazine, covering emerging issues and trends and evaluating their impact on the marketplace. Access to the complete content of Best’s Review is available here.

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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