-

AM Best Revises Outlooks to Stable for Members of ISMIE Mutual Group

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 ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company and ISMIE Indemnity Company (collectively known as ISMIE or the group). Both companies are domiciled in Chicago, IL.

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

The revision of the outlooks to stable reflects steady improvement in ISMIE’s operating performance driven by rate and underwriting actions as well as expense management, as it has executed on various strategic initiatives to return to profitability. Net investment income was a significant contributor to operating earnings driven by higher yields after a period of constraint in prior years from the group’s conservative investment portfolio.

The group’s expansion strategy into new territories and product offerings over the most recent five-year period, combined with modest expansion within its core medical professional liability book, resulted in another year of premium growth in 2024. Due to ISMIE’s conservative capital management and prudent reserving, risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), and overall balance sheet strength each remain at the strongest level, absorbing underwriting and overall economic volatility, as well as execution risks associated with the group’s business plan.

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

Copyright © 2025 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contacts

Vicky Riggs
Associate Director
+1 908 882 2273
vicky.riggs@ambest.com

Sharon Marks
Director
+1 908 882 2092
sharon.marks@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Associate Director, Public Relations
+1 908 882 2310
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Al Slavin
Senior Public Relations Specialist
+1 908 882 2318
al.slavin@ambest.com

AM Best


Release Versions
Hashtags

Contacts

Vicky Riggs
Associate Director
+1 908 882 2273
vicky.riggs@ambest.com

Sharon Marks
Director
+1 908 882 2092
sharon.marks@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Associate Director, Public Relations
+1 908 882 2310
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Al Slavin
Senior Public Relations Specialist
+1 908 882 2318
al.slavin@ambest.com

Social Media Profiles
More News From AM Best

Best’s Special Report: AM Best Survey Finds Most Insurers Expect to Leverage AI Though Data, Security Challenges May Impede Fast Adoption

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An AM Best survey of carriers and managing general agents (MGAs) to gauge the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the insurance industry found that while nearly 60% of respondents expect AI to significantly transform their business models within the next one to three years, data readiness, security and privacy and integration with legacy systems are their largest impediments in deploying AI within their organizations. The survey results can be found in a ne...

AM Best to Exhibit at The BIBA Conference 2026

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best will exhibit at The BIBA Conference, which will take place 13-14 May 2026, in Manchester, United Kingdom. AM Best’s William Mills, senior director, and Roisin Gallagher, associate director, from the EMEA ratings market development team, will be available at booth D79 to discuss Best’s Credit Ratings and Best’s Performance Assessments for Delegated Underwriting Authority Enterprises (DUAE). Also present at the conference will be Sandhya Pai, account manager from...

AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. and Affiliates

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a+” (Excellent) of Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. (Bermuda) and its reinsured affiliates, First Guard Insurance Company (First Guard) (Scottsdale, AZ) and Southern Pioneer Property and Casualty Insurance Company (Southern Pioneer) (Jonesboro, AR). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. These companies are collectively referred to as Biglari...
Back to Newsroom